March 17, 2020

Special Resource Edition – Official CoVid19 News

Like you, we are making the required changes in our office to comply with state and federal guidelines designed to support our health care system and keep infection rates of the CoVid19 virus pandemic as low as possible.

Our office is currently open regular business hours with a small team on-site and others working from home. The best way to reach our staff is through email, and a staff directory follows at the end of this newsletter.

We believe we are stronger together, and we will work together to come through the current health crisis. We will continue to build an effective network of support and cooperation, and we believe our communities will thrive once this unprecedented health emergency is over.

In the meantime, the following resources will help in adjusting to the challenge. We have been asked to circulate this letter from Governor DeWine, with all the state’s resources, latest bulletins and links to directives.

It may not be business as usual, but as always we are here to support your efforts and keep our communities safe. Please contact us with any questions or concerns you may have. We are here to help.

Sincerely,

John Hemmings

State Government Official Sources of Information Updated Daily

DAILY UPDATES: Governor DeWine is holding daily press briefings at 2:00 p.m. to deliver the most recent updates as well as give updated guidance for the state’s response. These press events are carried live at www.OhioChannel.org.

(Please note that with the popularity of these sessions you may have trouble accessing them immediately, but they are archived on the Ohio Channel website.)

ONLINE: Please visit www.Coronavirus.Ohio.gov for the most up-to-date information from the Ohio Department of Health.

PHONE: For any questions you have about COVID-19, please call 1 (833) 4- ASK-ODH from the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

SOCIAL MEDIA: @GovMikeDeWine @LtGovHusted @OHDeptofHealth

Click here for all of the Governor’s Bulletins, Official Announcements and Health Department Directives.

The latest bulletins:

No voting today, but plans are in the works to extend voting deadlines.

CDC advises NO public gatherings of 10 or more people. (Ohio limit is 50 people.)

No public dining in restaurants or bars – take out or delivery only.

Schools are closed.

Guidance on Conducting Official County or Agency Business

• The Prosecutor’s Association has raised concerns with conducting meetings via teleconference without legislative authority. Discussion is underway for clarification. At this time, the Prosecutor’s Association is encouraging all public officials to work with your local prosecutor for guidance in each of your respective counties.
• NACo The National Association of Counties has assembled useful information for best practices & strategies counties are using to protect the health of their residents at www.NACo.org/resources/Coronavirus. The “Community Mitigation Strategy” document provides a framework for actions which local and state health departments can recommend in their community to prepare for and mitigate community transmission of COVID-19.

Click here to download the Community Mitigation Strategy Document. 

OhioSE (formerly APEG) have built a one-stop site gathering a number of federal, state and regional resources to help businesses. Visit their COVID-19 resource page here.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is working directly with Governor DeWine’s office to facilitate a disaster declaration from the SBA for businesses to be eligible for Economic Injury Disaster loans. To expedite this process, we need your help in disseminating the Disaster Loan Declaration forms below for businesses to fill out. Please email the completed forms to james.laipply@development.ohio.gov.

Once that declaration is made and the SBA has confirmed it, the agency will be able to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million per small business to assist with economic recovery.

Please feel free to send out the attached handouts as well as the below links to disaster assistance:

• Disaster Preparedness Factsheet (English | Spanish)
• Disaster Mitigation Factsheet (English | Spanish)
• Disaster Assistance Loans: Businesses & Nonprofits (English | Spanish)
• Disaster Assistance Loans: Homeowners & Renters (English | Spanish)
• Disaster Assistance Loans: Community Impact (English | Spanish)

The SBA will continue to support small businesses through this difficult time, and we urge them to visit www.sba.gov/coronavirus and follow @SBA_Columbus on Twitter or sign up for our newsletter for more updates.

Information submitted by:  Alexander Kohls, Senior Area Manager – Dayton Region, District International Trade Officer U.S. Small Business Administration, 200 W. 2^nd St., Suite 400, Dayton, OH 45402, phone 614-633-6372.

For detailed information on SBA programs for the coronavirus, visit www.sba.gov/coronavirus and for information on all federal programs, visit www.usa.gov/coronavirus or www.gobierno.usa.gov/coronavirus (en Español).

First and foremost, the State of Ohio is and will continue to operate. However, given the ever-evolving nature of this event, there will be changes to how the Office of Community Development (OCD) administers programs. OCD staff may delay or reschedule upcoming monitoring visits due to Development’s current in-state travel limitations.

OCD created a new page on the Technical Assistance site, OCD COVID-19 Operational Updates and Information, to house updates to operations while agency staff are working remotely. Information updates will be added in real time to modify work processes, policies and deadlines.

For the foreseeable future, the best way to contact OCD staff is through email with your regular program representative or grant manager. If you need to identify your program representative or grant manager, click here. If you have general questions or need contact information for a non-program staff member, please email ocd@development.ohio.gov.

Additionally, grant agreements and amendments and draw requests may be delayed during this time.

All correspondence will be sent electronically via email, with hard copies to follow at a later date. It is imperative that your administrator and CEO contact’s email addresses are current. If you need to make any changes, please complete an OCEAN User Agreement form and email it to ocd@development.ohio.gov.

OVRDC Staff Directory

OVRDC Office phone (740) 947-2853 in Ohio 1-800-223-7491

Thank you to our first responders and health care providers who are on the front lines and save lives. 

Let’s all do our part.