Complete Story
03/31/2020
COVID-19 Update from Governor Beshear
The state of Kentucky is under a state of emergency. Gov. Beshear has limited visits to long-term-care facilities, closed schools, gyms, salons & day care centers. He has also restricted restaurants to take-out and delivery services only.
A COVID-19 hotline has been set up where individuals can call if they are feeling anxious about the virus. The number is 800.722.5725. A web page has also been established - https://govstatus.egov.com/kycovid19. This page is the go-to site for the most up-to-date information.
Recent Updates:
Gov. Beshear issued an executive order limiting travel from Kentucky to other states. Anyone who has been out of state for leisure is asked to return home and self-quarantine – this is a requirement. Exceptions to traveling out of state include court requirement; your job; purchasing essential supplies; healthcare and family care.
Although we do not have concrete numbers, we anticipate we won’t peak until May. Schools were ordered to close until April 20, but we will be looking at this within the next few days to see if it needs to be extended.
Senate Bill 150 was signed by Gov. Beshear on March 30 and is intended to strengthen the governor’s emergency orders and assist Kentucky workers and businesses hurt by the economic shutdown amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. A few highlights of the bill include:
- Extends Kentucky's tax deadline to July 15
- Waives the seven-day waiting period for people to get financial assistance
- Extends benefits to people who are self-employed
- Unemployment insurance for business owners will not be impacted
- People who are cut back to part-time work can apply for partial assistance
- Expands telehealth opportunities
The next 2-3 weeks will be most critical. We are operating as ONE state, not MULTIPLE counties (if one or two counties are showing improvement, that does not mean they are not to continue taking precautions).
In an effort to ease those individuals who are being impacted by layoffs and furloughs, the state has taken steps to expand who qualifies for unemployment (including but not limited to self-employed; independent contractors; freelance workers; substitute teachers; childcare workers employed by religious affiliations & nonprofits), people leaving employment because of the pandemic (include those who feel reasonable risk of exposure – self-quarantine; caring for family members affected by COVID). You can learn more by visiting www.kcc.ky.gov.
Gov. Beshear signed an agreement with the Department of Labor that raises the maximum weekly benefit by $600 and extends benefits by an additional 13 weeks for a total of 39 weeks.
Businesses that are not doing anything to encourage or enforce social distancing could face closure, even essential businesses.
3/23/20 - Announced changes in mass layoff parameters. Any employer with at least 50 employees, who is laying off at least 15 employees, is encouraged to file a claim on behalf of their employees through the E-Claims process. 138 state workers have been trained for UI Claims Adjudication to alleviate any case backlog.
3/20/20 - Successfully qualified the entire state for Small Business Administration disaster certification. Now, small businesses, for-profit contractors and private non-profits anywhere in Kentucky that have been harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible to apply for low-interest SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
- Businesses should also work with their banks, credit unions and other lenders. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has encouraged financial institutions to assist and work with customers in a “prudent manner,” especially borrowers and customers from the most affected industries.
- SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans applications can be completed and filed online at www.sba.gov/disaster. The SBA is also mobilizing call centers to assist in the loan-application process. Call 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) or e-mail disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
3/18/20 - Made changes so that any of those who are now unemployed, who have lost benefits, can immediately apply for Medicaid.
3/16/20 - Waived the waiting period for unemployment for people that are losing their jobs due to coronavirus, and will waive any work search requirements while the state of emergency is in effect.
