News
Coronavirus Government Response Update—Essential Service Orders by State
March 24, 2020Welcome to the new Coronavirus Government Response Update. This information is intended to keep ISSA members up to date on fast-moving government affairs related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other public policy issues important to the cleaning industry. Today’s update touches on a summary of essential services nationally and by state, U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) guidance on the production of alcohol-based hand sanitizer, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) hosting an online dialogue, and more.
Essential Services Nationally and by State Summary
ISSA is providing all members with a resource to help them determine their status—”essential” or not—in light of the recent and multiple stay at home orders issued by state governments, most of which require non-essential businesses to close as we continue to combat the coronavirus crisis. Among other things, these orders typically allow “essential” businesses to continue to operate because of the critical goods and services they provide.
FDA Provides Guidance on Production of Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer
As part of the FDA’s ongoing commitment to address the coronavirus pandemic, the agency has issued two guidance documents to communicate its policy for the temporary manufacture of certain alcohol-based hand sanitizer products. These guidance documents will be in effect for the duration of the public health emergency declared by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on January 31, 2020.
U.S. Department of Labor to Host Online Dialogue for Employers and Employees
The DOL Labor will be hosting a national online dialogue to provide employers and employees with an opportunity to offer their perspective as the department develops compliance assistance materials and outreach strategies related to the implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The ideas and comments gathered from this dialogue will inform compliance assistance guidance, resources, and tools, as well as outreach approaches, that assist employers and employees in understanding their responsibilities and rights under the FFCRA. Anybody who is interested can participate online at https://ffcra.ideascale.com from March 23 through March 29, 2020, or can join a Twitter chat hosted by @ePolicyWorks on March 25, 2020 at 2 p.m. using the hashtag #EPWChat.
Fed Makes Strongest Bid Yet to Protect Firms and Governments
The U.S. Federal Reserve is unleashing its boldest effort yet to protect the U.S. economy from the coronavirus by helping companies and governments pay their bills and survive a devastating crisis. With lending in Treasury and mortgage markets threatening to shut down, the Fed announced an aggressive set of programs to try to smooth out those markets. To do so, it committed to buy as much government-backed debt as it deems necessary. And for the first time ever, the Fed said it plans to buy corporate debt, too.
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