Nice, warm day for today. Spend the morning getting paperwork together for any funding you may be seeking. Then get outside this afternoon to clear your head, breathe some fresh air and absorb some vitamin D. Recent studies show the virus does not survive well in sunny and humid conditions.
AVL Rocks – So yesterday we posted about the Burger Bar’s difficulties and that, in addition to selling hot dogs, they also started a GoFundMe campaign seeking to raise $10K. Since yesterday morning, people contributed another $1,000, increasing their total raised funds to $4,275. Hit their GoFundMe campaign page to make a contribution to save an Asheville institution.
PPP Update – The House approved a bill providing additional funding for PPP loans and EIDL from the SBA. It is expected that the President will sign it into law today, so get your paperwork together and get on the phone with your bank if you have not already applied.
PPP Loan Forgiveness – If you have or do receive a PPP loan, please read this article on how to ensure that your loan is forgiven.
NC Schools – There is a press conference later today with the Governor and Board of education officials, but it is plain that schools will not reopen considering the decisions announced by the Board yesterday. Here is the NC DPI one-pager explaining the new grading policy.
Unintended Consequences (Or Not) – While entirely foreseeable, the $600 extra unemployment benefit is creating a perverse incentive to people not to return to work. Another hurdle that small business will have to overcome once they are allowed to reopen.
One Of these Counties Is Not Like The Other – Just like NC is not NYC or even NY State, the Counties of NC are not all alike. Accordingly, if each State is allowed to address the pandemic the manner that best suits their situational realities, then why can’t NC Counties. Buncombe County has flattened the curve and, while the number of positive cases that have recovered is no longer provided by County Officials so we do not know how many positive cases in the County remain, we do know that a total of 3 have died. Unlike other County officials, however, Buncombe County officials do not seem to care about the difference here.
USA v. NC Job Loss – Many sources are pointing to the fact that 565 Americans have lost their job for every American death by COVID-19. In NC, 2,844 people have lost their job for every COVID-19 death. Before you call me heartless, you need to think about the real significance of the number of people losing their jobs. The real significance is found in the impact on the mental and physical health of the people that have lost their job. The failure of government officials to consider that impact is a mistake and, in its own right, heartless.