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November 25, 2020: $20 Million For Businesses Impacted by Purple Tier in San Diego County

Board Approves $20 Million

Through an amendment, the events industry was added to the list of businesses that qualify for this financial help. You potentially qualify if your business is engaged in: restaurant, gym fitness center, yoga studio, movie theater, museum, zoo, aquarium, or event industry.

Grant applications are now open. Apply at https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/stimulusgrant/

Bankruptcy As a Result of COVID-19; Upcoming FREE Webinar

Please forward this HELPFUL information to any friends in your network who have expressed new-found financial struggles as a consequence of COVID-19:

Date: Monday, August 24, 2020
Time: 12:00 to 1:00 pm
Location: Online Webinar
Cost: FREE
Ryan-Cruz Law, APC is not a bankruptcy law firm, but it does believe in sharing information and resources helpful to your clients and the local community.

 

San Diego County Residents & Business Owners: Weekly COVID-19 Telebriefs

If you are a resident or business owner operating in the County of San Diego you are greatly encouraged to keep up-to-date with regulations imposed in the County.  Save and favorite the following link: www.coronavirus-sd.com

Interested in updates impacting business? Listen in certain Wednesdays at 9:30am. These meetings were initially set for every 2nd and 4th Wednesday but has changed to WEEKLY meetings.

Click on the following link https://zoom.us/j/157409037using your computer. Meeting ID: 157409037.
All participants will be muted during the meeting. In order to submit questions during the call, use the chat feature on the Zoom platform.

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telebriefs

Click here for a list of recent updates and archives of recent resources emails sent out to the business community. For example, previous topics include the “Employer Playbook for Safe Re-Opening” as published by the State on July 31, 2020.

 

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Hair Salons and Barbershop Services CAN be Provided Outdoors (As of 7-29-2020)

In California, as of July 13, 2020, indoor gatherings and indoor-based business operations were once again prohibited. “At 12:00 p.m. on July 13th, Governor Newsom ann​ounced that a number of indoor activities and industries will be closed statewide, and additional indoor activities and industries will be closed in counties that appear on the State’s “monitoring list” for three days or longer. ” July 13, 2020

This announcement prohibited hair salons from operating in their facilities. In turn, hair stylists were turning to outdoor operations until the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology prohibited that practice by affirming that all operations can only be conducted indoors citing Business & Professions Code Section 7317:

Barber-Cosmo Update Stylists (7-13-2020).

 

 

But on July 17, 2020, the State acknowledged the hardship to this industry and prepared regulations permitting personal care services outdoors:

Barber-Cosmo Update Stylists (7-17-2020)

Finally, on July 20, 2020, the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology issued “Outdoor Service Guidance for Establishments” for how barbering and cosmetology services can be offered safely outside. These guidelines allow the OPTION for services to be done outside and does not require outdoor services.

On July 29, 2020, the official Industry Guidance was published for outdoor operations. See Official Industry Guidance.

Prior to re-starting your operations outside, also see the “Outside Services Checklist for Establishments”

 

Residents: What you MUST Do if You Have Been Diagnosed with COVID-19 (Quarantine Order)

If you are a resident of- or visitor to the County of San Diego you are greatly encouraged to keep up-to-date with COVID-19 regulations imposed.  Save and favorite the following link: www.coronavirus-sd.com

On Thursday, July 30, 2020, San Diego County officials released a new public order indicating what a person MUST do when they have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The same order applies if you are likely to have COVID-19. The July 30th order makes reference to a publication issued on July 24, 2020 which are specific orders reflecting Quarantine Instructions.

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Follow this Link to see the Quarantine of Persons Exposed to COVID-19 health order.  The Order states: 

All persons who have had close contact with a COVID-19 Patient must immediately take the following actions:

1. Quarantine themselves in their home or another residence for 14 days after the last contact with a COVID-19 Patient. If quarantined in a congregate setting, hotel or multi-unit setting, the person may not enter any other units within that setting. Persons may leave their place of quarantine to receive necessary medical care. Essential workers needed to maintain continuity of operations of sectors designated in the document available at https://covid19.ca.gov/img/EssentialCriticalInfrastructureWorkers.pdf, may report to work if they have notified their employer about the close contact, have no symptoms of COVID-19, and wear appropriate personal protective equipment as required by their job/position.

Read more through the above-link.

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San Diego County Residents & Business Owners: County Creates COVID-19 Compliance Hotline (858) 694-2900

If you are a resident of- or visitor to the County of San Diego you are greatly encouraged to keep up-to-date with COVID-19 regulations imposed.  Save and favorite the following link: www.coronavirus-sd.com

The County of San Diego, namely the County Board of Supervisors, has implemented a new team set to take enforcement action when businesses and individuals do not follow County Orders in relation to COVID-19.

To report violations, Call (858) 694-2900

The goal for this Healthy Compliance Center — part of the County’s “Safe Reopening Compliance Team — is for the team to determine how serious the violation is in order to alleviate some of the burden from local law enforcement divisions that need to “focus on the elements of their mission.” Previously, those types of calls are being taken at the county’s 211 phone line. In July alone, the county received 400 phone calls via 211. This new hotline would allow reporting parties to speak to a county employee one-on-one, in more detail

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San Diego County Employers: What to Do When 1 or 3 or More COVID-19 Cases Are Identified At Work

If you are a business owner operating in the County of San Diego you are greatly encouraged to keep up-to-date with regulations imposed on employers.  Save and favorite the following link: www.coronavirus-sd.com

On Thursday, July 30, 2020, San Diego County officials released a new public order indicating what action an employer must take when:

  • one (1) employee is diagnosed with COVID-19; and
  • three (3) or more employees are diagnosed with COVID-19.

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Paragraph 16 of the Order states:

16. Each essential business and reopened business shall:

a.Require all employees/on-site contractors (hereinafter referred to as employees) to have possession of face coverings and wear them as described in section 9 above when in the business facility; and,

b.Shall conduct temperature screening of all employees and prohibit entry to the workplace of employees with a temperature of 100 degrees or more, employees exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms as described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or employees who have recently been exposed to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 (either directly or through a breach of Personal Protective Equipment in the case of healthcare workers/first responders); and

c.Take all of the following actions if an employer becomes aware that an employee is diagnosed with COVID-19:

i.Promptly notify the County Department of Public Health that there is an employee diagnosed with COVID-19, together with the name, date of birth, and contact information of the employee.

ii.Cooperate with the County Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 response team to identify and provide contact information for any persons exposed by the employee at the workplace.

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iii.When three or more cases are identified at the workplace within a span of 14 days, provide notice of the exposure to any employees, customers, or any other persons who may have been exposed to COVID-19 at the workplace. A strong recommendation is made that employers also provide such notice when at least one employee is diagnosed with COVID-19 in the workplace.

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San Diego County Employers: Report Employees With Covid-19

If you are a business owner operating in the County of San Diego you are greatly encouraged to keep up-to-date with regulations imposed on employers.  Save and favorite the following link: www.coronavirus-sd.com

If your employee or independent contractor has been diagnosed with COVID-19, you must call in to notify Public Health Services about an employee with COVID-19. Call 888-950-9905. Provide the employee’s name, date of birth, and contact information. Prepare to leave a recorded message. It’s highly likely you won’t get a call back confirming receipt, but the County is using this information. Per County officials on August 5, 2020, failing to report is a misdemeanor likely subject to a fine, though enforcement details were not outlined.

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San Diego County Employers: Review COVID-19 Obligations

If you are a business owner operating in the County of San Diego you are greatly encouraged to keep up-to-date with regulations imposed on employers.  Save and favorite the following link: www.coronavirus-sd.com

If your employee or independent contractor has been diagnosed with COVID-19, read about your reporting obligations with the County.

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See sample flowchart developed by the County of San Diego indicating what to do is healthcare personnel (hcp) is suspected or confirmed positive for COVID-19.

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5 Steps to Safely Re-Open Your Business in San Diego County Amid COVID-19

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. A pandemic is defined as a global spread of a new disease often applied when viruses are able to infect people easily and spread from person to person in an efficient and sustained way. On March 19, 2020, an executive order and public health order directed all Californians to stay home except to go to an essential job or shop for essential needs to disrupt the spread of COVID-19 among the population. However, not all businesses came to a halt. Essential services were still in operation and the State of California published some guidance on how to maintain those operations open. Over time in the months of April and May, 2020, the State has continued its publication of industry guidance offering recommendations on how to best re-open amid COVID-19.

If your business is in the process of re-opening or recently re-opened, use the next 5-steps as guidance and a minimum criteria for adhering to State, county, and city (or incorporate area) imposed measures.

1. Review the State’s Resilience Roadmap. Confirm that the State is re-opening your industry. As of May 27, 2020, the following sectors, businesses, establishments, or activities are not permitted to operate in the State of California at this time:

  • Personal services such as nail salons, tattoo parlors, gyms and fitness studios
  • Indoor museums, kids museums, gallery spaces, zoos and libraries
  • Community centers, including public pools, playgrounds, and picnic areas
  • Entertainment venues, such as movie theaters, gaming, gambling, arcade venues, pro sports,
  • Hospitality services, such as bars, wineries, tasting rooms and lounges
  • Nightclubs
  • Concert venues
  • Live audience sports
  • Festivals
  • Theme parks
  • Hotels/lodging for leisure and tourism – non-essential travel
  • Higher Education

2. Review State-Published Materials to Help Reduce Risk. Begin implementing your own company measures.

“Before reopening, all facilities must:

  1. Perform a detailed risk assessment and implement a site-specific protection plan
  2. Train employees on how to limit the spread of COVID-19, including how to screen themselves for symptoms and stay home if they have them
  3. Implement individual control measures and screenings
  4. Implement disinfecting protocols
  5. Implement physical distancing guidelines

It is critical that employees needing to self-isolate because of COVID-19 are encouraged to stay at home, with sick leave policies to support that, to prevent further infection in your workplace. See additional information on government programs supporting sick leave and worker’s compensation for COVID-19.”

3. Revisit A Few Industry-Specific Measures.  The State of California has issued guidance on how to safely re-open your business. Be mindful of the publication dates. Updates may be available since publishing this information. Note that some of these publications are only guidelines intended to provide recommended practices to best help reduce the exposure and infection of COVID-19.

4. Turn to Industry-Based Guidance and Publications. Associations, coalitions, and other industry-specific group exist for the purpose of providing guidance on how safely re-open your business when the State of California permits.

5. Seek Out Professional Advice As Needed. This includes turning to your attorneys, insurance agents, financial advisors, business consultants, human resource outsourced consultants, accountants, bookkeepers, your networks and so on to get your affairs in order and be in the know. Each office has spent the last few months brushing up on how COVID-19 will impact your business from their respective professional background. Now is the time to revisit your network.

NOTE: This is only a suggested series of steps to take. Actual opening measures will vary depending on your business and the many variables involved in operating in California. Be sure to comply with local and state measures as they become published in the following months.