The NEJC Chamber is dedicated to supporting our community during this uncertain time. This survey is created to give us information on how we can better serve our businesses and get a clearer picture of the economic impact the pandemic is having on our community at this point. We hope you’ll take a few moments to answer. This survey should take about 3-5 minutes. Click here to take this survey.

The Johnson County COVID-19 Recovery Planning Task Force will plan, strategize, and recommend the implementation of a phased approach to reopening the economy. The Recovery Planning Task Force efforts will balance how to keep the workforce safe and healthy, while also working to reopen the economy. The capability of testing, tracing, and treating will play a critical role in the decision-making process. The county is monitoring the public health and testing data simultaneously so a determination can be made on the timing of a phased economic restoration. The Recovery Planning Task Force started meeting on April 22, 2020. The task force met on Friday, April 24 and drafted a recovery plan for the County. You can read more about the task force and the draft plan by clicking here.

Small businesses and lenders have been waiting with bated breath for news of additional funding for the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program, and now Senate Republicans and Democrats have reached a deal on Tuesday for a bill approving over $480 billion in additional coronavirus relief. The bill was passed in the Senate on Tuesday afternoon, and the House could approve the bill as early as Thursday. In addition to new funding for hospitals, testing, and SBA disaster relief loans, the new package includes $310 billion for the PPP, with $250 billion refilling the program and $60 billion set aside specifically for smaller institutions like credit unions and community banks. That latter $60 billion is key in getting funds to smaller banks and lenders (according to the bill, $30 billion to institutions with between $10 billion and $50 billion in assets, and the other $30 billion to institutions with less than $10 billion in assets).

Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCHDE) is again asking Johnson County residents to complete a short survey in order to help us understand how many people in Johnson County have or do not have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). The survey will be available starting Tuesday, April 21st at 10 a.m. and will close on Friday, April 24th at 10 a.m. Survey link: Population Health Survey This short survey asks about your symptoms or lack of symptoms, demographic and contact information. The survey should be completed for every member of the household. The information is confidential and will only be used by JCDHE to determine how COVID-19 is spreading in the community. You will be asked to do this same survey several more times in the next few weeks in order to compare results. Some residents who complete the survey will be invited to get tested for COVID-19 at a future JCDHE drive-thru testing clinic. “Please fill out the survey accurately and completely for each person in the residence. Completing the survey is voluntary, but we ask that as many people as possible participate every time you are asked, to recognize how the coronavirus is spreading in the community,” states Dr. Sanmi Areola, JCDHE director.

Small businesses are the foundation of our communities and our economy. Employing nearly half the American workforce, they keep our neighborhoods running and make them feel like home. The impacts of the coronavirus pandemic have wrought unprecedented financial uncertainty. These businesses need resources and relief — and they need it now. That’s why the Save Small Business Fund, a grant-making initiative funded by contributions from corporate and philanthropic partners, is providing $5,000 in short-term relief to employers across the United States. These one-time supplemental cash grants are for businesses that have between three and 20 employees and operate in an economically vulnerable community. The grant application will go live on Monday, April 20 at 12:00 PM PT/3:00 PM ET. To learn more about the Save Small Business Fund and to apply for a grant, visit savesmallbusiness.com.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday that she has extended the statewide stay-at-home order to May 3 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. "Unfortunately, cases continue to increase, and new counties continue to have confirmed cases," Kelly said. "Internal and external modeling predict a peak somewhere between the 19th and the 29th of April." The original order was set to expire on April 19. "Ideally, we need to see a reduction in the number of cases for 14 days before we begin to relax social gathering restrictions," Kelly said. Kelly said she was taking this action in collaboration with Gov. Mike Parson, of Missouri, as well as Kansas City metro mayors. "We believe a regional approach will reduce confusion and help keep our communities safe on both sides of the state line. I've also begun conversations with Gov. Jared Polis, from Colorado, to coordinate efforts for western Kansas," Kelly said. The governor said that the earliest that the schools would open would be in August. The governor said that she understands the need of small businesses and restaurants to reopen. "If we do rush it, we will end up doing more harm, whereas, if we take it slowly, cautiously, we'll all be better off in the long run," Kelly said. Under the extended order, Kansas residents are asked to stay at home with some exceptions: Obtaining food, medicine and other household necessities; Going to and from work at a business or organization performing an essential function as identified in the Kansas Essential Function Framework; Seeking medical care; Caring for children, family members or pets, or caring for a vulnerable person in another location; Engaging in an outdoor activity, provided individuals maintain a distance of six feet from one another and abide by the 10-person limitation on gathering size.

The Kansas Supreme Court ruled that Governor Kelly’s Executive Order 20-18 pertaining to mass gatherings of more than 10 people stands. https://www.kscourts.org/home The Governor’s order includes limits on funerals and religious gatherings, bringing the state in line with Johnson County's order on this issue. Read this guidance from the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment on mass gatherings including religious activities. Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Johnson County as of 9 a.m. April 12, 2020 Positive cases* 300 Deaths 14 Negatives tests 2417 * Positive cases represent those reported to the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment by physicians, private laboratories, hospitals and the Kansas Department of Health and Environmental Laboratories. These numbers are not representative of the total number of individuals with COVID-19 in Johnson County, KS. All data is provisional and subject to change.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is urging Kansans to use caution against a new text message scam involving COVID-19. The text message scam, as reported to the attorney general’s office, reads: “Someone who came in contact with you tested positive or has shown symptoms for COVID-19 & recommends you self-isolate/get tested.” The text then contains a link to a website for more information. Consumers are advised to not respond to the message, nor click on the bogus website link. “The situation surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak has created a new avenue for scammers to take advantage of the public’s apprehension and uncertainty,” Schmidt said. “We’ve received numerous complaints regarding different types of scams, but this one was particularly egregious for attempting to mislead those targeted into thinking they might have contracted the virus. Anyone who receives this message should not respond, and instead, contact our office or appropriate local authorities for help.” Schmidt said as of yesterday his office has received reports of numerous COVID-19-related scams circulating in Kansas. Other coronavirus scams reported include sales of bogus products advertised as coronavirus prevention measures or treatments, as well as scammers impersonating federal, state or local government officials. Any Kansan who has been contacted by a COVID-19 scammer should file a complaint with the attorney general's Consumer Protection Division online on a form specifically designed to cover COVID-19-related scams and price gouging at www.ag.ks.gov. Consumers may also contact the office by phone at (800) 432-2310 to request a paper complaint form be sent by mail.

The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCHDE) is asking Johnson County residents to complete a short survey in order to understand how many people in Johnson County have or do not have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). The survey will be available starting Tuesday, April 7th at 10 a.m. and will close on Friday, April 10th at 10 a.m. This short survey asks about symptoms or lack of symptoms, demographic and contact information. The survey should be completed for every member of the household. The information is confidential and will only be used by JCDHE to determine how COVID-19 is spreading in the community. Residents will be asked to do this same survey several more times in the next few weeks in order to compare results. Questions? Call the Johnson County Community Hotline at 913-715-2819, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or visit www.jocogov.org/coronavirus.

NEJC Chamber hosted a webinar with Monica Brede from the Kansas Department of Commerce, who spoke about how to apply for assistance for your business and what options are available. If you missed it, you can watch the webinar online here.

Board of County Commissioners Special Meeting The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners have called a special board meeting (to be held virtually) for Monday, March 30 at 3 p.m. to: Consider authorizing a program for additional COVID-19 testing in an amount not to exceed $400,000 for between 3,000 and 5,000 test results and authorize the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners to enter into a contract(s) that are necessary to effectuate this action. Receive an update on the Governor’s Executive Order 20-16, establishing a statewide “stay at home” order and additional COVID-19 updates.  The County Commissioners will not be physically present in the board hearing room and will be using an online meeting tool to conduct the meeting. Please watch the broadcast of the meeting on this website. This is being done to limit in-room attendance and observe physical distancing guidance for the safety and well-being of those involved.

Stay at Home Order On March 28, Governor Laura Kelly issued a stay at home order for all of Kansas. Executive Order No. 20-16 goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on March 30 and supersedes Johnson County’s stay at home order that went into effect March 24. Currently the governor’s order is set to expire on April 19, and if that remains the case, the county’s order, which when established was set to expire at 12:01 a.m. on April 23, would go back into effect. The state is working on FAQs to provide more clarity on its order, and we will post a link to them as soon as they are made available. Questions on the state’s stay at home order can be emailed to KEFF@ks.gov.

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and The University of Kansas Health System (TUKH) today announced they will hold a virtual press conference at The University of Kansas Hospital on Monday, March 23 regarding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). You are invited to watch and share the live stream at facebook.com/kuhospital/. Virtual Press Conference Participants: - U.S. Senator Jerry Moran - Tammy Peterman, President of the KC Division, TUKH - Steve Stites, MD, Chief Medical Officer, TUKH - Lee Norman, MD, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment          

Today the CORE 4 partners of Jackson County, Missouri; Johnson County, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri, and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, based on the urgency of the COVID-19 public health emergency and the imminent rapid progression of the pandemic in our area, announced that beginning Tuesday, March 24, residents will be directed to stay at home except for essential needs. All jurisdictions will issue orders that will stay in effect for 30 days from the effective date of March 24, with consideration after 30 days of whether to prolong these orders beyond that date, based on public health and critical care metrics available at that time. For more information, including what businesses are essential, click here. Governor Laura Kelly today announced that the U.S. Small Business Administration approved her request to make loans of up to $2 million available to small businesses disrupted by coronavirus. The disaster declaration makes low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital available for Kansas small businesses suffering substantial economic injury. You can begin applying for disaster loan assistance now. SBA customer service representatives will be available to answer questions about SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and explain the application process. SBA loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills because of the disaster’s impact. Eligibility is based on the financial impact of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The interest rate is 3.75 percent for small businesses and 2.75 percent for private non-profit organizations. To apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications, click here. 

Dr. Mike Fulton, Shawnee Mission School District Superintendent, announces via an article in the Shawnee Mission Post measures that the SMSD is taking, including that free breakfast and lunches will be provided to all children ages 1-18 beginning Tuesday, March 24, 2020, at four locations. For more information, click here. Governor Kelly is committed to providing support to our state’s small businesses, and she understands this pandemic is an especially serious challenge for the hospitality industry. In order to sustain operations for this sector, the administration has allocated $5 million for a round of bridge loans to hospitality businesses. The Kelly Administration has established the Hospitality Industry Relief Emergency (HIRE) Fund to provide bridge loans for Kansas’ hospitality sector during the COVID-19 crisis. Eligible businesses in Kansas will be able to apply for a one-time loan of up to $20 thousand at 0% interest for a period of 36 months. There will be no principal or interest payments for the first four months. To find out more, click here.

The Chamber sent a survey to all of our members about the impact of COVID-19 on their business, if you are a representative from one of our member businesses and you would like to take the survey, please click here.

Our President & CEO Deb Settle sent an email communication to members addressing our coronavirus (COVID-19) response. We encourage you to read that message here.