Among the 18 new deaths linked to coronavirus were four in Ocean County, three in Essex, two in Monmouth, and one in each of Bergen, Burlington, Cumberland, Hudson, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, and Union counties. They included seven women and 11 men and ranged in age from 52 to 93.
Gov. Phil Murphy said more cases are expected and the state continues to work toward expanding hospital capacity for what he called an oncoming “surge.”
“We have known that we will need to increase hospital capacity,” Murphy said during his daily briefing. “We are in this fight to save lives.”
For the first time since the outbreak began, the number of cases without a known location exceeds the number of cases in any one county. The unknowns jumped to 933 on Wednesday, over 100 more than the county with the most cases, Bergen (819).
The spread of the virus is forcing accommodations to be made in every corner of life in N.J. In Woodbridge, all 79 residents of a nursing home were moved to a new facility on Wednesday. Few “essential” stores remain open, and while the ones that do are doing brisk business, they face the strain of asking employees to potentially risk their health to come in. Meanwhile in South Jersey, Ocean City became the latest popular beach destination to announce that it would be closing up shop.
Nick Devlin and Disha Raychaudhuri are reporters on the data & investigations team.
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From EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
WASHINGTON (MARCH 25, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing its plan to consider a proposed rule that would look at potential exemptions to the TSCA Fees Rule in response to stakeholder concerns about implementation challenges. By considering a proposal to narrow the broad scope of the current requirements, the agency could significantly reduce burden on potentially thousands of businesses across the country while maintaining the ability to successfully implement the Lautenberg Act amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to protect human health and the environment.
“Stakeholders are important partners in the work we do to ensure the safety of chemicals and seeking feedback from the public is a standard and valuable part of all our processes,” saidEPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Alexandra Dapolito Dunn. “After reviewing their input and concerns regarding the TSCA Fees Rule, we are taking action to continue evaluating potential risks from chemicals while ensuring our requirements are practical and realistic.”
The agency plans to initiate a new rulemaking process to consider proposing exemptions to the current rule’s self-identification requirements associated with EPA-initiated risk evaluations for manufacturers that:
Import the chemical substance in an article;
Produce the chemical substance as a byproduct; and
Produce or import the chemical substance as an impurity.
The agency may also consider proposing other changes to the rule during this process consistent with TSCA’s requirement to reevaluate the Fees Rule every three years.
EPA believes that considering exempting certain entities from self-identification requirements will not impede the ability to fully collect the necessary fees and will still allow the agency to achieve the ultimate objective of the TSCA Fees Rule and the statute – to defray a portion of EPA’s TSCA implementation costs. EPA intends to issue proposed amendments to the current fees rule later this year and with the goal of finalizing the amendments in 2021.
Additionally, in light of the extremely unusual circumstances of this situation and the undue hardship imposed on certain businesses who would be required to collect and report information under the TSCA Fees Rule, EPA issued a “no action assurance” for the three categories of manufacturers at this time. More specifically, EPA will exercise its enforcement discretion regarding the self-identification requirement for the three categories of manufacturers that the agency intends to propose an exemption from certain requirements in the TSCA Fee Rule.
In January, the agency published preliminary lists of businesses that manufacture (including import) the 20 chemicals designated as high-priority substances for risk evaluation in December of 2019 in docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2019-0677.
Following the release of these lists, many stakeholders raised questions and concerns about the scope of the TSCA Fees Rule requirements for self-identifying and paying fees. Importers of articles have noted challenges in knowing with certainty whether high-priority substances are present in their imported articles and components. Manufacturers of chemicals as byproducts or impurities have noted similar challenges in knowing whether they are subject to the rule, given the coincidental or unintentional nature of these types of production.
The lack of exemptions in the current rule makes both the tracking of information and the obligation to self-identify very difficult, if not impossible for some stakeholders.
Earlier this month, the agency extended the comment period by 60 days for the preliminary lists of manufacturers (including importers) subject to fees associated with EPA-initiated risk evaluations under TSCA. As the agency continues to work through implementation issues associated with the current rule, stakeholders can expect more guidance on reporting requirements and expectations during this period.
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The state of Pennsylvania approved millions of dollars in aid to help small businesses in the commonwealth impacted by COVID-19.
The $60 million COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program will provide up to $100,000 in loans to small businesses with 100 or fewer full-time employees.
“My top priority is to save Pennsylvania lives, then save their livelihoods,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement. “I am utilizing every resource available to assist Pennsylvania’s business during this incredibly difficult time, and this small business funding availability is a step in the right direction.”
Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to close earlier this month to mitigate the spread of the virus, and unemployment claims shot up in the state after dozens of businesses closed their doors “until further notice.”
All loan applications must be made through a Certified Economic Development Organization, and a list of those organizations can be found here. The loans can be used for working capital, excluding fixed assets and production machinery and equipment.
The loan terms are three years, with a 12-year amortization. The state says no payments will be due and payable during the first year; principal, and if applicable, interest payments will be due monthly for years two and three; and a balloon payment will be due and payable at the end of the third year.
The interest rate for the program is 0%, except for agricultural producers, which will have a 2% fixed interest rate for the life of the loan. An agricultural producer is defined by the state as “a business involved in the management and use of a normal agricultural operation for the production of a farm commodity.”
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An view of Miami from a drone shows an empty, closed beach as the city continues its efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. | Getty Images
DISPATCH FROM THE CRISIS EPICENTER— As the epicenter of the pandemic shifts to New York City , so has the focus moved to Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been aggressive in his handling of the crisis, our New York health reporter Amanda Eisenberg tells us from the Manhattan apartment where she is holed up. Yet while Cuomo has positioned himself as the comforting anti-Trump, talking about how families can be together on a spiritual level even if they can’t be together in person, he’s also been a bit too early in declaring victory.
Cuomo has credited the state’s shelter in place order with stemming the hospitalization rate, but the results of those social distancing efforts won’t be known until next week, when people who were out and about two weeks ago may start showing up at hospitals. The reality is that New York hospitals are preparing for a surge of cases without an end in sight just yet.
“Maybe next week we will start to see a flattening of the curve — only time will tell,” Amanda tells us.
Cuomo has also said that the state has the highest per capita testing rates, but the state’s effort to implement widespread testing have petered out as it runs low on protective equipment, swabs and other testing supplies. Now the only people being tested are those in hospitals with severe symptoms.
BUCKING TRUMP — Even red-state governors normally allied with the president are ignoring his optimistic musings on reopening the country by Easter. Instead they’re sticking with the advice of public health experts to keep social distancing measures in place. Jim Justice, the governor of West Virginia, which is overwhelmingly Trump country, ordered residents Monday to stay at home. Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan blasted Trump on Tuesday for sending confusing signals. “You can’t put a timeframe on saving people’s lives. We’re going to make decisions based on the scientists and the facts,” said Hogan.
U.K. ANTIBODY TEST BREAKTHROUGH —British researchers are close to releasing finger prick tests that would demonstrate if a person has developed coronavirus antibodies and would therefore be safe to return to work and public activity, Ryan Heath reports. Professor Sharon Peacock of Public Health England’s National Infection Service told MPs the kits are in final testing stages in Oxford ahead of possible mass distribution next week. By the end of April 100,000 tests a day could be processed, with Boris Johnson describing the tests as a “total game-changer.”
CANADA CITIZEN CASH PLAN — The Trudeau government will offer Canadian workers affected by coronavirus $1,400 a month for up to four months, starting in April, to help them pay their bills, Maura Forrest reports. The plan is part of a government support package that allows for deferred taxes and provides direct financial support to Canadians, passed by a skeleton House of Commons of 32 MPs at 5:51 a.m.
PARTING WORDS But don’t drink it! With sales slumping because of tasting-room closures, makers of craft whiskey and other spirits have turned to another hot market: They’ve started using their stills to make moonshine hand sanitizer, tax editor Toby Eckert reports. Lawmakers are showing their appreciation by including a one-year federal excise tax waiver in the Senate economic stimulus for “any distilled spirits used for or contained in hand sanitizer that is produced and distributed in a manner consistent with guidance issued by the Food and Drug Administration,” according to a summary shared by Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office.
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By John Shumway, CBSN Pittsburgh March 23, 2020 at 6:39 pm
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The University of Pittsburgh is opening one of its dorms to house doctors and nurses at UPMC who are working extra shifts and can’t go home.
With all but 500 students gone, Pitt is looking at ways it can help UPMC as the region rides the upward trend of the coronavirus outbreak.
With doctors and nurses working long hours and not wanting to take the virus risk home, Pitt is stepping with an alternative.
Lothrop Hall is next to UPMC Presbyterian and in some cases, the buildings are physically connected.
Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher says the remaining students are being moved out of Lothrop Hall to make way for the dorm to be used by UPMC doctors and nurses.
Under normal circumstances, Lothrop can house more than 700 students on its 14 floors.
Most of the rooms are single occupancy.
While Lothrop is the closest to UPMC Presbyterian, it is only one of many dorms on the Pitt campus.
Chancellor Gallagher says the university is under “active consideration” about what other facilities could be made available if the UPMC system gets challenged and needs more space for patients.
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The New Jersey Assembly today approved, and sent to the Governor, a legislative initiative authored by Senate President Steve Sweeney to cover more workers during public health crises.
“The coronavirus pandemic is creating health care challenges with economic consequences for workers and their families that are likely to become worse,” said Senator Sweeney (D-Gloucester / Salem / Cumberland), who authored the original Paid Family Leave Law. “We must work together to be resourceful, responsive and proactive at a time when so many people are experiencing hardship due to the pandemic.”
Senator Sweeney praised the collaboration between the Senate, Assembly and Governor’s Office to act swiftly in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The bill, S2304, would extend temporary disability and family leave benefits to workers who need to take time off of work to recover from COVID-19 or to care for family members suffering from the disease. It would also expand earned sick leave benefits to cover mandatory or recommended quarantines. The legislation was approved by the Senate last week as part of a package of coronavirus response bills.
The current family leave program is capable of providing up to 85 percent of wages with a cap of $859. The expanded bill would make the benefits available for people who have to self-quarantine or care for loved ones and allow those who have not lost jobs but are still confronted with financial difficulties to continue to collect a paycheck.
The legislation would expand the definition of a “serious health condition” under both programs so that more workers would become eligible for benefits during a state of emergency declared by the Governor or determined by the Commissioner of Health or other public health authority. The expansion would include an illness caused by an epidemic of a communicable disease.
The bill was released from the Assembly by a vote of 78-0.
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