Last updated January 20, 2022

This web page, which is designed to provide up-to-date information and resources for Davis County businesses and residents about COVID-19 and it’s impact on our community. Click below to jump to your desired section:

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LATEST UPDATES

January 19, 2022

Legacy Events Center COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Closing Next Week

January 6, 2022

CDC recommends booster doses for 12-15 year olds

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last night recommended the use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster doses for people between the ages of 12-15. The CDC also now recommends people between the ages of 15-17 get booster doses; previously CDC had stated 16-17 year olds may get a booster.

People in these age groups can get their booster dose at least 5 months after receiving their primary vaccine series, the same as older teens and adults.

The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) urges all vaccine providers in the state to immediately begin offering booster doses to people in these age groups.

Earlier this week, the CDC also approved the use of a 3rd primary dose for 5-11 year old children who are moderately or severely immunocompromised. The agency also shortened the window between receiving a second Pfizer dose and a Pfizer booster dose to 5 months (from 6) for all ages.

Booster doses are in adequate supply throughout the state. To find vaccination locations throughout Utah, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine.

January 3, 2022

CDC Updates to Quarantine and Isolation Guidelines

State and local public health officials have released updated COVID-19 isolation and quarantine guidelines following the announcement of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated guidelines last week. The guidelines are available at coronavirus.utah.gov.

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Under the updated guidelines, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should:

• Stay at home for 5 days from the day you were tested, even if you don’t have symptoms or feel sick. You can leave your house after 5 days if your symptoms have improved (fever-free without medicine for at least 24 hours and your symptoms have improved). You must stay home for at least 5 days.
• Wear a mask around others for the 5 days after your home isolation.

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For those who are exposed to COVID-19, quarantine guidelines depend on the person’s age and whether the person is up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations. Public health officials recommend anyone who is exposed to COVID-19 get tested 5 days after their exposure and wear a mask around others.

• Adults aged 18 and older who have had their booster dose or are recently vaccinated (meaning they’ve had a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within the last 6 months, or had a J&J vaccine within the last 2 months) don’t need to quarantine at home. These individuals can continue to go to work and participate in activities; however, they should wear a mask for the 10 days after their exposure.

For information on quarantine/isolation guidelines for anyone younger than 18 years old, click here.

“We understand the changing guidelines can be confusing. Our knowledge of COVID-19, and especially the Omicron variant, changes rapidly. Data continues to show vaccination protects you from severe illness, which means fewer people miss work and school, or are at risk of hospitalization. Other countries have seen that prior infection alone is not sufficient to protect you from this variant,” said Nolen. “Please get tested if you have symptoms or if you’ve been exposed to someone with it. Stay home if at all possible if you’re sick, test positive, or have been exposed to COVID-19. We encourage everyone to wear a mask around others, so we can minimize the number of Utahns who get sick from COVID-19 in the coming weeks.”

To find a COVID-19 testing location, visit https://coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-covid-19-testing-locations.

December 9, 2021

Pfizer COVID-19 Booster Recommendations to 16- and 17-year-olds

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today authorized the use of the Pfizer COVID-19 booster doses for everyone 16 and older.

Anyone 16 or older who received their Pfizer vaccine at least 6 months ago, is eligible for a booster dose.

“It is wonderful news that everyone 16 and older can now get a booster. Almost 500,000 Utah residents have already gotten their booster dose and now we can protect even more people,” said Dr. Leisha Nolen, state epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Health. “Booster doses give an extra layer of protection against COVID-19. As we move into the winter months, we encourage everyone who is eligible to get a booster dose to go get their shot so that they can have a safe holiday season. If you’re someone who hasn’t gotten a COVID-19 vaccine yet, please get one now.”

At this time, only the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and recommended for adolescents aged 16 and 17. 

The Utah Department of Health recommends all providers begin immediately offering Pfizer booster doses to those who are 16 and older. 
To find locations throughout Utah that offer COVID-19 vaccines visit coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine.

November 19, 2021

COVID Booster Shots, Vaccinations Clinic and Testing Locations

Effective Friday, Nov. 19, all Utahns 18 and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccine boster shots. Based on the timing of their primary vaccine series, the following people could receive booster doses:

• People who are ages 18 and older, and received their second dose of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine more than six months ago.
• People who are ages 18 and older and received their first dose of Johnson and Johnson vaccine more than two months ago.

The Davis County Health Department drive-thru COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic is offering new and booster vaccine shots at the Legacy Events Center in Farmington. The clinic is open Monday thru Wednesday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm; CLOSED Thursday – Sunday. Appointments are required. To schedule an appointment with the Davis County Health Department visit https://www.daviscountyutah.gov/health/covid-19/vaccine or call 801-525-4900.

The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) offers free rapid antigen testing at many locations throughout the state of Utah including the following in Davis County:

• Bountiful Veterans Park, 740 S. 100 E., Bountiful (drive-through in the parking lot), Monday through Sunday–7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Register here.

• 5-C Freeport West (from Antelope Drive, enter at 300 W. and continue to C Street) Clearfield, Monday through Friday–7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Saturday–8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Register here.

• Ellison Park, 700 N 2200 W, Layton (drive-through in the northeast parking lot), Monday, 11/8–12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Register here.

For more details click here.

November 18, 2021

What Small Businesses Need to Know About the Employee Vaccine Mandate

If your business has 100 or more employees, here’s what you need to know about OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard for COVID-19 vaccination and testing, including:

• What immediate actions do I need to take?
• Can I offer alternative options to those who do not wish to be vaccinated and do not qualify for a religious or medical exemption?
• When does the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) go into effect?
• How long will ETS be in effect?
• How is the 100-plus employee threshold determined?
• Do part-time employees and independent contractors count towards the 100-employee threshold?
• What about employees who work from home?
• Do I have to provide or pay for testing?
• What happens if an employee tests positive?

Get answers to these questions and more at https://www.uschamber.com/co/start/strategy/vaccine-mandate-for-small-businesses.

The Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce held a webinar, “OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS): What Policies Your Business Needs to Comply.” You may watch the recording by clicking below.

November 16, 2021

Small Business Employee Vaccination Grant

The new Small Business Employee Vaccination Grant received $500,000 in federal CARES Act funds as part of Utah’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. It provides reimbursement to Utah small business employers that pay employees for time off to either receive a COVID-19 vaccine or recuperate should they experience side effects after their vaccination.

To be eligible, businesses must have fewer than 50 full-time Utah employees who work 40 hours or more. The grant reimburses employers who provide paid time off for employees who are otherwise not eligible for paid time off — typically non-benefited hourly workers. The grant may be used for both full-time and part-time employees to get their own COVID-19 vaccine, to take a dependent child to receive a vaccine, or for the employee or their dependent to recover from a vaccine should they experience any side effects. The employer must pay the employee for time off before Dec. 31, 2021 and employers have until Jan. 20, 2022 to submit applications for reimbursement.

Grants will be offered to employers on a first-come, first-served basis until the $500,000 grant funds are encumbered.

Grant applications are now being accepted. Learn more at https://business.utah.gov/sbevgrant/

November 16, 2021

Mental Health Resources for Businesses

November 3, 2021

Children 5-11 Years Old Now Cleared to Receive COVID Vaccine

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today issued recommendations to health care providers for vaccinating 5-11 year-olds against COVID-19. The recommendation clears the way to begin vaccinating the nearly 366,000 Utah children in this age group who are now eligible.

The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) last week ordered an initial shipment of 109,000 pediatric doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, and will also begin placing weekly orders beginning this week. The doses are shipped directly to health care providers and have already started arriving in their offices.

Providers like local health departments, pharmacies and doctor’s offices will begin offering vaccinations over the next several days. Appointments are already being scheduled at some local health departments and are expected to be widely available at other providers by November 8. 

A complete list of vaccine providers is available on the state’s coronavirus web page. Parents should check this site often, or call their child’s doctor’s office or pharmacy, or their local health department for detailed information on scheduling a vaccination.

September 27, 2021

Covid-19 Booster Dose Now Available at Legacy Events Center

The Davis County Health Department has reopened its drive-thru COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at the Legacy Events Center in Farmington, where a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine will be available to those who are eligible.

The CDC recommends the following people receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series:

• People 65 years+ and residents in long-term care settings
• People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions
• People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions, based on their individual benefits and risks
• People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting, based on their individual benefits and risks

For the week of September 27th, the hours will be 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Then, starting the week of October 4th, the hours will be 10:00 am – 6:00 pm. Appointments are required and can now be scheduled throughout the month of October online at: https://go.usa.gov/xAZFD. If you need assistance, please call (801) 525-4900, Monday – Friday, from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm.

For more details click here.

September 21, 2021

Business and Labor Interim Committee Public Hearing

Chamber Members, click here to view a letter written by Speaker Wilson and President Adams voicing their concern over President Biden’s recent vaccine mandate for businesses. They invite you to attend a special interim committee hearing Monday, October 4th at 9:00 a.m. to share your feedback.

August 13, 2021

CDC clears way for additional dose of COVID-19 vaccines for people who are immunocompromised

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), acting on recommendations from its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), today cleared the way for people who are immunocompromised to receive an additional dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

The CDC recommends an additional dose of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised including people who have:

• Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
• Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
• Received a stem cell transplant within the past two years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response

People should talk to their doctor about their medical conditions to find out if an additional dose is appropriate for them.

“This recommendation is specifically for people with moderate or severe immunocompromising conditions who are less likely to have fully responded to two doses of the vaccine. By getting a third dose, people with weakened immune systems can get better protection. Most people do not need an additional dose or booster doses at this time. The vaccines continue to be very effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 in individuals without immune compromise,” said Dr. Leisha Nolen, UDOH state epidemiologist.

The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) recommends vaccine providers throughout the state become familiar with the CDC’s recommendations and begin offering an additional vaccine dose to this population as soon as they are able.

The age groups authorized to receive the additional dose are unchanged from those authorized to receive the primary vaccination series:

• Pfizer-BioNTech: aged 12 years and older
• Moderna: aged 18 years and older

Additional doses should be administered at least four weeks after a person receives their second dose of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Due to lack of available data and evidence on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at this time, additional doses are not authorized for people who are immunocompromised and received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The UDOH believes there is sufficient supply of vaccine available in the state to provide these additional doses.

“We are excited that the FDA and ACIP are making additional doses available for people who are immunocompromised. For many Utah families, the pandemic has brought heartache and sacrifice as they’ve made difficult decisions to protect their loved ones from COVID-19 as best they can,” said Nolen. “We must all continue to work together to decrease the spread of this virus in our state. Wearing masks, avoiding crowds, and of course, getting vaccinated are still critically important not just for people who are immunocompromised, but for the whole community.”

The FDA has updated the Fact Sheets for Healthcare Providers Administering the Vaccine (Vaccination Providers) and for Recipients and Caregivers with information to reflect the use of the vaccine for the people who are immunocompromised.

The CDC has updated information on this recommendation at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html.

For more information on how to find a COVID-19 vaccine in Utah visit https://coronavirus.utah.gov.

August 4, 2021

PPP Direct Forgiveness Portal Now Open

The Small Business Administration will be launching a streamlined application portal to allow Paycheck Protection Program loan recipients to apply for forgiveness directly through the SBA. Businesses who borrowed $150,000 or less through participating lenders will be eligible to use the direct forgiveness portal. 

This new change will help rush relief to over 6.5 million smallest of small businesses which has been the Administrator’s priority since day one. The new forgiveness platform began accepting applications from borrowers on August 4th. Lenders are required to opt-in to this program through https://directforgiveness.sba.gov. Borrowers that need assistance with their forgiveness applications or have questions should call (877) 552-2692, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. EST.

For more information visit https://www.sba.gov/article/2021/jul/28/sba-announces-opening-paycheck-protection-program-direct-forgiveness-portal.

May 19, 2021

Utah COVID-19 Vaccination Update

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has cleared the way for 12-15 year olds to begin receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Approximately 215,000 Utah children fall into this age group and are now eligible to receive the vaccine.

The FDA has updated the Fact Sheets for Healthcare Providers Administering the Vaccine (Vaccination Providers) and for Recipients and Caregivers with information to reflect the use of the vaccine in the adolescent population, including the benefits and risks of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.

You can now find three nearby locations with available COVID-19 vaccines quicker than ever. Just text your ZIP code to 438829 for English, or 822862 for Spanish.

For more information on how to find a COVID-19 vaccine in Utah visit https://coronavirus.utah.gov/.

May 17, 2021

Unemployment Claim Fraud Alert

The Utah Department of Workforce Services is getting calls from a lot of companies saying that job seekers are applying for jobs and when offered the job they are showing up one day and then not showing up again, or refusing work. The Unemployment Insurance Division is requesting that employers report these claimants so they can stop them from claiming unemployment. If this has happened in your business, please visit: https://jobs.utah.gov/ui/fraud/uifraud.html or download the form here to report this unemployment claim fraud: https://jobs.utah.gov/ui/forms/form662.pdf.

May 17, 2021

Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

The Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program is a Federal Communication Commission program that helps households struggling to pay for internet service during the coronavirus pandemic. This new benefit connects eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, and virtual classrooms.

Eligible households can receive a discount: Up to $50/month towards broadband service including unlimited data plans. Up to $75/month for tribal households. Up to $100/one-time to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if the household contributes $10 to $50 toward the purchase price. For more details visit: https://business.utah.gov/broadband/emergency-broadband-benefit/.

May 3, 2021

Community Vaccine Outreach Clinics Available

The Davis County Health Department is bringing the COVID-19 vaccine to you! All businesses, community-based organizations, church groups, and even families can complete this form or call 801-525-4900 and request to host your own FREE mobile vaccination clinic. They’ll come to you — for free! Getting the vaccine is now easier than ever, so book your on-site event today.

They are currently using the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for these clinics. The vaccine type you will receive will be dependent on your population’s needs and available supply. Vaccine administration partners will work with you to schedule 2nd dose clinics to make sure everyone has the chance to get fully vaccinated.

Outreach clinics outside of Davis County can be requested by using the state request form: https://coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine-event-request.

April 22, 2021

New COVID-19 Vaccination Tax Credit

The Biden administration announced a new tax credit that will help businesses offer paid time off for employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. Additionally, the tax credit will cover time off if an employee needs time to recover from side effects.

Learn more from this recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce webinar on the topic. You can watch/listen to the webinar recording below or by clicking here.

Read more about the new tax credit on the IRS website or in this U.S. Chamber CO— overview.

March 11, 2021

How New American Rescue Plan Act Impacts Small Businesses

The new $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, American Rescue Plan Act, allocates new funds and tax credits to help struggling small businesses. Here are more details:

• NEW Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF)
  • $28.6 billion grant program will specifically target hard-hit restaurants and bars, with restaurants able to apply for grants based on lost gross revenue between 2019 and 2020.
  • The vast majority of American restaurants and bars will be able to apply for these grants.
  • The Small Business Administration (SBA) will administer and disperse the RRF grants, but the program does not yet have a launch date.
  • All restaurant owners that want to apply for RRF grants should immediately register with the government using the System of Award Management (SAM).
• Shuttered Venue Operators grant program (SVO)
  • Now allows businesses to apply for PPP funds AND SVO.
  • Program may launch in April.
  • All venue that want to apply for SVO grants should immediately register with the government using the System of Award Management (SAM).
  • For more information visit https://www.uschamber.com/co/run/business-financing/shuttered-venue-operator-grants-stimulus
• Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC)
  • Extended to end of 2021
  • For more information visit https://www.uschamber.com/co/start/strategy/coronavirus-employee-retention-tax-credit-guide
• Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
  • Additional funding added to PPP
  • Expanded eligibility to additional nonprofits and digital news services.
  • For more information visit https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/paycheck-protection-program
• Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance (EIDL)
  • Additional funding added to EIDL
  • For more information visit https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/covid-19-economic-injury-disaster-loans#section-header-6

For more details on how the American Rescue Plan Act could impact your business watch this U.S. Chamber of Commerce webinar recording or read the detailed overview here: https://www.uschamber.com/co/events/small-business-update-town-hall/small-business-update-american-rescue-plan-act.

February 17, 2021

New Resource for Women Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

Women own or co-own 45% of all businesses in the United States. These businesses represent all types of industries and are owned by all types of women. The majority are small, with great potential for growth in both revenues and job creation. That’s why Ascent was created.

Ascent is packed it with in-depth information to help women business owners grow their business. SBA’s Ascent learning platform has free online training courses and more that help provide the skills you need to recover from the pandemic and other disasters.

Learn more: https://ascent.sba.gov

February 15, 2021

Donate to the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund

By caring enough to donate even one dollar you can give hope to individuals and families—our neighbors—in Utah experiencing homelessness.

Every year, Utahns have the opportunity to support the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund through donations on their tax form.

• All donations to the trust fund go directly to organizations statewide that provide vital services and assistance to individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
• Even small donations make a big impact for those experiencing homelessness.
• Your donation helps the trust fund leverage investments in homelessness and provides a flexible state-funding source focused on delivering critical services.

How to Donate on Your Tax Form

• Go to “Voluntary Contributions” on your Utah Income Tax Form
• Use code “02” to select the “Pamela Atkinson Homeless Account”
• Specify the amount of your donation

Or donate online at https://jobs.utah.gov/htf.

February 10, 2021

Developing an Effective COVID-19 Vaccination Policy Webinar

1. What an employer can and can’t require.
2. What a vaccine policy is and what it includes.
3. Who needs a vaccine policy.
4. When it can be put in place.

Learn more in this webinar, “Developing an Effective COVID-19 Vaccination Policy,” sponsored by the Salt Lake Chamber’s Roadmap to Recovery Coalition. Click here to view.

January 21, 2021

22 Grants, Loans and Programs to Benefit Your Small Business

Times are tough for small business, but help is available, from federal, state or local governments, and the private sector. It may be in the form of a grant, a loan or a leg up competing in a difficult business environment. But when you know where to look, help for your small business is there for the taking. Check out this list of 22 grants, loans and programs available for small businesses in this U.S. Chamber of Commerce guide: https://www.uschamber.com/co/run/business-financing/government-small-business-grant-programs.

January 19, 2021

Small Business Update: Paycheck Protection Program and Stimulus Q&A

 At the end of 2020, the federal government passed a $900 billion coronavirus-related stimulus bill designed to help small businesses in multiple ways. These included the reopening of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), expanding the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC), setting aside new funds for Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) grants and creating new live venue grants.

During this recent Small Business Update, U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive vice president and chief policy officer, Neil Bradley, and chief digital officer, Mike Morello, discussed the latest developments concerning the stimulus bill and answered tricky questions concerning PPP, ERTC, EIDL and live venue grants posed by audience members.

Here are some of the top questions from the session:

• When will small businesses be able to apply for a first or second PPP loan under the newly reopened program?
• What is the deadline to take advantage of Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) for 2020 payroll?
• If you already got a PPP loan, can you also get ERTC?
• Can new PPP funds be used retroactively for 2020 expenses?
• Can you lower salaries and still get PPP loan forgiveness?
• Is there a benefit to delaying your PPP loan forgiveness application?
• Are healthcare premiums and other employee benefits included in payroll calculations?
• What businesses are eligible to receive the new live venue grants?
• When will new Economic Injury Disaster Loan and live venue grant applications go live?

You can read the answers in this article or hear them (and more) in the recording.

January 13, 2021

Dr. Angela Dunn answers Utahns’ COVID-19 questions

Dr. Angela Dunn, Utah’s state epidemiologist, sat down with The Salt Lake Tribune reporter Sean P. Means today to answer reader-submitted questions on Utah’s COVID-19 response.

January 9, 2021

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans

SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any property damage. The deadline to apply for property damage is March 15, 2021. The deadline to apply for economic injury is Oct. 12, 2021.

Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.

Interest rates can be as low as 3% for businesses, 2.75% for private nonprofit organizations and 1.188% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance.

If you need assistance to understand and apply for a Disaster Loan, you can reach out to Utah’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Team. The team is trained to assist business owners, including sole proprietors and independent contractors, as they prepare for and navigate the application process. They can also provide referrals for professional services that can assist companies as they prepare their financials for a loan. Contact the local rapid response team by visiting https://wtcutah.formstack.com/forms/rapid_response_team_intake.

January 9, 2021

Targeted Business Tax Credit Program Opened January 1st

The Targeted Business Tax Credit (TBTC) program encourages private investment and the creation of jobs in rural Utah counties with populations less than 25,000. The program and its application process open annually on Jan. 1.

What is the incentive?
GOED may award up to $300,000 in tax credits — with no more than $100,000 being allocated to one project — to businesses with eligible Community Investment Projects (CIP), leading to significant capital investment or significant new job creation.

The TBTC is a post-performance refundable tax credit. Upon completing a CIP (the capital investment and high-paying jobs commitments are met), a company awarded a funding allocation may claim the TBTC tax credit certificate.

See the Office of Rural Development website for the application link, individual information, and instructions sheets located under each program tab. If you have questions, please contact goedruralprograms@utah.gov.

January 8, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine: Myths & Misconceptions Webinar

Hear from health care professionals about the truths and falsehoods of the new COVID-19 vaccines, how Utah classifies an “essential worker,” and more during this “COVID-19 Vaccine: Myths & Misconceptions” webinar.

Speakers include:

-Dr. Angela Dunn, State Epidemiologist, Utah Department of Health

-Dr. Amy J. Khan, Executive Medical Director – Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah and Regence BlueShield of Idaho

-Rich Lakin, Immunization Program Manager, Utah Department of Health

-Dr. Donna Milavetz, Regional Vice President, Steward Health Care

-Scott Parson, CEO, Staker Parson Materials & Construction, A CRH Company and Roadmap to Recovery Coalition Co-Chair (moderator)

For more information visit https://coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine/. Sign up to receive email updates with the latest information about COVID-19 and Utah’s vaccination plan at: https://coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine/#sign-up.

January 7, 2021

Utah’s Coronavirus Pandemic Response Webinar

A recording of the Utah’s Coronavirus Pandemic Response webinar is now available for viewing. Topics covered include COVID responses, impacts on the real estate industry, life science innovations, and more!

January 6, 2021

Eligible Paycheck Protection Program expenses now deductible

The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service issued guidance today allowing deductions for the payments of eligible expenses when such payments would result (or be expected to result) in the forgiveness of a loan (covered loan) under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Today’s guidance, Revenue Ruling 2021-02, reflects changes to law contained in the COVID-related Tax Relief Act of 2020, enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Act), Public Law 116-260, which was signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020.

The COVID-related Tax Relief Act of 2020 amended the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to say that no deduction is denied, no tax attribute is reduced, and no basis increase is denied by reason of the exclusion from gross income of the forgiveness of an eligible recipient’s covered loan. This change applies for taxable years ending after March 27, 2020.

Revenue Ruling 2021-02 obsoletes Notice 2020-32 and Revenue Ruling 2020-27. This obsoleted guidance disallowed deductions for the payment of eligible expenses when the payments resulted (or could be expected to result) in forgiveness of a covered loan.

For more information visit https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/eligible-paycheck-protection-program-expenses-now-deductible.

December 22, 2020

Coronavirus Relief Bill Passed by Congress

[Source: TheHill.com] A $900 billion coronavirus relief bill was passed by Congress last night and is expected to be signed into law by President Trump this week. Here are some of the items included:

Stimulus checks: A second round of direct payments up to $600 per adult and per child.

Unemployment benefits: The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which made benefits available to the self-employed and gig economy workers, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, which provided additional weeks of benefits, will be extended for 11 weeks. In addition, $300 will be added to all weekly unemployment benefits.

Support for small businesses: The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provided distressed small businesses with forgivable loans to keep them afloat and leave employees on the books, will be re-upped with $284 billion in funds. Businesses that already received a PPP loan will be eligible to get a second one under the new terms. Some of the PPP funds will be set aside for the smallest businesses and community-based lenders.

Housing assistance: The bill extends the eviction moratorium that is set to expire at the end of the year through the end of January and includes $25 billion for rental assistance to families facing eviction.

Education: The bill would provide $82 billion of funds for schools and colleges to help them reopen classrooms and prevent virus transmission, as well as an expansion of Pell Grants.

Testing: The agreement includes $20 billion for the purchase of vaccines, $8 billion for vaccine distribution, $20 billion for states to conduct testing and $20 billion in extra federal relief for health care providers. 

Federal Reserve: The Main Street Lending Program and three other lending facilities will close. Unspent funding for those programs under the CARES Act will be repurposed.

Nutrition Assistance: The deal directs $13 billion to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), and to child nutrition benefits.

Transportation: $45 billion would be provided for transportation. 

Surprise medical bills: The legislation includes provisions to end the practice of surprise medical billing. It would hold patients harmless from surprise bills, including from air ambulance providers and prohibit out-of-network providers from “balance billing” unless they give patients 72-hour notice of their network status and an estimate of the charges.

Tax provisions: There are a host of tax provisions in the bill, targeted both at individuals and businesses.

Taxpayers would be allowed to use their 2019 income for purposes of claiming the earned income tax credit and child tax credit, two credits that benefit low- and middle-income households, as well as extend and enhance the employee retention tax credit, a payroll tax credit aimed at encouraging businesses to hold on to their workers.  

For more details click here. Or to learn more, join the Salt Lake Chamber webinar with Wednesday, December 23 at 10:00 AM, with Senator Romney and Congressman John Curtis. Click here to register for the webinar.

December 17, 2020

COVID-19 Vaccine Scam Alert

SCAM ALERT: Scammers are looking to make a ‘quick buck’ at your expense off the COVID-19 vaccine. Here is some great information on how to avoid becoming a victim of a COVID-19 vaccine scam.

• You can’t pay to put your name on a list to get the vaccine.
• You can’t pay to get early access to the vaccine.
• Nobody legit will call about the vaccine and ask for your social security, bank account or credit card number.

Ignore vaccine offers that say differently or ask for personal or financial information.

Learn more at https://www.ftc.gov/coronavirus/scams-consumer-advice
OR consumerresources.org/beware-coronavirus-scams

November 6, 2020

What Does it mean to have Utah Hospitals at Capacity?

[Source] Governor Herbert and Utah’s hospital leaders have been telling Utahns for several weeks that sharply increasing COVID-19 cases could strain Utah’s hospitals beyond their capacity. Many people have asked, “Why are hospitals overwhelmed with COVID patients when I know of hospitals that have only a few COVID patients or none at all, and when you’ve been reporting that statewide ICU utilization is only 70-80%? Doesn’t that mean they have some space left?” 

• • Not all ICU beds are equal. For many months, community hospitals—including those in rural areas— have been referring COVID patients to higher tier hospitals with expertise, experience and equipment to care for these patients, called “referral hospitals.” While Utah hospitals have about 535 ICU beds, referral hospitals have only 453 ICU beds. But in this current major spike in cases, referral hospitals are nearly full. The University of Utah Hospital and Intermountain Medical Center have handled the majority of Utah’s severe COVID cases. Both have been full or nearly full for the last few weeks as have McKay-Dee in Ogden. All referral hospital beds are about 85% full. In the coming days, rural hospitals may no longer be able to refer serious patients (COVID or otherwise) to referral hospitals but will have to do the best they can to care for them.  

• Hospital load leveling. The State and the Utah Hospital Association have created a virtual transfer command center, which keeps track of ICU and hospital census. Beginning in November, as some hospital ICU units have reached capacity, the command center was called upon to arrange transfers to other hospitals with remaining capacity.

• Beds don’t treat people. Even before COVID reached Utah, we didn’t have enough critical care doctors, nurses and highly-skilled technicians like pulmonary techs. Those we have are exhausted and overwhelmed. More ICU beds and ventilators can be made, but the ICU workforce is less easily expandable. The constant, intense demand on these professionals, infections and quarantines of front-line healthcare workers, and general life challenges we all face during this time, have dramatically reduced the available nursing staff. As we reach maximum hospital ICU capacity, doctors and nurses are caring for more patients and working more shifts, increasing the burden on them, and hospitals are having to use doctors and nurses that aren’t trained or as experienced in critical care. Patients will increasingly be cared for by doctors and nurses who are acting outside their specialty and/or are caring for more patients than is ideal.

• Crisis Standards of Care. When hospital resources are maxed out, doctors must make tough choices about who gets scarce attention, drugs and supplies. The Crisis Standards of Care guides doctors in deciding who gets care and who doesn’t, based on who is most likely to survive. Although no one wants to make such choices, our escalating case counts put us on a trajectory that might require it.

Putting things in perspective:

• COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased four times (400%) in the last 8 weeks.
• During the July surge, the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations was 296. As of November 5th, there were 402 hospitalizations.
• Hospitals ICU units are functionally full when they reach 85%.
• Prior to COVID, Utah’s ICU units were typically from 60% to 70% occupied by patients with heart attacks, strokes, traumatic injuries and other conditions requiring round-the-clock care from skilled nurses, doctors and technologists. Currently, COVID cases have added another 32% of cases.
• Utah’s ICU hospital beds are nearly full.

To read this full article visit https://coronavirus.utah.gov/straining-the-system-what-does-it-mean-to-have-utah-hospitals-at-capacity/.

November 5, 2020

Emotional Health Relief Hotline

Living through the COVID-19 pandemic has not been easy or fun, for anyone. Trained counselors and mental health resources are readily available for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Visit http://coronavirus.utah.gov/mental-health to find resources, support, and mental health assessments.

November 2, 2020

Utah Rent Relief Program

Struggling to pay your rent?

November 1, 2020

Podcast: Business Grants and COVID-19

Businesses have been hit hard by the effects of COVID-19. Kori Ann Edwards, Managing Director of Operations for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, joins the Utah House of Representatives Podcast to talk about the programs that have helped and are helping businesses survive. Click here to listen to the podcast on Spotify.

October 19, 2020

What’s the Difference Between the Flu and COVID-19?

While COVID-19 and flu are both respiratory illnesses, there are some key differences:

Both COVID-19 and flu:

• Can have varying degrees of signs and symptoms, ranging from no symptoms to severe symptoms.
• Can result in complications.
• Share similar common symptoms
• Symptoms may not be experienced for 1 or more days after becoming infected.
• Can be spread before experiencing any symptoms.
• Spread between people in close contact (within about 6 ft.).
• Are spread mainly by droplets.
• May be spread by physical human contact, or by touching a surface or object that has virus on it and then touching his or her own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.

Differences:

• Flu causes mild to severe illness. COVID-19 causes more serious illnesses in some people. Only with COVID do you lose smell/taste.
• Takes longer for someone to experience COVID symptoms (2-14 days) than flu symptoms (1-4 days). 
• A person with COVID is contagious for longer (2 days before symptoms and at least 10 days after symptoms appear) than with the flu (1 days before showing symptoms).
• COVID-19 is more contagious among certain populations and age groups than flu. Unlike the flu, COVID-19 can quickly and easily spread to a lot of people and result in continuous spreading among people as time progresses.

Because some of the symptoms of flu and COVID-19 are similar, it may be hard to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone, and testing may be needed to help confirm a diagnosis. For more information, visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/flu-vs-covid19.htm

October 15, 2020

What is the State’s New COVID-19 Transmission Index?

October 14, 2020

Utah’s New COVID-19 Transmission Index

October 5, 2020

Increased World Trade Center STEP Grant Funding

October 1, 2020

New Hot Jobs Portal

September 30, 2020

Small Business Loans Now Available Through Utah Small Business Loan Finance

Utah Small Business Loan Fund (USBLF) has been awarded $1.72 million Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) as part of the CARES Act Recovery Assistance.

“This grant can help bring immediate help to small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the state of Utah,” said Steve Suite, executive director USBLF. “While Utah’s economy continues to be better than most, we know that the pandemic has brought a level of economic uncertainty and challenges for businesses of all sizes in our state. We applied for this grant because we know that there are challenges that small business owners face when it comes to accessing capital, and we knew we could be part of the solution.”

This particular RLF can be used for loans up to $250,000 and is available in Davis, Box Elder, Morgan, Rich, Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah and Weber Counties. The EDA investment is meant to alleviate sudden and severe economic dislocation caused by the pandemic, provide permanent resources to support economic resiliency, and further the long-term economic adjustment objectives of the region served by the grant.

With more than $30,000,000 in small business loans since 2001, Utah Small Business Loan Fund is one of the largest and oldest alternative business lenders in Utah. Headquartered in Utah’s Wasatch Front, USBLF focuses on economic development by supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs with loans ranging from $50,000 to $250,000. Loan terms are up to seven 7 years with interest rates as low as 7% and origination fees at just 2%. Visit usblf.org for more info.

If you are interested in accessing capital through this grant for your business, contact Kimberly Holley, Loan Administrator at kholley@usblf.org.  

September 30, 2020

Re-Skill and Re-Enter the Workforce

Has your job been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? Whether you are unemployed, underemployed, or seeking a new opportunity, Learn & Work In Utah can get you the skills you need to create a bright future for you and your loved ones.

Learn & Work In Utah provides an opportunity for unemployed, underemployed, and vulnerable workers to learn new skills through affordable and flexible short-term programs designed to connect them with a rewarding career. Programs are available in a variety of online, in-person, and hybrid formats. See what short-term training programs are available at Utah colleges and universities by visiting https://inutah.org/learn-work/. Tuition assistance is available for qualifying applicants.

September 30, 2020

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Youth Program

One way the Department of Workforce Services is working to develop Utah’s workforce is setting up youth for future success through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Youth program.

The WIOA Youth program is designed to help youth explore career options and help them get on the right track for a successful career. Open to youth between the ages of 14 and 24, the program is designed for youth who need some help planning out their career path. If you or someone you know could benefit from participating in the WIOA Youth program visit https://jobs.utah.gov/wioa/wioayouth.html to learn more about the program.

September 1, 2020

Become An #InUtah Partner

The ‘In Utah’ campaign casts a wide net across the state to support economic reactivation during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign’s purpose is to educate and motivate Utahns to make appropriate health choices and tout the opportunities and benefits of supporting Utah business. It encourages us to shop, dine, stay, work, film and play, ‘In Utah.’

If you’d like to partner or have feedback or a suggestion for the ‘In Utah’ campaign, please complete the contact form at https://inutah.org/partners/. We’ll get back to you soon and provide support for any suggestions or recommendations in-line with the campaign’s goals and objectives. After all, a rising tide lifts all boats, and we’re all ‘In’ this together. Let’s be all in, Utah!

For more information visit https://inutah.org/partners/.

August 28, 2020

Financing Options for Small Businesses: Free Webinar

The Small Business Administration (SBA) brings you another self-paced training exercise, an introduction to financing options for your business. Topics include: determining your financial needs, loans, grants, venture capital, angel investors, crowd funding and other financial options available to small businesses.

For more information and to register visit https://www.sba.gov/course/financing-options-small-businesses/

August 27, 2020

Utah Department of Health rolling out new Utah Health Emergency Response Team

August 27, 2020

Unemployment Benefits are Taxable Income

Did you or do you know anyone who has claimed unemployment this year? As of April 2020, over 23 million Americans filed for unemployment, and one out of four Americans received unemployment this year. We need your help to reach these individuals and make sure they know that unemployment is taxable income. We do not want them to be caught off guard when filing their tax return next year!

It is the goal of the IRS that more people will know that:

• Unemployment income is taxable
• They can contact their state unemployment office to have taxes withheld from ongoing unemployment payments
• If they did not have taxes withheld from unemployment payments, there are ways to pay on those taxes before the year ends
• They can use the withholding calculator https://apps.irs.gov/app/tax-withholding-estimator, and determine what they may owe.

For more information view Publication 5444 by clicking here.

August 25, 2020

Business Resources for Minorities Podcast

This episode of Business Elevated includes a conversation between Ryan Starks, managing director of business services at GOED, and Silvia Castro, executive director of the Suazo Business Center. To listen or read the transcript, visit https://business.utah.gov/news/podcast-the-suazo-business-center-business-resources-for-minorities/

August 24, 2020

Learn & Work in Utah Updates

August 23, 2020

UCAIR Telework Survey Results

To learn from this historic and large-scale telework period, UCAIR released a survey in March 2020, to which 7,500 working people throughout the state responded. Employers and employees both reported cost savings and additional benefits as a result of teleworking. The most notable finding is that 94% of management and 93% of employees said they want to continue teleworking, specifically on poor air quality days, to mitigate an incoming inversion. View survey results by clicking below.

August 21, 2020

Utah Legislature eliminates state income tax on COVID-19 funding for Utahns

[Source: UtahBusiness.com] The Utah State Legislature unanimously passed S.B. 6005, Income Tax Amendments, eliminating state income tax on PPP grants and CARES Act funding, easing burdens for Utah families and businesses.

“COVID-19 has impacted everyone in our state,” said Sen. Wayne Harper, Senate sponsor of S.B. 6005. “As state leaders, we want to ensure that Utahns and Utah businesses keep the rebates and grant funds to utilize for their specific situations, without the concern of taxation. Prohibiting all state income tax on COVID-19 funds and individual federal rebate checks provides Utahns with more resources during these challenging times.”

“Twenty-twenty has been a difficult and unprecedented year for Utah,” said Rep. Robert Spendlove, House sponsor of S.B. 6005. “Eliminating income taxes on money individuals and businesses received from the CARES Act or PPP loans will help Utahns overcome current challenges and move forward on a path of recovery and success.”

S.B. 6005 was considered and passed during August’s special session to allow time for the Utah State Tax Commission to implement changes for 2020 taxes.

August 11, 2020

New ‘Learn & Work In Utah’ Programs Available for Enrollment

August 8, 2020

New ‘Shop in Utah’ Offers Webpage

July 30, 2020

Davis County Virtual Town Hall 

A Virtual Town Hall was held today with two Davis County organizations that have played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic: The Davis County Health Department and Lakeview Hospital. As the health department works to trace the spread of the disease, hospitals are tasked with treating this disease that little is known about besides its high contagiousness. These two organizations work incredibly close and have learned a lot during a time where not much is known. They shared their lessons and their outlook for the future and the topics below in the town hall. View a recording of this informative webinar below.

Topics covered include:

• Pandemic review so far
• Hospital safety and capacity
• High-risk populations
• Contact tracing and disease investigation
• Testing
• Precautions for care

July 29, 2020

SkillUp Utah Launched 

Skill Up Utah is a new collaborative economic restoration platform created by UNITEd which equips individuals and businesses with resources to increase hireability. They gather sources for skilling up future workers and building a connected, qualified workforce who can better respond to the economic challenges created by COVID-19. From job searches to skill assessments and online courses, they are here for you as you personalize your evolution.

If your job has been impacted by COVID-19, you’re not alone. SkillUpUtah exists to help you take your first steps to personal economic recovery. A recent survey conducted by Silicon Slopes found that 61% of Utah employers believe that skill development is the single most important thing furloughed or unemployed individuals could be doing right now to increase their likelihood of getting hired. Explore the best free and low-cost resources from Utah organizations and start moving forward today!

July 23, 2020

‘In Utah’ Campaign Focused on Economic Reactivation Efforts

The new ‘In Utah’ campaign encourages Utahns to embrace healthy habits while practicing appropriate measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, and encourages Utahns to to shop and buy local goods, services and cultural experiences in Utah. It’s objective is statewide economic reactivation through the support of local businesses and nonprofits. It’s a collaborative, adaptable outreach campaign that includes various industries and interests.

Utah municipalities, associations, organizations, celebrities, athletes, teams, nonprofits and businesses can join the effort and show their support for a healthy Utah, from both wellness and economic perspectives, by:

• Partnering to create a unique ‘In Utah’ badge,
• Displaying ‘In Utah’ signage in physical and online locations
• Sponsoring promotions and giveaways, and
• Ordering and distributing or selling ‘In Utah’ promotional items.

A plethora of ‘In Utah’ partnerships are possible.

Utahns, Utah businesses and organizations are encouraged to support the effort in their communications and actions. Together, Utah will demonstrate what it means to live, work and recreate ‘In Utah.’ Join the #InUtah effort today by visiting inutah.org.

July 16, 2020

Free Counseling for COVID-19 Related Stress

 

The Utah Strong Recovery Project offers FREE help for COVID-19 related stress. Call or text 385-386-2289 or email utahstrong@utah.gov, everyday from 7a-7p. Spanish and other languages available.

July 1, 2020

COVID-19 Business Manual

The COVID-19 Business Manual is a step-by-step plan to help you make your worksite healthier, with tips from Utah Department of Health to protect your business, employees and customers, and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Looking at how your business operates and making a plan to make your worksite healthier is important.

You can use this guide throughout the pandemic, no matter what phase of the Utah Color-Coded Health Guidance your community is in. The manual has up-to-date recommendations from the Utah Department of Health, Center for Disease Control, OHSA, and U.S. Department of Labor including:

• What you should do if an employee is exposed to or tests positive for COVID-19
• Requirements for employee quarantine and isolation, sick leave, and tax credits
• Cleaning after a positive case of COVID-19
• Testing employees for COVID-19
• How to protect your worksite, operations, and employees
• Essential and critical infrastructure sector employees
• And more…

Find a copy here: https://coronavirus.utah.gov/business/

June 24, 2020

Utah Leads Together: K-12 and Higher Education Changes Impact on the Business Community

June 24, 2020

Davis Chamber joins other Utah Chambers of Commerce to Form New Coalition Amid Pandemic Problems

Led by the Salt Lake Chamber, nine local chambers of commerce are uniting to form the Utah Chamber Policy Coalition, “a statewide coalition to advocate for unified policy interests and policies that will promote business success, jobs, opportunity and prosperity.”

Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance, noted that as the state endures what has been a historically challenging time economically, establishing the coalition will allow business voices from across the state to be heard in a way that can benefit all Utahns.

For more information visit https://www.ksl.com/article/46768814/chambers-of-commerce-from-across-utah-form-new-coalition-amid-pandemic-problems.

June 23, 2020

Utah’s Hospital Systems Join Forces to #MaskUpUtah

The Utah Hospital Association, in collaboration with Utah’s four largest healthcare systems, are joining together in a collaborative effort to encourage the use of face masks in public and work settings throughout the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative, #MaskUpUtah will continue throughout the summer months in an effort to help reduce community transmission of the virus.

Clinical leaders for Intermountain Healthcare, MountainStar Healthcare, Steward Healthcare, and University of Utah Health, are concerned about the rising number of COVID-19 cases occurring throughout Utah. They have come together with one voice to remind Utahns that wearing a mask can make a significant difference in helping to reduce transmission of the virus. Read more about the campaign here.

June 22, 2020

Lender Match, New Tool for Small Businesses

The Small Business Administration recently launched Lender Match, a dedicated online tool for small businesses and non-profits to be matched with Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), Certified Development Companies (CDCs), Farm Credit System lenders, Microlenders, as well as traditional smaller asset size lenders in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

How it works:

1. Describe your needs (takes less than five minutes).
2. Get matched with a lender (within two days).
3. Talk to lenders.
4. Apply for a loan.

Lender Match not only connects borrowers with accessing PPP loans, but also other SBA lending products, such as 7(a), 504, Microloans, and Community Advantage loans which are currently offering debt relief. Lender Match does not accept Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications.

Visit https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/lender-match for more information and to begin matching process.

June 17, 2020

Paycheck Protection Plan and Flexibility Act Updates

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has so far approved loans for 48,861 Utah companies for a combined total of $5,188,288,610. For additional resources and a list of lenders participating in the Paycheck Protection Program, visit www.sba.gov/PPP. A new PPP loan application has been released – download here.

In addition, a revised, borrower-friendly Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application implementing the PPP Flexibility Act of 2020 is now available. In addition to revising the full forgiveness application, SBA also published a new EZ version of the forgiveness application that applies to borrowers who:

• Are self-employed and have no employees; OR
• Did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%, and did not reduce the number or hours of their employees; OR
• Experienced reductions in business activity as a result of health directives related to COVID-19, and did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%.

The EZ forgiveness application should be more user friendly as it requires fewer calculations and less documentation for eligible borrowers.

Both applications give borrowers the option of using the original 8-week covered period (if their loan was made before June 5, 2020) or an extended 24-week covered period. These changes will result in a more efficient process and make it easier for businesses to realize full forgiveness of their PPP loan.

Additional resources for Paycheck Protection Forgiveness can be found on our website.

June 17, 2020

Navigating PPP Forgiveness Application

June 16, 2020

Relief Resources for Entrepreneurs

Looking for COVID-19 relief resources? The Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship at Duke University has created Covidcap.com, a searchable database of over $1 trillion in COVID-19 cash relief resources available to small business and nonprofit entrepreneurs everywhere. This database includes grants, loans, and other cash equivalents that can help entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and businesses anywhere in the world. New resources are being added daily. View the resources here: https://www.covidcap.com.

June 16, 2020

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Advance Program Reopened

This week the U.S. Small Business Administration reopened the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance program portal to all eligible applicants experiencing economic impacts due to COVID-19.

The EIDL program offers long-term, low interest assistance for small businesses or non-profits. These loans can provide vital economic support to help alleviate temporary loss of revenue. EIDL assistance can be used to cover payroll and inventory, pay debt or fund other expenses. Additionally, the EIDL Advance will provide up to $10,000 ($1,000 per employee) of emergency economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing temporary difficulties, and these emergency grants do not have to be repaid.

SBA’s COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance:

• Low interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses and non-profit organizations that are suffering substantial economic injury as a result of COVID-19 in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories.
• Loans may be used to pay debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact, and that are not already covered by a Paycheck Protection Program loan. Interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses, for non-profits is 2.75%.
• SBA offers loans with long repayment terms, up to a maximum of 30 years. Plus, the first payment is deferred for one year.
• Small businesses and non-profits may request, as part of their loan application, an EIDL Advance of up to $10,000. The EIDL Advance is designed to provide emergency economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. This advance will not have to be repaid, and small businesses may receive an advance even if they are not approved for a loan.
• The SBA is also assisting small businesses and non-profits with access to the federal forgivable loan program, the Paycheck Protection Program.

For additional information, please visit the SBA disaster assistance website at SBA.gov/Disaster. To apply, click here.

June 5, 2020

Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act Signed into Law

This morning, the Payroll Protection Plan Flexibility Act was signed into law. The Flexibility Act will make it easier for PPP loan recipients to qualify for maximum loan forgiveness. Updates under the Payroll Protection Plan Flexibility Act (PPPFA) include:

• Borrowers can choose to extend the eight-week period to 24 weeks, or they can keep the original eight-week period. This is designed to make it easier for more borrowers to reach full, or almost full, forgiveness.
• The payroll expenditure requirement drops to 60% from 75%. Borrowers must spend at least 60% on payroll or none of the loan will be forgiven. Currently, a borrower is required to reduce the amount eligible for forgiveness if less than 75% of eligible funds are used for payroll costs, but forgiveness isn’t eliminated if the 75% threshold isn’t met.
• Two new exceptions are included, allowing borrowers to achieve full PPP loan forgiveness even if they don’t fully restore their workforce. Previous guidance already allowed borrowers to exclude from those calculations employees who turned down good-faith offers to be rehired at the same hours and wages as before the pandemic. The new bill allows borrowers to adjust because they could not find qualified employees or were unable to restore business operations to Feb. 15, 2020, levels due to COVID-19 related operating restrictions.
• Borrowers now have five years to repay the loan instead of two. The interest rate remains at 1%.
• Businesses that took a PPP loan are allowed to also delay payment of their payroll taxes, which was prohibited under the CARES Act.

For detailed information about the Payroll Protection Plan Flexibility Act of 2020 click here.

June 2, 2020

Industry-Specific Business Health Guidelines Support Webinar Series

May 7, 2020

New Credits Available to Businesses Hit by COVID-19

Employers affected by COVID-19 may be eligible for important new credits available:

Employee Retention Credit (or Payroll Tax Credit):The employee retention credit is designed to encourage businesses to keep employees on their payroll. The refundable tax credit is 50% of up to $10,000 in wages paid by an eligible employer whose business has been financially impacted by COVID-19.

The credit is available to all employers regardless of size, including tax-exempt organizations. There are only two exceptions: State and local governments and their instrumentalities and small businesses who take small business loans. For more information click here.

Paid Sick Leave Credit and Family Leave Credit:The paid sick leave credit is designed to allow business to get a credit for an employee who is unable to work (including telework) because of Coronavirus quarantine, self-quarantine or has Coronavirus symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis. Those employees are entitled to paid sick leave for up to 10 days (up to 80 hours) at the employee’s regular rate of pay up to $511 per day and $5,110 in total.

The employer can also receive the credit for employees who are unable to work due to caring for someone with Coronavirus, caring for a child because the child’s school or place of care is closed, or the paid childcare provider is unavailable due to the Coronavirus. Those employees are entitled to paid sick leave for up to two weeks (up to 80 hours) at 2/3 the employee’s regular rate of pay or, up to $200 per day and $2,000 in total. 

Employees are also entitled to paid family and medical leave equal to 2/3 of the employee’s regular pay, up to $200 per day and $10,000 in total. Up to 10 weeks of qualifying leave can be counted towards the family leave credit.

Employers can be immediately reimbursed for the credit by reducing their required deposits of payroll taxes that have been withheld from employees’ wages by the amount of the credit.

Eligible employers are entitled to immediately receive a credit in the full amount of the required sick leave and family leave, plus related health plan expenses and the employer’s share of Medicare tax on the leave, for the period of April 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2020. The refundable credit is applied against certain employment taxes on wages paid to all employees.

For more details click here.

May 1, 2020

April 22, 2020

State of Utah Releases “Healthy Together” Beta App

April 15, 2020

Child Care Operations Grants Now Available for Utah Providers

April 3, 2020

Employment Resources for People Impacted by COVID-19

Thousands of Utahns have financially felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have felt it as their work hours have been reduced or temporarily laid off. To help individuals make it through these difficult times, resources are available with the Department of Workforce Services.

Through the department, individuals can apply for unemployment insurance benefits. These benefits are not meant to be a full wage replacement, but provide 40-50 percent of earned wages up to $580 weekly. Additional financial resources will soon be available from the federal government through the CARES Act, pending guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor. Individuals should apply online. Due to the unprecedented volume of claims there are disruptions in the department’s normal service levels including high call and chat wait times. If there is a question or problem with your claim, they will contact you.

At Workforce Services, you can also apply for additional assistance such as food stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, HEAT and child care subsidies. If you are looking for employment, there are still jobs available. Workforce Services’ website includes job listings and search help or you can download the Utah Jobs mobile app.

We encourage all whose employment has been negatively affected by COVID-19 to visit jobs.utah.gov/covid19 to access a full list of available resources as well as more information in regularly updated FAQs.

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EMPLOYER RESOURCES

Economic Resources Finder

To help Utah companies identify available resources to meet their needs, the Utah Economic Response Task Force has created a tool that determines the best federal, state, and local resources for your business. Click here to access the new Economic Resources Finder.

To better serve a larger portion of the business community, the resource finder is now also available in Spanish. Buscador de Recursos Económicos

Federal Economic Stimulus (CARES Act) Package

The Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act is a $325 billion aid package providing additional assistance to the hardest-hit small businesses, nonprofits, and venues that are struggling to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The act provides funding for a second round of forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses and nonprofits experiencing significant revenue losses, implements programmatic improvements to PPP, funds grants to shuttered venues, and enacts emergency enhancements to other U.S. Small Business Administration lending programs.

Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act Passed December 27, 2020

 Paycheck Protection Program Reopened:

• Creates a second round of PPP loans for eligible businesses.
• Defines eligibility for the PPP second draw as small businesses that have no more than 300 employees and demonstrate at least a 25 percent reduction in gross revenues between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020.
• Establishes a maximum loan size of 2.5X average monthly payroll costs, up to $2 million.
• Allows small businesses assigned to the industry NAICS code 72 (Accommodation and Food Services) to receive PPP second draw loans equal to 3.5X average monthly payroll costs in order to helps these businesses combat onerous State and local restrictions.
• Maintains existing expansions in eligibility for businesses assigned to the industry NAICS code 72 (Accommodation and Food Services).
• Borrowers receive full loan forgiveness if they spend at least 60 percent of their PPP second draw loan on payroll costs over a time period of their choosing between 8 weeks and 24 weeks.
• Affirms the eligibility of churches and religious organizations and prohibits a future administration from making them ineligible.
• Preserves the application of affiliation rules to nonprofits, which makes Planned Parenthood ineligible.
• Includes set-asides to support first-time PPP borrowers with 10 or fewer employees, second-time PPP borrowers with 10 or fewer employees, first-time PPP borrowers who have been made newly eligible, and second-time returning PPP borrowers. Additionally, provides for a set-aside for loans made by community lenders.

Paycheck Protection Program Improvements:

• Expands PPP allowable and forgivable expenses to include supplier costs on existing contracts and purchase orders, including the cost for perishable goods at any time, costs relating to worker protective equipment and adaptive costs, and technology operations expenditures.
• Provides needed assurances to PPP lenders that no enforcement action could be taken against a lender who originated the loan in good faith, complied with all regulations, and relied in good faith on a borrower’s certification and documentation.
• Enhances borrower flexibility by allowing borrowers to select their loan forgiveness covered period between 8 weeks and 24 weeks.
• Simplifies the forgiveness application process for smaller loans up to $150,000 while increasing SBA’s ability to audit and review forgiven loans.
• Allows PPP borrowers to include additional group insurance payments when calculating their PPP payroll costs. This would cover insurance plans such as vision, dental, disability and life insurance.
• Allows borrowers who returned all or part of their PPP loan to reapply for the maximum amount applicable. It also allows lenders to recalculate borrower’s loan amounts due to changes in regulations regardless of whether SBA Form 1502 has been submitted.
• Establishes the loan amount calculation for farmers and ranchers to better align with recent years’ income.
• Provides Farm Credit System Institutions with greater certainty and equity in PPP lending participation.
• Defines “seasonal employer.”
• Expands PPP eligibility for certain 501(c)(6) nonprofits and Destination Marketing Organizations with 300 or fewer employees that do not receive more than 15 percent of their revenue from lobbying.
• Expands PPP eligibility to local newspapers and T.V., and radio stations previously made ineligible by their affiliation with other stations.
• Establishes a procedure in the bankruptcy process if the Administrator determines certain small business debtors in Chapter 11 are eligible for PPP loans.
• Eliminates the requirement that EIDL advances be subtracted from PPP forgiveness.

Find out which Utah banks and credit unions are participating in the Paycheck Protection Program at utah.bank/advocacy/resources/covid-19/ppp-banks or https://www.utahscreditunions.org/.

Paycheck Protection Plan Loan Forgiveness and the Flexibility Act

On June 5, 2020, the Payroll Protection Plan Flexibility Act was signed into law. The Flexibility Act will make it easier for PPP loan recipients to qualify for maximum loan forgiveness. Updates under the Payroll Protection Plan Flexibility Act (PPPFA) include:

• Borrowers can choose to extend the eight-week period to 24 weeks, or they can keep the original eight-week period. This is designed to make it easier for more borrowers to reach full, or almost full, forgiveness.
• The payroll expenditure requirement drops to 60% from 75%. Borrowers must spend at least 60% on payroll or none of the loan will be forgiven. Currently, a borrower is required to reduce the amount eligible for forgiveness if less than 75% of eligible funds are used for payroll costs, but forgiveness isn’t eliminated if the 75% threshold isn’t met.
• Borrowers can use the 24-week period to restore their workforce levels and wages to the pre-pandemic levels required for full forgiveness. This must be done by Dec. 31, 2020, a change from the previous deadline of June 30, 2020.
• Two new exceptions are included, allowing borrowers to achieve full PPP loan forgiveness even if they don’t fully restore their workforce. Previous guidance already allowed borrowers to exclude from those calculations employees who turned down good-faith offers to be rehired at the same hours and wages as before the pandemic. The new bill allows borrowers to adjust because they could not find qualified employees or were unable to restore business operations to Feb. 15, 2020, levels due to COVID-19 related operating restrictions.
• Borrowers now have five years to repay the loan instead of two. The interest rate remains at 1%.
• Businesses that took a PPP loan are allowed to also delay payment of their payroll taxes, which was prohibited under the CARES Act.

For detailed information about the Payroll Protection Plan Flexibility Act of 2020 click here.

A revised, borrower-friendly Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application implementing the PPP Flexibility Act of 2020 is now available. In addition to revising the full forgiveness application, SBA also published a new EZ version of the forgiveness application that applies to borrowers who:

• Are self-employed and have no employees; OR
• Did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%, and did not reduce the number or hours of their employees; OR
• Experienced reductions in business activity as a result of health directives related to COVID-19, and did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%.

The EZ forgiveness application should be more user friendly as it requires fewer calculations and less documentation for eligible borrowers.

Both applications give borrowers the option of using the original 8-week covered period (if their loan was made before June 5, 2020) or an extended 24-week covered period. These changes will result in a more efficient process and make it easier for businesses to realize full forgiveness of their PPP loan.

Additional resources for Paycheck Protection Forgiveness can be found on our website.

Navigating PPP Forgiveness Application

Families First Coronavirus Response Act

On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which provides paid leave under the Family Medical Leave Act and paid sick leave for absences resulting from COVID-19.

• The law goes into effect on April 2, 2020, and ends on December 31, 2020. It applies to all employers with 500 employees or less. Employees with 30 days of employment are eligible for benefits.
• Emergency FMLA – Job-protected family leave is provided to employees to take care of a child under 18 years of age who is home because their school or daycare has been closed because of COVID-19. The first 10 days of this FMLA leave is unpaid. Thereafter, employees must be paid up to two-thirds of their salary and benefits will vary between full-time and part-time employees. This number is capped at $200 per day and $10,000 in total for each employee. Employers with 50 employees or less can apply for an exemption to the law if they can show that paying this benefit would “jeopardize the viability of the business.” Employers with 25 employees or less are exempt if an employee’s position is eliminated due to economic conditions.
• Paid Sick Leave – The law provides 80 hours of paid sick leave to full-time employees. Paid sick leave is also available for part-time employees on a pro-rata basis. The leave can be used because an employee has been ordered the government or a health care provided to quarantine if they are seeking medical assistance because of COVID-19 symptoms, if they are taking care of an individual who has been quarantined or ordered to self-quarantine, or if they are taking care of a child whose school or daycare has closed because of COVID-19. Paid sick leave is to be paid at the employee’s salary with the following caps: $200 per day and $2,000 total per employee to care for a child or family member; $511 per day and a total of $5,110 total per employee to care for themselves. Employers with 50 employees or less can apply for an exemption if paying sick leave would “jeopardize the viability of the business.”
• Tax Credits – Employers are eligible for reimbursement of 100% of the amount paid under this emergency legislation through tax credits.

You can read a summary of the bill. Sen. Mike Lee also has fact sheets about the impact on small businesses and mid-sized businesses.

The U.S. Chamber offers a Coronavirus Small Business Guide for strategy and resources.

Lender Match, New Tool for Small Businesses

The Small Business Administration recently launched Lender Match, a dedicated online tool for small businesses and non-profits to be matched with Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), Certified Development Companies (CDCs), Farm Credit System lenders, Microlenders, as well as traditional smaller asset size lenders in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

How it works:

1. Describe your needs (takes less than five minutes).
2. Get matched with a lender (within two days).
3. Talk to lenders.
4. Apply for a loan.

Lender Match not only connects borrowers with accessing PPP loans, but also other SBA lending products, such as 7(a), 504, Microloans, and Community Advantage loans which are currently offering debt relief. Lender Match does not accept Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications.

Visit https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/lender-match for more information and to begin matching process.

Internal Revenue Service

New Credits Available to Businesses Hit by COVID-19

Employers affected by COVID-19 may be eligible for important new credits available:

Employee Retention Credit (or Payroll Tax Credit):The employee retention credit is designed to encourage businesses to keep employees on their payroll. The refundable tax credit is 50% of up to $10,000 in wages paid by an eligible employer whose business has been financially impacted by COVID-19.

The credit is available to all employers regardless of size, including tax-exempt organizations. There are only two exceptions: State and local governments and their instrumentalities and small businesses who take small business loans. For more information click here.

Paid Sick Leave Credit and Family Leave Credit:The paid sick leave credit is designed to allow business to get a credit for an employee who is unable to work (including telework) because of Coronavirus quarantine, self-quarantine or has Coronavirus symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis. Those employees are entitled to paid sick leave for up to 10 days (up to 80 hours) at the employee’s regular rate of pay up to $511 per day and $5,110 in total.

The employer can also receive the credit for employees who are unable to work due to caring for someone with Coronavirus, caring for a child because the child’s school or place of care is closed, or the paid childcare provider is unavailable due to the Coronavirus. Those employees are entitled to paid sick leave for up to two weeks (up to 80 hours) at 2/3 the employee’s regular rate of pay or, up to $200 per day and $2,000 in total. 

Employees are also entitled to paid family and medical leave equal to 2/3 of the employee’s regular pay, up to $200 per day and $10,000 in total. Up to 10 weeks of qualifying leave can be counted towards the family leave credit.

Employers can be immediately reimbursed for the credit by reducing their required deposits of payroll taxes that have been withheld from employees’ wages by the amount of the credit.

Eligible employers are entitled to immediately receive a credit in the full amount of the required sick leave and family leave, plus related health plan expenses and the employer’s share of Medicare tax on the leave, for the period of April 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2020. The refundable credit is applied against certain employment taxes on wages paid to all employees.

For more details click here.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the following steps and guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• What To Do If You’re or an Employee is Sick
• Steps to Prevent Illness
• How and When to Wash Your Hands
• Resources for business and employers

Department of Labor

The U.S. Department of Labor has resources to help workers and employers prepare for the COVID-19 virus including workplace safety, wages and leave, unemployment insurance flexibilities, job corp students, federal contractors, and more. Click here for more information.

Coronavirus Small Business Guide

The U.S. Chamber offers a Coronavirus Small Business Guide for re-opening strategy and resources. Visit https://www.uschamber.com/co/reopening for more information.

coronavirus.gov is the primary portal for public information curated by the Coronavirus Task Force at the White House.

https://www.usa.gov/coronavirus catalogs all U.S. government activities related to Coronavirus, and is also available in Spanish at https://www.usa.gov/espanol/coronavirus.

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Small Business Administration

Express Bridge Loan Pilot Program

Click here for more information or download this FAQ pdf on the SBA Express Bridge Loan program.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs)

The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan provides vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This program is for any small business with less than 500 employees (including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and self-employed persons), private non-profit organizations, or 501(c)(19) veterans organizations affected by COVID-19.

• Low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses and non-profit organizations that are suffering substantial economic injury as a result of COVID-19 in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories.
• Loans may be used to pay debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact, and that are not already covered by a Paycheck Protection Program loan. Interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses, for non-profits is 2.75%.
• SBA offers loans with long repayment terms, up to a maximum of 30 years. Plus, the first payment is deferred for one year.
• Small businesses and non-profits may request, as part of their loan application, an EIDL Advance of up to $10,000. The EIDL Advance is designed to provide emergency economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. This advance will not have to be repaid, and small businesses may receive an advance even if they are not approved for a loan.

The EIDL Application Portal has reopened and the SBA is accepting new applications. The deadline to apply for an SBA economic injury disaster loan is July 27, 2021. Click here for more information and to apply.

Enhanced Debt Relief

Enhanced Debt Relief is also available in SBA’s other business loan programs to help small businesses overcome the challenges created by this health crisis.

7(a) loan program (Traditional SBA Loans)

The 7(a) loan program is the SBA’s primary program for providing financial assistance to small businesses. The terms and conditions, like the guaranty percentage and loan amount, may vary by the type of loan. For more information click here.

To contact the SBA Utah Rapid Response Team, submit complicated/technical questions at utahgeneral@sba.gov or call (801) 524-3209. Submit general questions to: https://wtcutah.formstack.com/forms/rapid_response_team_intake.

Lender Match, New Tool for Small Businesses

The Small Business Administration recently launched Lender Match, a dedicated online tool for small businesses and non-profits to be matched with Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), Certified Development Companies (CDCs), Farm Credit System lenders, Microlenders, as well as traditional smaller asset size lenders in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

How it works:

1. Describe your needs (takes less than five minutes).
2. Get matched with a lender (within two days).
3. Talk to lenders.
4. Apply for a loan.

Leads will only be forwarded to CDFIs and Lenders with < $10b in assets until the PPP program ends on June 30, 2020, at which time Lender Match will be open to all participating SBA Lenders. Lender Match not only connects borrowers with accessing PPP loans, but also other SBA lending products, such as 7(a), 504, Microloans, and Community Advantage loans which are currently offering debt relief. Lender Match does not accept Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications.

Visit https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/lender-match for more information and to begin matching process.

Stay Safe to Stay Open Statewide Campaign

Utah COVID-19 Business Manual

The COVID-19 Business Manual is a step-by-step plan to help you make your worksite healthier, with tips from Utah Department of Health to protect your business, employees and customers, and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Looking at how your business operates and making a plan to make your worksite healthier is important.

You can use this guide throughout the pandemic, no matter what transmission level your community is in. The manual has up-to-date recommendations from the Utah Department of Health, Center for Disease Control, OHSA, and U.S. Department of Labor including:

• What you should do if an employee is exposed to or tests positive for COVID-19
• Requirements for employee quarantine and isolation, sick leave, and tax credits
• Cleaning after a positive case of COVID-19
• Testing employees for COVID-19
• How to protect your worksite, operations, and employees
• Essential and critical infrastructure sector employees
• And more…

Find a copy here: https://coronavirus.utah.gov/business/

Business Loans of Utah

Business Loans of Utah (BLU) works with banks and local municipalities to support economic development by funding small businesses. Loans can be used for debt consolidation, inventory purchase, accounts receivable, working capital, equipment, and real estate.

• Loan amounts: $50,000 – $350,000
• 8%-18% interest rate
• Up to 5-year term
• Collateral and guarantees required
• No prepayment penalties

Click here for more information and to apply.

Bank and Credit Union Loan Deferments

Many local banks and credit unions are offering loan deferments for individuals impacted by COVID-19. Please contact your local financial institution for details regarding specific loan deferment programs.

Department of Workforce Services 

The Department of Workforce Services continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, under the direction of the Governor’s Office. Click here to find information and resources regarding their services and COVID-19.

• Unemployment Insurance
• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
• Temporary Layoff Virtual Workshop for Employees
• Recruitment Support
• One Utah Child Care
• Office of Child Care Access
• Child Care Operations Grants
• Food Assistance
• Rent and Eviction Information
• Energy Assistance
• Medical Assistance
• Employment Centers
• Refugees
• ASL Updates

While they maintain operations at their offices, they are also shifting some employees to work from home when possible. They look forward to continuing to serve you and strive to meet the needs of their customers with responsive, respectful and accurate service.

Click here to visit their website.

World Trade Center Utah Resources

In Utah, international trade now supports nearly one in every four jobs in the state, with small businesses accounting for 85% of Utah’s exporters. Our highly international economy should give us confidence as we face the economic uncertainty ahead. International trade and investment are some of the most powerful ways to immunize Utah businesses from the economic effects of COVID-19.

We strongly encourage Utah businesses to review these resources and to engage where appropriate.

• Apply for State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) Grant
• Schedule One-on-One Consulting
• Leverage WTC Utah’s Global Network
• Discover Global Opportunities
• Receive Streamlined Assistance on Relief Provisions
• Continue Business Meetings via Our Video Conference and Webinar Platform
• Participate in a Virtual Trade Mission with the Saudi Ministry of Investment
• Be Aware of International Travel Resources
• Be Prepared for International Screenings Coming Into the US
• Learn about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Announcement
• Qualify for Agricultural Disaster Benefits
• Tune into our upcoming Trade and Investment Online Webinars

Visit https://wtcutah.com/international-solutions-covid19/ for more information.

Utah Organization Responses

Businesses and organizations in Utah have submitted information to the Salt Lake Chamber’s request to understand how others are responding to COVID-19. Most of these organizations have specific plans in place, and, in some instances, promotions, to help during the pandemic. Here we link to available online resources for responding organizations. If you’d like your organization to be included, please provide your information here.

Workers’ Compensation Fund

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Davis County Health Department

Industry-Specific Business Health Guidelines Support Webinar Series

There are many resources within Davis County to serve your business. Click here to visit COVID-19 resource page on our economic development website.

Mortgage Relief Options

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are offering multiple relief options for those who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19, which include:

• Providing mortgage forbearance for up to 12 months
• Waiving assessments of penalties and late fees
• Suspending reporting to credit bureaus of delinquency related to forbearance

Click here for Fannie Mae details. Click here for Freddie Mac details.

Utility Companies

Power and gas disconnections have been suspended to help those with financial hardships. Click below for details.

Rocky Mountain Power has temporarily suspended disconnections for non-payment. You can easily request more time to pay or make a payment arrangement online. They can connect you with local assistance programs to help with energy bills and home weatherization upgrades. Please beware of scam calls or other contacts that threaten to disconnect your service unless you pay immediately. If you find yourself unable to pay your bill, contact customer care anytime – day or night – at 1-888-221-7070.

Dominion Energy will not disconnect your service for nonpayment and is reconnecting residential customers whose services were recently shut off. They are not disconnecting service at this time and will never call and threaten you. If you’re having trouble continuing to pay your bill, contact them at 800-323-5517 about payment extension and assistance options.

Employees With Affected Family Members

Other Resources for Businesses and Employers

Davis Tech Business Resource Center

5 Ways to Retain Your Customers During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Staying Connected With Customers Through the Coronavirus Outbreak

Top Tech Tools to Keep Your Team Connected During Coronavirus

5 Ways to Manage Small Business Coronavirus Concerns When Employees Can’t Work From Home

Resilience in a Box – Tips for Business Preparedness

What Organizations Need to Survive a Pandemic

5 Steps to Create an Emergency Remote-Work Plan

Tips for working from home effectively

5 Ways to Calm Coronavirus Fears Among Your Employees

15 Examples of How Companies Are Communicating with Customers About Coronavirus

The Delivery App Landscape Is Changing and Sustaining Businesses During COVID-19

10 Ideas for Making Your Video Meetings More Productive

5 Video Marketing Tools for Small Businesses

Newly Remote Workforce? Take These 4 Cybersecurity Steps Now

Protecting Against Cyberattacks: What Small Businesses Need to Know Now

How to Protect Your Organization from Coronavirus Cybersecurity Threats

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