Watch and read the latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) news updates regarding the pandemic. Essential businesses such as plumbers, electricians, HVAC and other essential businesses are hard at work making sure society keeps moving, but we know business owners still need the latest information on how to keep their employees and customers safe.
Avoid all the misinformation by seeing news updates from the source. Our goal in this blog is to only provide updates from federal, state, and other official agencies and essential business industry experts regarding the pandemic, and to make things easier, we’ll continue to update this blog with Coronavirus news updates as they are made public.
Click here for a list of essential list of links and resources we’ve compiled specifically for plumbers, electricians and HVAC companies.
Latest Coronavirus Headlines for Plumbers, Electricians and HVAC Pros
April 21st
Senate passes additional funding for Payment Protection Program (PPP)
“We’ve had tremendous support for the PPP. This gives us another $310 billion for the PPP. We look forward to the House passing this tomorrow and being up and running quickly after that. This also gives us $50 billion for disaster loans…that will allow the SBA to make $300 billion of Disaster Loans all for small businesses.”
Steve Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury
April 20th
NFIB Study Finds Most PPP Loan Applicants Still Waiting for Relief
“The NFIB Research Center released a survey today on the small business loan programs. Small business owners were asked about the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan on April 17, the day after the programs ran out of money. About 20% of submitted applications have been fully processed with funds deposited in the borrower’s account, but 80% of respondents said they are still waiting, and many do not know where they are in the application process.”
NFIB.com
Read the press release and full study here for additional analysis including how business owners are viewing the economic downturn.
April 16th
White House releases guidelines for “Opening Up American Again”
The White House’s new guidelines recommend “Gating Criteria” for states to satisfy in entering different phases in opening their respective economies. These guidelines are “robust.” Because these guidelines are so comprehensive, we encourage business owners and managers to listen to their governors and local authorities, read the “Opening Up American Again” guidelines here and watch the full White House briefing which can be viewed here.
April 15th
White House to announce guidelines for states on reopening economy
President Trump announced that the White House would be announcing guidelines for states to reopen their economies during a news conference on Thursday, April 16th.
The President also announced that Abbott “…has developed an antibody test that will determine if someone has been previously infected with the Coronavirus and potentially developed immunity.” You can read more about the test from Abbot here.
April 13th
Clear Seas Research survey on HVAC businesses managing COVID-19
“Clear Seas Research conducted a survey of mechanical contractors April 4 to 6 to see how they are faring compared with a survey from the week of March 23. The latest data shows mechanical contractors trying to keep in touch with their customers while dealing with growing concerns about the health of their business and the economy in general. Even amidst these rough waters, there are signs of hope.”
Read the full article from ACHR News here.
April 10th
The U.S. starts to see a flat curve in new infections
Dr. Deborah Birx outlines how the number of new infections is starting to decrease across the country.
April 8th
Dr. Birx praises Americans’ behavior changes for lower death rates
“…the IMHE Model, they have consistently decreased the number, the mortality from over almost 90,000, 86,000 down to 81,000 and now down to 61,000. That is modeled on what America is doing. That’s what’s happening. And I think what has been so remarkable to those of us who have been in the science fields for so long is how important behavioral change is and how amazing Americans are in adapting to and following through on these behavioral changes. And that’s what’s changing the rate of new cases and that’s what will change the mortality going forward.”
April 7th
Small Business Coronavirus Relief Update from President Trump
President Donald Trump, Treasury Secretery Steven Mnuchin, Ivanka Trump, and SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza give an update on small business Coronavirus relief. Secretary Mnuchin said they are asking the House and Senate for an additional $250 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and he said, “…we look forward to the Senate passing that on Thursday and the House passing that on Friday.“
April 6th
President Trump Comments on Possibly More COVID Economic Relief Bills
During the White House’s April 6th Coronavirus Task Force briefing, President Trump commented on his thoughts on future economic relief legislation in light of the effects of COVID-19.
“I want to do two things. Real infrastructure, not a green new deal. You know the carbon footprint. I’m not looking for that. We want to put people to work…Like in the vicinity of $2 trillion to rebuild our roads, bridges, choice, our tunnels — highways, our tunnels. Everything. I’m totally open to listening to that.”
April 5th
Dr. Fauci warns of “bad week” ahead for the U.S. on Face the Nation
On Sunday, April 5th, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH spoke of a “bad week” on CBS’s Face the Nation.
“So on the one hand, things are going to get bad and we need to be prepared for that. It is going to be shocking to some. It certainly is- is really disturbing to see that. But that’s what’s going to happen before it turns around. So we’ll just buckle down, continue to mitigate, continue to do the physical separation because we got to get through this week that’s coming up because it is going to be a bad week.”
Watch the full interview and read the full transcript here.
U.S. Surgeon General warns of “saddest week of most Americans lives”
U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome Adams also gave a warning on Sunday speaking on Fox News’ Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.
“Well, it’s tragically fitting that we’re talking at the beginning of Holy Week because this is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans’ lives, quite frankly. This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only it’s not going to be localized. It’s going to be happening all over the country. And I want America to understand that. But I also want them to understand that the public, along with the state and the federal government, have the power to change the trajectory of this epidemic.“
Watch the full clip here.
April 3rd
PPP Loan Application Updated Friday, April 3rd by SBA for Submissions
The SBA updated the application for Payment Protection Program (PPP) Loans on Friday, April 3rd, and there are a few changes. You can find the new application here, and we’ve listed the changes on our PPP Loan informational blog here. Also, the SBA launched a new tool to assist businesses in finding eligible lenders in their area. Check it out here!
April 2nd
PPP Loan Details from Administrator Carranza and Secretary Mnuchin
On Thursday, April 2nd, President Trump, Administrator Jovita Carranza of the SBA, and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin gave details about the Payment Protection Program (PPP) loans and other forms of COVID-19 relief. Submissions for PPP loans start Friday, April 3rd.
March 31st
President Trump: “We are going to go through a very tough two weeks.”
President Trump stated, “I want every American to be prepared for the hard days ahead.”
The White House also asked the country for “30 Days to Slow the Spread” and again listed the President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America which you can view in full here.
Payment Protection Plan (PPP) Loan Applications Are Now Available
The Payment Protection Program or PPP application is now available at the Small Business Administration’s website, and we cannot stress the importance of talking with a qualified SBA lender NOW. If you’ve been waiting to apply, click here to get started.
March 30th
“White House updates ‘Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce Workforce’ list to encompass full plumbing supply chain”
From the Supply House Times,
“Workers such as builders, contractors, HVAC technicians and landscapers were added to support Public Work sector heading, which was changed to include ‘… workers at distribution facilities, workers who transport basic raw chemical materials to the producers of industrial and consumer goods, including hand sanitizers, food and food additives, pharmaceuticals, paintings and coatings, textiles, building materials, plumbing, electrical and paper products.'”
Read the full article and find the original link to the updated U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce” guidelines here.
March 29th
White House Coronavirus Task Force Briefing – Sunday, March 29th
You can watch the full White House briefing here, and we’ve inserted some highlights for you to watch below. One notable highlight was that “the president announced he would extend social distancing guidelines until April 30th with full details coming later this week. Check back in here later this week for links to the White House Coronavirus Task Force detailed plan along with video highlights.
President Trump Extends Social Distancing Guidelines until April 30th
“Therefore, we will be extending our guidelines to April 30th to slow the spread. On Tuesday, we will be finalizing these plans and providing a summary of our findings, supporting data and strategy to the American people.”
Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx’s March 29th Comments on Federal Guidelines
“…potential to save, really, hundreds of thousands of American lives.”
See something we missed? Email us an update from an official federal, state or local agency, and we’ll look at updating the blog with the latest information.