Situation Report COVID-19 Updates | August 13, 2020
Our Community is Working Together in Creating a Safe and Clean Destination
Saint Paul is resilient and the Ready Together Pledge, created by Visit Saint Paul and its community partners, shows how committed we are in advocating for the safety and well-being of our residents and visitors. 

Sign Up for the Ready Together Pledge Today 
By taking the pledge, your business will be listed so visitors and customers can be made aware of your participation. You will also gain access to promotional resources and marketing tools communicating your pledge and commitment to public health.

BUSINESS ASSISTANCE FUNDS
 
Ramsey County: Ramsey County Small Business Relief Fund ($7M): Round 2 open through August 17, targeting self employed/sole proprietors, and small businesses with 20 employees or fewer. 

The application for We  St. Paul/Midway fund remains live. Please apply, and share with any businesses you know were impacted by the civil unrest: See Application here.

East Side Area Business Association (ESABA) has opened an assistance fund. East Side Business Assistance Fund – Donate or Request Help!


SBA is offering disaster assistance (low interest disaster loans) to businesses and residents of MN affected by civil unrest

See a complete list here.
 
#BusinessDoingGood

  • MHealth Fairview is hosting 2 Community Forums on COVID testing: August 19 and 20. The main purpose of these forums will be to share up-to-date information about COVID-19 testing including types of tests being used, who should be tested, understanding a test result, how and where to get tested, etc. There will also be time for questions & answers. If you have any questions or would like the Zoom link, please reach out to Emily Schmitz, Community Partnerships Manager
 
#BackToBusiness
  • Your St. Paul Saints are currently on the road taking on the Sioux Falls Canaries and the Milwaukee Milkmen. They will return to CHS Field on August 18 for a 3-game series with the Chicago Dogs. Each game will start at 7:05 PM. See more information HERE about how they are keeping CHS Field a safe place for FUN!
 
  • EO 20-83 issued Tuesday, August 12: extending the Peacetime Emergency through September 11, 2020
  • The Governor announced on Tuesday that MMB Commissioner Myron Frans, a 10-year veteran in the job, is leaving for a SVP position at the UofM. He will be replaced by Jim Schowalter, who was MMB Commissioner under Governor Dayton for a period and has extensive knowledge of the state budget. Schowalter, currently a SVP at HealthPartners, will make the transition in September.

  • Thursday, DEED Update
  • Currently 49 of the 50 states in the U.S. are under emergency status due to COVID-19.
  • Unemployment Insurance
  • President issued a presidential memorandum, intended to increase benefits by $400/week. This is unique, we are working with US DOL on what this exactly means and the source of funding within FEMA.
  • Estimates are that funding for such benefits should last for approximately 6 weeks.  
  • Funding from the feds really would be $300, requiring states to provide a $100/week match.
  • This funding is intended solely for UI due to COVID-19 related circumstances.
  • No state is ruling this out yet, but waiting on additional guidance from US DOL.
  • Small Business Relief Grants
  • $ has been awarded, now in the process with CDFIs and the nonprofits to verify eligibility. 
  • Working to get all $ distributed by end of month August.
  • When all eligibility is confirmed, DEED will be providing a list of awarded companies.
  • Disaster Declaration and assistance through SBA
  • Approximately 1600 or so businesses are eligible for disaster assistance through the SBA.
  • This declaration applies to both businesses and homes.
  • SBA has received 41 applications so far.
  • Must apply by October 2 for claims to physical property, and by May of 2021 for “economic injury.”

  • Wednesday, August 13, Administrative Updates: Commissioner Malcolm
  • Commissioner Malcolm reiterated that we remain in an “active pandemic.” 
  • Currently, 49 of 50 states are under emergency status due to COVID-19.
  • 7-day average case growth is up from our low in mid-June of 6 new cases per 100K residents. Now is at 12 cases per 100K people. 
  • Median age remains at 36.0 yo. 
  • 7-day average positivity rate is steady at 5%. This has remained steady since early July. Our lowest was 3% in mid-June, highest was over 15% in late April. 
  • Growth rate in total testing volume is 9.5%, continues to outpace growth of new cases which is 8.7% week to week.
  • As previously reported, school districts, teachers and parents are all busy determining how they will handle the school year and to what extent kids will be allowed to physically go to school. Sports fans in Minnesota and across the country are disappointed by the lack of fall sports that will take place, and schools are preparing to grapple with the financial hit of having their most profitable sports out of commission this fall. 


  • The Economics of Reopening From Bank of America Securities, August 12:  On the Mend, BUT: So far, the economic recovery continues to go sideways, with trends in small business reopening and hiring rates still stalled. Indeed, Homebase’s measure for small business reopening and employment has actually dropped slightly in the past week. Consumer spending appears to have slowed down in July, relative to June, and people’s mobility, tracked by the Dallas Federal Reserve, dropped to -45% in the week ending August 1 – its lowest reading since mid-June….


  • Civil unrest damage in St. Paul totals $82 million From the Star Tribune, August 12:  City officials say they don’t have enough money to help businesses recover from nearly $82 million in damage sustained during the civil unrest that followed George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police. About 330 buildings across the city sustained some damage, with most of the destruction along University Avenue, according to a report the city's Planning and Economic Development (PED) department presented to City Council members Wednesday. The financial toll includes about $73 million in property damage, plus $8.8 million in loss of inventory and other business assets.






  • Minnesota exports drop 17% because of the coronavirus From the Minneapolis Star Tribune, August 10: The COVID-19 pandemic has pummeled Minnesota exports, crushing big production sectors such as communications equipment and agricultural and construction machinery. Overall, government statistics show the state’s exports were down more than $339 million, or 17%, in June 2020 compared with June 2019.
 
Legislature:
  • Special Session #3: Legislature convened for 1 day on Wednesday. We can anticipate this continuing through the rest of 2020, requiring that the Legislature be called back on a monthly basis until then. 
  • Senate Republicans denied confirmation to DLI Commissioner Nancy Leppink on a party line vote of 32-34 (Sen Abeler, R, Anoka, did not vote. 
  • No votes were taken on a bonding bill though it is possible the Legislature may take up a bonding and ta bill when they reconvene in September.
 
COVID-19 update as of 8/14/2020 
Confirmed cases in Minnesota: 62,993
% Positives, last 7 days (as of 8/10): 5.4% (increase from last week)
Confirmed cases in U.S.: over 5.2M
Confirmed cases globally: over 20.7M
Cases requiring hospitalization: 5,742 (representing 9.1% of total) 
#s currently hospitalized: 308 (down from 320 on 8/10) 
#s no longer needing to be isolated: 56,346
#s tested: 1,203,559
Total deaths in Minnesota: 1,685 (1,263/75% cases in long term care or assisted living facilities) 
Total deaths in U.S.: over 166.7
Total deaths globally: over 751K
Cases in Counties represented: 
Hennepin County: 19,873 (842 deaths) 
Ramsey County: 7,827 (270 deaths) 
Dakota County: 4,610 (106 deaths) 
Washington County: 2,227 (48 deaths) 

 
Resources

Visit our events page for webinars and events and the Ramsey County Means Business page for information to help businesses navigate resources during this pandemic. If you need more personalized assistance, contact our Rapid Response Team to assist you in finding an answer.

Be safe and be well,

B
 
B Kyle
President/CEO
Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce