With businesses re-opened, and as schools across Pennsylvania consider how best to re-open, many business owners and leaders are looking for answers and support from the government at many levels. We spoke with Senator Katie Muth, the PA Senator for the 44th District in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We discussed how the State of PA is working to support businesses in Chester County and the greater Philadelphia area.

Links

• Senator Katie Muth’s website
• Senator Muth on Twitter: @senatormuth
• Matt Reimold of Victory Brewing Company talking about Victory’s customer survey
• Austin Morris, Jr., sharing about business insurance and COVID-19

Notes

Where does Sen. Muth get health information about COVID-19?

• General health information about COVID-19:
  • Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
  • Dr. David Rubin, MD, MSCE at CHOP
  • Pennsylvania State Dept. of Health
  • Dr. Rachel Levine, PA Secretary of Health
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC)

Challenges of Reopening in Pennsylvania

• Customers not following safety guidelines can cause problems for business owners
• Insurance coverage historically not cover pandemics; that has changed in a couple of states – Catch our conversation with Austin Morris, Jr., to learn more about insurance and COVID-19.
• Guaranteed paid sick leave in a time of health pandemic
• Employer-based health insurance when there is significant levels of unemployment

What is PA doing to ensure employee and customer safety in efforts to reopen the economy?

• In our conversation with the Victory Brewing Company, we learned about how Victory’s customers were concerned about how other customers would respond to health guidelines.
• Most steps from the State of PA have happened through Executive Order
• Enforcement of health guidelines around wearing masks can be very confusing
  • In the State of PA, 20% of non-compliance is 2 million people
  • We can legislate deterrence to behavior
  • Public “shame train” can help, but the State of PA needs to find ways to support good operators
• Working to address personal protection equipment (PPE) shortages in the state
  • PPE is not widely manufactured in the United States
  • The State is now working to encourage PA manufacturers to produce PPE
  • The State is working to have tests produced locally
  • The State is coordinating with tech companies to produce a contact tracing system
• 1/3 of countries across Pennsylvania are experiencing an increased positivity rate of COVID-19, including Chester County

How is the State of PA supporting working parents with school age children?

• That’s a work-in-progress at the state level
• Over 170 day care centers have closed since COVID-19 started
• There are real challenges in working from home and teaching