Updates and Resources

Regional Updates

Isolation Quarantine Basics

McKeesport Drive Thru Testing Site

Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council announces new fund for arts and cultural organizations

Myths and Facts About Facemasks: What You Need to Know

The Housing Stabilization Program offered by the URA of Pittsburgh is a housing crisis intervention program that provides one-time or short term (up to 3 months) financial assistance to households who are facing a temporary, non-reoccurring housing crisis in the City of Pittsburgh. Contact United Way to check your eligibility.

Housing Opportunity Fund (HOF) – The fund  provides one-time or short term (up to 3 months) financial assistance to households who are facing a temporary, non-reoccurring housing crisis.

Open for Business Map – Google Map of of Pittsburgh businesses (mostly restaurants) that are staying open during the coronavirus crisis.

Donations to Feed Local Healthcare Workers and Local Restaurants – Donate here to fund Frontline Foods Pittsburgh’s plan to buy local meals for front-line healthcare workers!

Carnegie Science Center Online Educator Resources – Educational resource that teaches STEM material for students in grades K-12

Pittsburgh Region Response to COVID-19 FAQ

Webinar series for nonprofits navigating COVID-19 – The Pittsburgh Foundation offers a series of one-hour webinars addressing essential issues for nonprofit leaders.

Allegheny County Health Department Facebook page

Allegheny County Health Department on Twitter

Allegheny County Health Department online message form
(Please check the COVID-19 box, and your inquiry will be sent directly to ACHD’s epidemiology team)
Allegheny County Health Department phone line: 412-687-2243

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald social media accounts: You can also follow Rich on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Rumors and misinformation can be destructive and can even cause harmful behaviors that increase personal and public health risks. While we cannot realistically respond to every rumor, Allegheny County Health Department has created a page dedicated to addressing rumors about COVID-19.

Allegheny County Health Department – Check out the latest news and sign up for press releases and alerts.

Pennsylvania State Updates

Fay-Penn Helps Local Business “Go Green.”

COVIDcast CMU Forecasting – Website forecasts COVID-19 cases across the country through Facebook and Google surveys online.

Pennsylvania Department of Health Map – Map now includes the zip code level as well as county level data

Governor Wolf signed Senate Bill 841 to Provide Flexibility to Local Governments and Businesses: Senate Bill 841 provides flexibility on property tax deadlines, allows remote public meetings and notarization of documents so online vehicle sales can resume. Public and private residential and non-residential construction may resume statewide starting Friday, May 8, in accordance with safety guidance that will be issued by the administration shortly. Construction projects already deemed life-sustaining may continue while adhering to social distancing, personnel limits and other guidance as announced by the administration. Read more here.

The PA Department of Health released an FAQ document for employers to better understand the mandate for employers to follow certain public-health safety measures for businesses who have been authorized to continue in-person operations. Learn more here.

Necessary Employee Job Portal – Job board from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry for people looking for jobs in life-sustaining businesses

Pennsylvania Businesses to Benefit from Waiver for Prepayments of Sales Tax: Governor Tom Wolf on Tuesday, April 14 announced businesses that collect Pennsylvania sales tax will not have to make Accelerated Sales Tax (AST) prepayments over the next three months. Read more here.

Gov. Wolf Announces $450 Million Loan Program for Financially Strained Hospitals: Governor Tom Wolf announced on Friday, April 10 a new loan program – the Hospital Emergency Loan Program, or HELP – that will provide short-term financial relief to Pennsylvania’s hospitals. Read more here.

Wolf Administration Provides Relief for Taxpayers Affected by COVID-19 Pandemic: The Department of Revenue is providing relief to Pennsylvanians and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The department is offering taxpayers increased flexibility, additional time to meet their tax obligations, and a pause on several of its standard enforcement actions. Read more here.

Hospital Preparedness Dashboard – Map shows the number of cases, deaths, intensive care beds, medical beads, isolation rooms, and ventilators in each county of Pennsylvania.

UPDATE as of 4/1/20: Applications for a business seeking a waiver to continue operating in the state of PA during the COVID-19 crisis were due by Friday, April 3, 2020 at 5:00 pm. Businesses can refer to the Industry Operation Guidance which was last updated 4/1/20 at 4:00 pm.

Sen. Casey announced $170 million for PA in federal funding to address the Coronavirus Pandemic. These funds will be distributed via the Community Development Block Grant Program. Funding has been awarded to several communities in SWPA including: City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Beaver County, Westmoreland County, Washington County. Specific funding levels can be viewed on Senator Casey’s website.

PA Act 10 of 2020 – Extension of Filing Deadline Applies to Trusts/Estates, Partnerships and S Corporations Act 10 of 2020 specifically provides for the extension of the following tax filing deadlines:

• Extends the deadline to July 15, 2020 for declarations of estimated personal income tax.
• Extends the deadline to July 15, 2020 for payments of estimated personal income tax.
• Extends the deadline to July 15, 2020 for the filing of informational returns related to Pennsylvania S corporations and partnerships (Form PA-20S/PA-65), and estates and trusts (Form PA-41).
• Extends the filing date by three months for certain information returns (1099-R, 1099-MISC, and W2-G).

The Department of Revenue is also extending the due date for corporations with tax returns due in May to August 14, 2020.

Wolf Administration Launches Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Critical Medical Supplies Procurement Portal The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Critical Medical Supplies Procurement Portal was developed through a joint effort between the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Health, the Department of General Services, and the Department of Community and Economic Development to source the most needed supplies for medical providers, emergency responders, and health care professionals.

The PA State Police issued a guidance document for their enforcement of non-essential businesses. It can be found here.

NAM: National Association of Manufacturers State-by-State Resources. See the latest snapshot of state and local restrictions on mass gatherings and their implications for manufacturers.

COVID-19 Business Resources (PA Dep’t of Community and Economic Development Business Resources)

Pennsylvania’s Department of Health’s coronavirus website includes information on positive cases throughout the Commonwealth, including the number of reported and confirmed cases in each county.

Federal Updates

The White House released Opening Up American Again Guidelines which include Proposed State or Regional Gating Criteria. Learn more here.

Main Street Lending Program: The Federal Reserve announced details about its new Main Street Lending Program. The Main Street Lending Program will facilitate lending to small and medium-sized businesses, including those businesses that are too big to obtain loans through the SBA PPP. More information was provided by the Federal Reserve here. These are the basic features of the loan program:

• The Main Street Lending Program will enhance support for small and mid-sized businesses that were in good financial standing before the crisis by offering 4-year loans to companies employing up to 10,000 workers or with revenues of less than $2.5 billion.
• Principal and interest payments will be deferred for one year. Eligible banks may originate new Main Street loans or use Main Street loans to increase the size of existing loans to businesses.
• Banks will retain a 5 percent share, selling the remaining 95 percent to the Main Street facility, which will purchase up to $600 billion of loans.
• Firms seeking Main Street loans must commit to make reasonable efforts to maintain payroll and retain workers.
• Borrowers must also follow compensation, stock repurchase, and dividend restrictions that apply to direct loan programs under the CARES Act.
• Firms that have taken advantage of the PPP may also take out Main Street loans.

Artist Relief Fund – $5,000 grants are available to artists facing dire financial emergencies due to COVID-19.

U.S. Department of Labor announced a temporary rule implementing the paid sick leave and family and medical leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). More guidance was provided through a recorded webinar that you can access here.

Internal Revenue Service guidance on Refundable Tax Credits through FFCRA (IRS). IRS issued guidance on the refundable tax credits available to small and midsize businesses that are required to provide paid leave under FFCRA.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce “Guide To The Employee Retention Tax Credit For COVID-19 For COVID-19 Impacted Employers” The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act created a new employee retention tax credit for employers who are closed, partially closed, or experiencing significant revenue losses as a result of COVID-19. Learn more at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Employee Retention Tax Credit webpage

U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Guidance for CARES Act: Employee Retention Credit FAQs. Developed by the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, the document answers a wide range of potential questions – including what types of businesses qualify for the credit, how it is calculated and the availability of the credit.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has created a “How to Get a Coronavirus Emergency Paycheck Protection Loan” webpage. Below is an overview provided by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in regards to guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Treasury for the Paycheck Protection Program.

U.S. Department of Treasury Releases Information on Paycheck Protection Program 

The U.S. Department of Treasury shared new information regarding the Paycheck Protection Program. The Paycheck Protection Program prioritizes millions of Americans employed by small businesses by authorizing up to $349 billion toward job retention and certain other expenses. Please review the resources provided by the U.S. Department of Treasury below and visit their webpage for additional information.

• A top-line overview of the program can be found here.
• If you’re a lender, more information can be found here.
• If you’re a borrower, more information can be found here.
• The application for borrowers can be found here.

U.S. Department of Treasury has a webpage dedicated to Assistance for Small Businesses where you can find updated Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Paycheck Protection Program. The guidance addresses borrower and lender questions concerning implementation.

For national updates, visit the CDC’s coronavirus website for updates, resources and FAQ series. Also, the CDC launched a Self-Checker.

Back to Pittsburgh Region Response To COVID-19