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As many Americans prepare to receive their economic impact checks from the government, the IRS has rescinded a recommendation that Social Security recipients file a tax return to get paid.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

Pennsylvania Has the 10th Most Healthcare Workers Per Capita

The coronavirus outbreak has called into question the nation’s preparedness to respond to and mitigate health crises. As the number of presumptive and confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to increase, hospitals across the country face shortages of equipment, personnel, and beds. While the pandemic is highlighting shortcomings of the U.S. healthcare system overall, it is also evident that some parts of the country are better staffed with healthcare workers than others.

Despite current shortages, healthcare employment growth has actually outpaced the average across all workers for the past three decades. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), healthcare workers have experienced a cumulative 106 percent increase from 1990 to 2020, compared to a 40 percent increase for all workers over the same time period. Even without taking into account the recent outbreak, BLS projections indicate that employment in healthcare occupations will continue to grow much faster than the average for all occupations, mainly due to increased demand from an aging population.

Nationwide, there are 3.9 healthcare workers for every 100 residents. In Massachusetts, the density of healthcare workers is 5.06 per 100 residents, the highest in the country. But in Nevada, that number is just 2.94, the lowest in the country. Compared to the Northeast and Midwest, there is a shortage of healthcare workers in the South and West. Interestingly, these are regions where many older adults who require healthcare services choose to retire.

To identify which states have the most healthcare workers per capita, researchers at Self Financial analyzed statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. States were ordered by the total number of healthcare workers employed per 100 residents. The total number of healthcare workers includes both practitioners (for example, physicians, surgeons, and registered nurses) and healthcare support occupations (for example, home health aides, nursing assistants, and medical equipment preparers).

Most healthcare workers per capita tend to be located in the Midwest or the Northeast. The West and the South have a far lower density of healthcare workers.

This analysis by Self Financial found that Pennsylvania has 594,800 total healthcare workers, which amounts to 4.64 for every 100 residents. Of all states, Pennsylvania has the 10th most healthcare workers per capita in the U.S. Here is a summary of the data for Pennsylvania:

• Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 4.64
• Total number of healthcare workers: 594,800
• Number of healthcare practitioners: 408,340
• Number of healthcare support workers: 186,460
• Population: 12,807,060

For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:

• Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 3.90
• Total number of healthcare workers: 12,764,180
• Number of healthcare practitioners: 8,646,730
• Number of healthcare support workers: 4,117,450
• Population: 327,167,439

For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results for all states, you can find the original report on Self Financial’s website: https://www.self.inc/blog/healthcare-workers-by-city

Stocks rise as a bounce in oil prices lifts energy sector
By STAN CHOE and DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writers
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose and the price of oil bounced further off its lowest level in 18 years after President Donald Trump said he expects Saudi Arabia and Russia to dial down their price war. The price of oil soared 24% Thursday to nearly $25 a barrel. Energy stocks rose 10%, though they still face extreme challenges with the price of oil as low as it its. The S&P 500 rose 2%. The gains helped overshadow another report showing the coronavirus outbreak is forcing a record-breaking number of Americans into the unemployment queue. More than 6.6 million people applied for unemployment benefits last week.

Harrisburg, PA- The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., April 2, that there are 1,211 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 7,016 in 62 counties. The department also reported 16 new deaths among positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 90. County-specific information and a statewide map are available here. All people are either in isolation at home or being treated at the hospital.

Locally in Beaver County the numbers have increased with Beaver County now reporting 55 cases, up one from yesterday and still two deaths in the county (a third is being reported but not confirmed by the health Department)

“The continued rise in cases combined with our increasing deaths from COVID-19 reflects the seriousness of this situation,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We need everyone to listen to the orders in place and to stay calm, stay home and stay safe. We know that these prolonged mitigation effects have been difficult for everyone, but it is essential that everyone follows these orders and does not go out unless they absolutely must.”

There are 47,698 patients who have tested negative to date. Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

• Nearly 1% are aged 0-4;
• Nearly 1% are aged 5-12;
• 1% are aged 13-18;
• Nearly 9% are aged 19-24;
• Nearly 41% are aged 25-49;
• Nearly 29% are aged 50-64; and
• 19% are aged 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are aged 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. There have been no pediatric deaths to date. More data is available here.

All non-life-sustaining businesses are ordered to be closed and schools are closed statewide indefinitely. Currently the entire state is under a stay-at-home order.

Statewide – The Wolf Administration has since noon, April 1:

• Announced a statewide stay-at-home order, effective 8 p.m., April 1.

• Announced Pennsylvania State Police non-life-sustaining business closure enforcement numbers.

For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.

Below is a breakdown of cases and deaths by county:

County Case Counts to Date