NBCSL is committed to providing our members with resources and essential knowledge needed to guide state actions in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19), which has now been declared a global pandemic.
The spread of the coronavirus continues to be a top concern and, while the federal government leads the national response to COVID-19, state lawmakers are taking extra steps to respond to and anticipate impacts of the virus. We hope you find the following resources, gathered from the CDC, EPA and other federal agencies; the World Health Organization (WHO); our counterparts at the National Caucus of State Legislators, and other, helpful as you work to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of your constituents.
The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America
On March 16, 2020, President Trump and the coronavirus task force released new guidelines to address COVID-19. Among new guidelines: Over the next 15 days, Americans should not gather in groups of more than 10 people, schooling should be at home and discretionary travel and social visits should be avoided. If anyone in a household tests positive for the virus, everyone who lives there should stay home.
15 Days to Slow the Spread
- Listen and follow the directions of your state and local authorities.
- If you feel sick, stay home. Do not go to work. Contact your medical provider.
- If your children are sick, keep them at home. Do not send them to school. Contact your medical provider.
- If someone in your household has tested positive for the coronavirus, keep the entire household at home. Do not go to work. Do not go to school. Contact your medical provider.
- If you are an older person, stay home and away from other people.
- If you are a person with a serious underlying health condition that can put you at increased risk (for example, a condition that impairs your lung or heart function or weakens your immune system), stay home and away from other people.
- Even if you are young, or otherwise healthy, you are at risk and your activities can increase the risk for others. It is critical that you do your part to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
- Work or engage in schooling from home whenever possible.
- If you work in a critical infrastructure industry, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security, such as healthcare services and pharmaceutical and food supply, you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule. You and your employers should follow CDC guidance to protect your health at work.
- Avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people.
- Avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts - use drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options.
- Avoid discretionary travel, shopping trips, and social visits.
- Do not visit nursing homes or retirement or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance.
- Practice good hygiene:
- Wash your hands, especially after touching any frequently used item or surface.
- Avoid touching your face.
- Sneeze or cough into a tissue, or the inside of your elbow.
- Disinfect frequently used items and surfaces as much as possible.
*School operations can accelerate the spread of the coronavirus. Governors of states with evidence of community transmission should close schools in affected and surrounding areas. Governors should close schools in communities that are near areas of community transmission, even if those areas are in neighboring states. In addition, state and local officials should close schools where coronavirus has been identified in the population associated with the school. States and localities that close schools need to address childcare needs of critical responders, as well as the nutritional needs of children.
**Older people are particularly at risk from the coronavirus. All states should follow Federal guidance and halt social visits to nursing homes and retirement and long-term care facilities.
***In states with evidence of community transmission, bars, restaurants, food courts, gyms, and other indoor and outdoor venues where groups of people congregate should be closed.
Click here to download The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America: 15 Days to Slow the Spread flyer.
As a reminder, the CDC’s official Coronavirus website – www.coronavirus.gov – is the best source for up-to-date information and guidance.
Who Should Get Tested?
The HHS provided clear recommendations for prioritizing COVID-19 testing for individuals. Given that we are still ramping of testing availability in the private sector, this uniform guidance is particularly important for states and private labs.
There re three categories for States and clinical laboratories to utilize as they develop strategies to prioritize COVID-19 testing in their communities. Download the infographic to learn more about the three categories and why we must prioritize these populations.
What Steps Have States Taken to Address Coronavirus?
As the federal government leads the national response to COVID-19, state and local health departments stand on the front lines. State health officials continue to work with the CDC, federal authorities and other health agencies to ensure proactive and collaborative measures. To date, 29 States and the District of Columbia have issued emergency declarations. To see the latest updates on state declarations of emergency and for information on state-specific resources and actions, please visit the National Governors Association webpage.
Continuity of Government
Federal Resources (agency-by-agency information and guidance):
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- U.S. Department of Education
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Department of State
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
- Federal Transit Administration
About Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
How to protect yourself against COVID-19
Quarantine and Isolation
Public health quarantine and isolation are legal authorities that may be, but rarely are, implemented to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.
Quarantine and isolation are defined as:
Quarantine: Compulsory separation, including restriction of movement, of people who potentially have been exposed to a contagious disease, until it can be determined whether they have become sick or no longer pose a risk to others. This determination could be made, for example, based on the time elapsed from their potential exposure.
Isolation: Separation of people known or suspected (via signs, symptoms or laboratory criteria) to be infected with a contagious disease from those who are not sick to prevent them from transmitting the disease to others.
- CDC Legal Authorities for Isolation and Quarantine
- CDC Specific Laws and Regulations Governing the Control of Communicable Diseases
- Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Situation Summary
- Association of State and Territorial Public Health Officials – Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- CDC Division of Global Migration and Quarantine
- Critical COVID-19 Resources for your home and community
Additional Resources & Guidance
Small Business Resources
Education (K-12)
- Center for Disease Control (CDC) Guidance for K-12 Schools and Childcare Programs
- CDC Workplace, Home and School Guidance
- US Department of Education COVID-19 Information and Resources for Schools and School Personnel
- Free Student/Teacher Access to NY Times from Verizon
Insurance Coverage Guidelines re COVID-19
- Medicaid Fact Sheet: Coverage and Benefits Related to COVID-19
- Medicare & CHIP Fact Sheet: Coverage and Benefits Related to COVID-19
- Individual Plan Information Related to COVID-19
Additional Resources: COVID-19 Resources from our CRT Members and Others.
- Information about COVID-19 in the United States: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Environmental Protection Agency: EPA Releases List of Disinfectants to Use Against COVID-19
- Global Coronavirus advisory information: World Health Organization
- Coronavirus Q&A: World Health Organization
- Protecting your Kids and Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Big Three U.S. Credit Reporting Agencies help Americans with more frequent access to credit histories for one year - See statement here
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Rapid COVID-19 Drive-thru Testing Sites available in Michigan - See statement here
- Pfizer’s RxPathways patient assistance program - Click here for details
- EEI Industry COVID-19 Response - Cick here for EEI's first episode podcast of the new We Stand for Energy Podcast called “The Current.”
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Pfizer and BioNTech Dose First Participants in the U.S. as Part of Global COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Development Program - Click here for full press release.
- Eli Lilly & Company announces New $35 Co-Pay, Now Available Through Lilly Insulin Value Program in Response to COVID-19 Crisis in U.S. - Click here for details.
- PepsiCo Launches $7 Million Initiative To Help U.S. Communities Hardest Hit By COVID-19 - Click here for press release.
- Merck to Announce Multiple Scientific Efforts to Combat COVID-19 - Click here for press release
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AveXis, a Novartis Company, agrees to contribute the use of its gene therapy manufacturing expertise to help produce and scale novel vaccine that uses adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector for clinical trials - Click here for the press release.
- Op-Ed on Clinical Trial Diversity through increasing the number of minorities enrolled in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. Shared by Eli Lily - Click here for strory
- Pfizer Clinical Trials Critical Information - Click here for NBCSL Letter - Click here for Flyer
- NCTA “K-12 Bridge to Broadband” Initiative to Help Connect Students to Broadband for Remote and Hybrid Learning - Click here for press release
NBCSL COVID-19 Response Webinar Resources:
On Friday April, 24, 2020, NBCSL held its first in a series of COVID-19 related weminars. The following resources were presented and highlighted during the webinar. We are pleased to share them with our membership.
- Panelist; Dr Niva Lubin-Johnson, Immediate Past President of the National Medical Association - Webinar reference video. - Click here
- Dr Niva Lubin-Johnson's "Probability of Contagion" diagram - Click here
- Panelist; Michael Griffin, CEO Daughters of Charity Health, New Orleans - Public Health Persceptives presentation - Click here
- Panelist; State Representative Vivian Flowers (AR), NBCSL Region X Chair & COVID-19 Work Group Chair - Presentation on "Dispelling myths about COVID-19" - Click here
- NBCSL COVID-19 (101) Webinar of Arpil 24, 2020 - Webinar link.
Presentations and Webinar Video
- Panelist; Erlinda A. Doherty; Director, Budgets & Revenue Committee, NCSL - Click here for presentation on Federal COVID-19 Response and Resources for States
- Panelist: Ramon O. Looby; SVP, Public, Policy & Government Relations, Bank of America - Click here for presentation on Financial Institutions Meeting the Challenge of COVID-19
- Panelist; Demetra Smith Nightingale; Institute Fellow, Urban Inc - Click here for presentation on Investing In and Re-Employing Workers
- Panelist; Erica MacKeller; Program Principal, Fiscal Affairs Program, NCSL - Click here for presentation on The State of State Budgets
- Video Link to COVID-19: Where is the $$$ and, How Do We Get It?
- Webinar held on May 14, 2020 - Maintaining Your Mental Health While Serving the Public - Click here for full Webinar recording.
- Click here for presentation by Dr. Michelle Laws, Phd. MA
NBCSL COVID-19 Education Webinar of August 6, 2020
- Webinar Video - "Let's Talk"; Click here for full Webinar recording...
- American Federation of Teachers (ATF) article - Safely Opening America's Schools - Click Here
- American Federation of Teachers (ATF) article - Sign-on Letter Summer Letter on Feeding Nutrition - Click here
NBCSL Policy Related COVID-19 Resources:
- NBCSL 2020 RESOLUTION ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PLATFORM
- NBCSL 2020 RESOLUTION ON A NEW COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
Keeping America Connected During COVID-19
Our Corporate Round Table (CRT) members Comcast and Verizon are doing their part to keep ALL Americans connected to the Internet through the Coronavirus pandemic. Verizon will help customers and small businesses disrupted by the impact of the coronavirus, by waiving late fees and keep residential and small business customers connected if negatively impacted by this global crisis. Comcast is supporting low income households through the coronavirus pandemic by offering new Internet Essentials customers, 60 days of complimentary service and increasing Internet speeds for that service from 15/2 Mbps to 25/3 Mbps for all new and existing customers.
To learn more about Verizon’s updated response to COVID-19, visit:
https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-help-customers-and-small-businesses
Versizon has also updated its FCC pledge - Click here for more.
For more information and updates from Comcast related to Coronavirus, visit:
Comcast Extends Comprehensive COVID-19 Response Policies To June 30 - Click here for details