Shell’s construction company has applied to the Department of Community and Economic for a waiver to resume some work at the Potter Twp. site here in Beaver County, Shell is asking for an allowance of  limited construction with 400 to 800 workers returning if the waiver is approved.

A dozen local community organizations sent an open letter to Shell Chemicals on Thursday urging the company to protect plant workers and the Beaver County community during the COVID-19 pandemic by not re-opening the plant.

Some union officials and elected leaders feel the plant shouldn’t be approved for the waiver due to the risk of employees contracting the Covid-19 Noval Coraona virus. In recent weeks before the current shut down Shell has been accused of not protecting their employees by having them ride on crowded buses, attend a daily meeting in a large group, and lunchrooms that were crowded.  On March 18, Shell temporarily suspended construction activities at Beaver County’s ethane cracker plant to help control the spread of COVID-19 amid public pressure.

Memo: Some in US may not get stimulus checks until August
By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government expects to begin making payments to millions of Americans under the new stimulus law in mid-April, but some people without direct deposit information may not get checks until mid-August or later. That’s according to a memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. The document from the House Ways and Means Committee says the IRS will make about 60 million payments to Americans through direct deposit in mid-April, likely the week of April 13. The IRS has direct deposit information for these individuals from their 2018 or 2019 tax returns. Paper checks will be issued, starting May 4, but could take up to 20 weeks.

What you need to do to get your government stimulus check
By SARAH SKIDMORE SELL AP Personal Finance Writer
As many Americans prepare to receive their economic impact checks from the government, the IRS has rescinded a recommendation that Social Security recipients file a tax return to get paid. Some other groups _ low income individuals, some veterans and people with disabilities _ will still have to file an abreviated tax return if they do not receive Social Security. The Treasury Department says checks should be in people’s hands in the next few weeks. The payments are part of the $2.2 trillion rescue package signed into law last week by President Donald Trump. Most people don’t need to do anything to get the money.

Democrats delay nominating convention amid virus concerns
By BILL BARROW Associated Press
The Democratic National Committee is delaying its convention until the week of Aug. 17. The move comes after prospective nominee Joe Biden said he didn’t think it was possible to hold a normal convention in July because of the coronavirus. The viral pandemic is forcing Democrats and Republicans to take a close look at their summer conventions, which typically kick off the general election season. Republicans are expressing confidence they can pull off their convention as scheduled in late August. The Democrats’ change presents massive logistical issues for the tens of thousands of delegates, activists, party leaders and media who planned to descend on Milwaukee in July.

Beaver County Chamber President Helen Kissick’s April Message
Who would have thought that a change that is so disruptive to every part of American life would occur, shifting everyone’s focus from routine life and planning for the future to the survival of our businesses and the health and safety of our employees and families. Our world and business climate have come to a significant detour for many, and a screeching halt for others, all due to COVID-19 (also known as the Coronavirus).
So, how do we deal with it. First of course, we need to protect our people. Second, we need to go into triage to keep our organizations afloat so we can help our members and our communities remain viable during this crisis. Third, we need to provide information resources so that our members and community can survive until longer time help arrives. And finally, we need to be there to help others who are not able to deal with this crisis as effectively as others. The Beaver County Chamber of Commerce and others in the business support and economic development community are committed to provide support for our businesses through this crisis and after it is over. We are in constant contact with our public and private sector partners at the local, state and federal level in monitoring and communicating programs and initiatives
to help business and industry impacted by COVID-19. Our website (www.bcchamber.com) home page now includes a red bar at the top of the page with this message: Beaver County Chamber COVID-19 Update – Click Here to provide easy access to resources. Check back periodically as the resources are changing frequently.
While our physical Chamber office is closed, we remain fully ‘OPEN FOR BUSINESS’. We encourage members and non-members alike to call the Chamber’s office at 724 775 3944 for questions regarding doing business in this challenging environment. We stand ready to serve, and will continue, especially under these circumstances, to stay focused in our quest to foster the best environment in Beaver County to live, work and do business. You can also reach Chamber staff via email at info@bcchamber.com. Like so many other businesses, our staff is working from home offices now. We’re finding our way in our new reality, and it is our sincere hope that our members continue to reach out to us and each other in support.

The impact of COVID-19 on our many local small businesses is, no doubt, going to be significant. I’m personally fielding many calls from business owners as to how to operate in this environment. There are several key messages I would like to share with you. The first one is that we, together, can continue to make a positive difference in small but significant ways. The graphic below summarizes it well.

Second, our Chamber will be notifying its members through routine electronic communications of upcoming webinars and other information sharing forums. Our aim is for members to be able to pick and choose topics relevant to them in this complex business environment. For small business owners especially, they don’t always have access to expert guidance in a way that is convenient for them, so our
aim is to overcome that hurdle. Topics and presenters will vary, for example, this week we had:

• Make remote work secure, convenient and stress free
• Coronavirus Labor and employment updates
• COVID-19 Resources & Relief for Small Businesses
Our Chamber is well known for hosting a number of high quality, productive, in-person networking events. We’ve been forced to adapt our approach, and as such will not offer face-to-face networking through at least the end of April.

Specific changes include:
• Annual Gala & Auction – postponed from March 14th to August 29th

• Annual Congressional Breakfast, April 7th – canceled
• Spring Luncheon, April 16th – canceled
• Leadercast, May 7th – canceled

• Breakfast club and lunch-and-learns – canceled through end of April 

We will continue to provide information during this ever-evolving situation as we adjust our events offering.  Stay tuned on further updates via our Chamber website (www.bcchamber.com) or via communications direct with to our membership.  

I’ll close in saying we are your friends and your neighbors, all in this together.  Stay safe and healthy!  

COVID-19 Not Transmissible through Food, Supply Chain is Secure

Harrisburg, PA – Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Department of Agriculture Food Safety Director Jeff Warner today assured Pennsylvanians that there is no evidence that human or animal food or food packaging is associated with transmission of COVID-19. Redding also reviewed the department’s recommendations to retail food and agriculture operations for continuity of business, inhibiting transmission, and maintaining a healthy workforce to ensure continuous access to food during COVID-19.

“I want to assure Pennsylvanians and ease their fear: food is safe,” said Warner. “There is no evidence of COVID-19 being transmissible through food or food packaging.”

Grocery stores, food manufacturers, and distributors have been provided guidance to protect their workforce and consumers from COVID-19. This includes the following CDC and FDA recommendations:

• Enforce social distancing in lines, separate customers and employees by six feet whenever possible.
• Implement visual cues, such as tape on the floor every six feet, to help customers keep a six-foot distance from others whenever possible.
• Install floor markings to require customers to stand behind, until it’s time to complete the transaction.
• Consider limiting the number of people in the store at one time. Implementing a maximum capacity and assigning staff to manage the number of people entering.
• Consider setting special hours for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly or immuno-compromised. Recommend allowing these populations to enter the store earliest in the day to reduce chances of exposure and ensure access to inventory.

Guidance was also provided for sanitization and employee protection, to further inhibit transmission in manufacturing environments and grocery stores. Some recommendations include:

• Do not allow symptomatic (fever of 100.4° F or greater, signs of a fever, or other symptoms) or ill employees to report for duty.
• Regularly clean and disinfect surfaces to limit employee contact and increase frequency of cleaning and sanitizing of common touch points (door handles, touch-screens, keypads).
• Consider altering store hours to allow for increased cleaning and re-stocking without customers present.
• Cross-train employees and rotate staff between cashier, stocking, and other duties, to limit mental fatigue in adhering to social distancing measures.
• Consider installing sneeze-guards at cashier stations.
• Schedule handwashing breaks every 30-60 minutes. Employees should wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available and hands are not visibly dirty, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60%-95% alcohol may be used. However, if hands are visibly dirty, always wash hands with soap and water.
• Assign a relief person to step in for cashiers so they can wash their hands with soap for a full 20 seconds. Provide hand lotion so workers’ hands don’t crack.
• Consider providing hand sanitizer at cash registers for staff and customer use in between transactions.
• Consider only operating every other register or check-out lane to create more social distance.

“Pennsylvania’s grocery stores, food banks and pantries, food manufacturing and agriculture industry have a heavy responsibility right now: to provide continuous access to food, safely, during the most challenging crisis most have ever experienced,” said Secretary Redding. “We’ve worked hard to impress upon these truly life-sustaining businesses that just because they are essential, this is not business as usual. The guidance we’ve provided is what they must implement to protect their workforce; it’s what they must implement to save Pennsylvanians and provide for them at the same time.”

Following a brief pause in support of the national, “15 Days to Slow the Spread” initiative, effective April 1, 2020, the Department of Agriculture re-deployed the state’s food safety inspectors to ensure continued protection of Pennsylvanians and prevent foodborne illness.

“It’s time to put our boots back to the ground and resume food safety inspections and offering in-person guidance to these essential businesses,” added Warner. “We’re going to do our best to help Pennsylvania businesses provide the safest food possible to consumers. Pennsylvanians need to know their food is safe, something we can only ensure through proactive inspections.”

For a complete list of guidance documents and information as it relates to agriculture during COVID-19 mitigation in Pennsylvania visit agriculture.pa.gov/COVID. For the most accurate, timely information related to Health in Pennsylvania, visit on.pa.gov/coronavirus.

HARRISBURG―Attorney General Josh Shapiro today warned Pennsylvanians that scammers are trying to take advantage of the historic rise in unemployment across the Commonwealth by using fake unemployment filing websites in order to steal personal information or to harvest the data to sell to others for uses not properly disclosed to the user.

“Scammers are working overtime to try and make a profit during this emergency, and we are staying on high alert to stop them,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “You can help. Only file for unemployment through the Department of Labor and Industry at​ ​https://www.uc.pa.gov​. If you see a website or email claiming to be a source for filing for unemployment outside of this Department, report it to the Office of Attorney General.”

“At this unprecedented time as Pennsylvania works together to stop the spread of this virus and keep all of us safe, we also want everyone to be safe from scammers,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “Applying for unemployment compensation online at www.uc.pa.gov is the fastest and easiest way to start the process. This is the first time some people have applied, so the department’s website has answers to many common questions and explains how to apply.”

Attorney General Shapiro urges Pennsylvanians to stay away from websites purporting to help people file unemployment compensation claims. Information contained on these websites may be outdated, inaccurate and/or incomplete. Moreover, these websites solicit information not needed for the filing of an unemployment claim such as information about your mortgage or credit company. These websites may use your personal data for other purposes, including, but not be limited to, selling, licensing or sharing your information with third-parties for various marketing purposes, such as telemarketing, e-mail marketing, text messaging, and direct mail.

In Pennsylvania, unemployment claims can only be filed with the Department of Labor & Industry at: https://www.uc.pa.gov/. There are many tools and FAQs on the website to assist applicants with questions about the COVID-19 emergency. No other website that requests personal information, provides instruction on how to file, and/or provides an opportunity to “file an unemployment claim” is necessary or part of filing an unemployment claim.

Consumers can sign up for text scam alerts at https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/consumer-alerts/, which offer tips for consumers to avoid becoming a victim of a scam, warn about new scams or update subscribers on consumer protection issues.

Pennsylvanians can also file a complaint about an active or potential scam by visiting https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/scams.

• Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board
• Department of Health
• Department of Agriculture
• Pennsylvania State Police
• Municipal Police
• Local officials, using their resources to enforce closure orders within their jurisdictions