COVID-19 Update No. 1, 3/23

March 23, 2020

I wanted to pass along this press release from the Department of Agriculture regarding Governor Ned Lamont Executive Order 7H, essential business.

CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
EXECUTIVE ORDER 7H - ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES

(HARTFORD, CT) - On March 20, 2020, The Governor issued Executive Order 7H, directing all businesses and nonprofit entities in the State of Connecticut to utilize, to the maximum extent possible, any telecommuting or work from home procedures that they can safely employ.

That order also directed that, no later than March 23, 2020 at 8 p.m., each non-essential business or nonprofit entity (and therefore not including or applicable to any state or local government agencies, quasi-public agencies, political subdivisions or other entities that do not constitute businesses or nonprofits) shall reduce the in-person workforce at each business location by 100% from pre-state of emergency declaration employment levels.

Executive Order 7H authorized the Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development (“DECD”) to provide legally binding guidance about which businesses are essential.

Pursuant to that directive, Connecticut Department of Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt is sharing the business exemption guidance issued by DECD, clarifying which food and agriculture businesses and related services are deemed essential.

"Maintaining operations of food and agriculture are essential to keeping our residents fed and healthy during this time," Commissioner Hurlburt said. "We recognize that this is an unprecedented time and appreciate the efforts of our small businesses and their employees. Our staff is working diligently to ensure public and animal health needs are met. We continue to strongly recommend that businesses, consumers and the public adhere to social distancing measures and best health practices to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”

Per the executive order and guidance document, businesses and organizations that provide food for disadvantaged populations, veterinary services, food processing, agriculture, livestock, feed mills, and warehousing should all continue to operate, but with every precaution to maintain social distancing. Below is a complete list of Department of Agriculture’s regulated communities deemed essential businesses.

For purposes of Executive Order 7H, “essential business,” means:

Essential workers in the 16 Critical Infrastructure Sectors, as defined by the federal Department of Homeland Security unless otherwise addressed in a prior or future executive order pertaining to the existing declared public health and civil preparedness emergency.

Essential Food and agriculture businesses, including:

  • farms and farmer’s markets
  • food banks
  • food manufacturing, processing, storage, and distribution facilities
  • nurseries, garden centers, and agriculture supply stores
  • restaurants/bars (provided compliance with all applicable executive orders is maintained)
  • all manufacturing and corresponding supply chains, including agriculture
  • animal shelters or animal care or management, including boarding, grooming, pet walking and pet sitting

Essential businesses for continuity of commerce:

  • commercial trucking
  • utilities including power generation, fuel supply, and transmission
  • grocery stores including all food and beverage retailers
  • hardware, paint, and building material stores, including home appliance sales/repair
  • liquor/package stores and manufacturer permittees
  • pet and pet supply stores
  • warehouse/distribution, shipping, and fulfillment

Businesses essential to agriculture business:

  • research and laboratory services, including testing and treatment of COVID-19
  • veterinary and animal health services
  • accounting and payroll services
  • critical operations support for financial institutions
  • financial advisors
  • financial institutions, including banks, credit unions, and check cashing services
  • all skilled trades such as electricians, HVAC, and plumbers
  • general construction, both commercial and residential
  • pest control services

  1. In case you want to file exemption and be an essential biz
  2. GUIDANCE ON "ESSENTIAL BUSINESS"
    Since Executive Order 7H was issued on Friday by Governor Lamont, I've received dozens of questions about which businesses will be deemed "essential" and, therefore, allowed to remain open after Monday, Marcy 23rd. Official guidance from the administration was just released. I've excerpted it below but you can find the full guidelines here. If you have additional questions please let me know.

    For purposes of Executive Order 7H, “essential business,” means:

    1. Essential workers in the 16 Critical Infrastructure Sectors, as defined by the federal Department of Homeland Security unless otherwise addressed in a prior or future executive order pertaining to the existing declared public health and civil preparedness emergency.
    2. Healthcare and related operations including:
      • biotechnology therapies
      • consumer health products and services
      • doctor and dentist offices
      • elder care, including adult day care
      • health care plans and health care data
      • home health care workers or aides
      • hospitals
    3. manufacturing, distributing, warehousing, and supplying of pharmaceuticals, including
      • research and development
      • medical marijuana dispensaries and producers
    4. medical supplies and equipment providers, including
      • devices, diagnostics, services, and any other healthcare related supplies or services
      • medical wholesale and distribution
      • nursing homes, or residential health care facilities or congregate care facilities
      • pharmacies
      • physical therapy and chiropractic offices
      • research and laboratory services, including testing and treatment of COVID-19
      • veterinary and animal health services
      • walk-in-care health facilities
  3. Infrastructure including
    • airports/airlines
    • commercial trucking
    • dam maintenance and support
    • education-related functions at the primary, secondary, or higher education level to provide support for students, including distribution of meals or faculty conducting e-learning
    • hotels and other places of accommodation
    • water and wastewater operations, systems, and businesses
    • telecommunications and data centers
    • transportation infrastructure including bus, rail, for-hire vehicles and vehicle rentals, and garages
    • utilities including power generation, fuel supply, and transmission
       
  4. All manufacturing and corresponding supply chains, including aerospace, agriculture, and related support businesses
     
  5. Retail including
    • appliances, electronics, computers, and telecom equipment
    • big-box stores or wholesale clubs, provided they also sell groceries, consumer health products, or operate a pharmacy
    • convenience stores
    • gas stations
    • grocery stores including all food and beverage retailers
    • guns and ammunition
    • hardware, paint, and building material stores, including home appliance sales/repair
    • liquor/package stores and manufacturer permittees
    • pharmacies
    • pet and pet supply stores
       
  6. Food and agriculture, including
    • farms and farmer’s markets
    • food manufacturing, processing, storage, and distribution facilities
    • nurseries, garden centers, and agriculture supply stores
    • restaurants/bars (provided compliance with all applicable executive orders is maintained)
       
  7. Services including
    • accounting and payroll services
    • animal shelters or animal care or management, including boarding, grooming, pet
    • walking and pet sitting
    • auto supply, repair, towing, and service, including roadside assistance
    • bicycle repair and service
    • building cleaning and maintenance
    • child care services
    • critical operations support for financial institutions
    • financial advisors
    • financial institutions, including banks, credit unions, and check cashing services
    • funeral homes, crematoriums, and cemeteries
    • insurance companies
    • laundromats/dry cleaning
    • legal and accounting services
    • mail and shipping services
    • marinas and marine repair and service
    • news and media
    • real estate transactions and related services, including residential leasing and renting
    • religious services (subject to Executive Order 7D limiting gatherings to 50 people)
    • storage for Essential Businesses
    • trash and recycling collection, hauling, and processing
    • warehouse/distribution, shipping, and fulfillment
       
  8. Providers of basic necessities to economically disadvantaged populations including
    1. food banks
    2. homeless shelters and congregate care facilities
    3. human services providers whose function includes the direct care of patients in state-
    4. licensed or funded voluntary programs; the care, protection, custody and oversight of individuals both in the community and in state-licensed residential facilities; those operating community shelters and other critical human services agencies providing direct care or support social service agencies
       
  9. Construction including
    • all skilled trades such as electricians, HVAC, and plumbers
    • general construction, both commercial and residential
    • other related construction firms and professionals for essential infrastructure or for emergency repair and safety purposes
    • planning, engineering, design, bridge inspection, and other construction support activities
       
  10. Services necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation and essential operations of all residences and other buildings (including services necessary to secure and maintain non- essential workplaces)
    • building cleaners or janitors
    • building code enforcement
    • disinfection
    • doormen
    • emergency management and response
    • fire prevention and response
    • general maintenance whether employed by the entity directly or a vendor
    • home-related services, including real estate transactions, closings, appraisals, and moving services
    • landscaping services
    • law enforcement
    • outdoor maintenance, including pool service
    • pest control services
    • security and maintenance, including steps reasonably necessary to secure and maintain non-essential businesses
    • state marshals
       
  11. Vendors that provide essential services or products, including logistics and technology support, child care, and services needed to ensure the continuing operation of government agencies and provide for the health, safety and welfare of the public including
    • billboard leasing and maintenance
    • child care services
    • essential government services
    • government owned or leased buildings
    • information technology and information security
    • logistics
    • technology support
       
  12. Defense
    • defense and national security-related business and operations supporting the U.S. Government or a contractor to the US government

If the function of your business is not listed above, but you believe that it is essential or it is an entity providing essential services or functions, you may request designation as an Essential Business.

The Credit Union League of Connecticut is here to help and provide some relief during this critical time and is offering the following information for consumers.

1. A Statement from the Credit Union League of CT on Credits Unions and COVID-19

“As Connecticut endures the wide-ranging effects of the public health crisis created by Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) and as each of our residents finds their lives disrupted in many different ways, the state’s credit unions have already stepped up to help consumers of financial services in comprehensive and compassionate ways. Our credit unions are providing flexible relief such as:

  • Allowing certain payments to be skipped for up to three months;
  • Waiving various transaction and account fees;
  • Making emergency relief loans;
  • Providing payday loan alternatives;
  • Permitting no penalty early withdrawals on CDs; and,
  • Contributing to community organizations that help fellow citizens in need.

Connecticut credit unions take the time to learn and understand the needs of each individual, so they can tailor the support on a case by case basis. This individualized approach leverages the total impact that will get more help exactly where it will do the most good for the most people. Thus, a ‘one size fits all’ approach is inefficient and less effective.

We remain in close contact and are working with Governor Lamont, DECD and state leaders for further developments, and we look forward to working together on more solutions going forward.

Connecticut’s credit unions are with our members and we stand ready to work with everyone who needs help throughout this crisis whether or not they are a credit union member.

2. Policy Statement Regarding Potential Forced Mortgage Payment Moratoriums.
Issued: March 20, 2020

Core Principles

The Credit Union League of Connecticut represents Connecticut’s nearly 100 credit unions and their almost 1 million member-customers. Credit unions are not-for-profit financial cooperatives, democratically governed by volunteer boards of directors. They exist to serve their members because they are governed by their members. Credit unions are embedded deep in their communities; for example, some of our smallest credit unions are located in church basements while others specifically serve essential services such as fire, police, and healthcare personnel.

Credit union profits, if any, are given back to the members in the form of higher interest rates, lower rates on loans or used to provide the members exactly the products or services they want. A typical credit union refrain is “people helping people.” To answer that call, credit unions develop deep knowledge of their members and carefully balance the interests of the individual member with those of their total membership.

Policy

Therefore, due to the not-for-profit structure and unique ability of credit unions to serve the particular needs of each member, they can tailor the support on a case by case basis, and increase the total impact to get more help exactly where it will do the most good for the most people. A ‘one size fits all’ approach is inefficient, less effective, and we are unable to support any plan that forces financial institutions to waive or delay payments indiscriminately.

3.The following is a current and contemplated sample list of Connecticut credit union responses to the COVID-19 Crisis
Connecticut State Employees CU

Current: One-month deferral or skip a payment for borrowers with a hardship or loss of income.

Contemplated: Probably more to come as we will work with borrowers and restructure their debt.

American Eagle Financial CU

Current:

For all:

  • Flexible payments and fee waivers. 0% Interest Short-Term Bridge Loan, 12-month term up to $5,000. First payment due 90 days from origination.
  • Credit Card Balance Transfer: Transferring balances from higher rate credit cards helps to reduce monthly expenses. 0% introductory APR (Annual Percentage Rate) for 12 months on balance transfers made through May 31, 2020.

For existing members:

  • Payment Deferral: Free payment skips for up to 3 months available for existing AEFCU fixed rate Home Equity Loans, Auto Loans and Personal Loans.

Mortgage payments: Existing AEFCU Mortgages eligible for forbearance up to 3 months.

  • Credit Card Payment Skips: Qualified, existing AEFCU Visa Credit Card holders will have no payments due for the months of April and May. Upon receipt of statements, card holders will see $0 for payment due, but will also have visibility to what their payment would have been should they not wish to take advantage of this option.
  • Fee Waivers for Credit and Debit Card Replacements: Rush fees for replacement AEFCU Credit and Debit Cards are being automatically waived effective immediately.
  • ATM Fee waivers: Withdrawal fee, ATM inquiry fee using ATMs at other financial institutions are waived effective immediately.
  • Credit card balance transfers: 0% APR for 12 Billing Cycles: reduce monthly expenses by transferring balances from higher rate credit cards.
  • More Funds Available at Time of Deposit: Funds available have been increased from $200 to $500 for all deposit channels including branch, ATM, or Remote Deposit Capture (RDC) via Mobile App.
  • Increase of the Overdraft Privilege (ODP) De Minimus Amount: Minimum allowance on checking account overdrafts increased from $10.00 to $50.00 for members who are close to overdrawing their account.

Community response:

  • AEFCU Donated $10,000 to Help Feed Children During School Shutdowns: American Eagle Financial Credit Union made two donations of $5,000 each to help provide meals to children in Hartford, Tolland, and New Haven counties who have been displaced from school due to COVID-19, the Coronavirus. AEFCU has directed the funds to Foodshare in Bloomfield and Connecticut Food Bank in Wallingford.
  • AEFCU’s First Cash Back to the Community Program - Voting Begins: AEFCU’s new program, Cash Back to the Community, was created to partner with our members and public to support our community – and our community needs us more than ever now.

Please click the image below for help with your financial needs.