FEMA Advisory: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Daily Briefing Points (April 4, 2020)

FEMA ADVISORY – April 4, 2020                                                                         

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic:

Attached you will find today’s FEMA Daily Briefing Points for the Whole-of-America response to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These briefing points include Topline Messages, as well as information associated with FEMA and Department of Health and Human Services Response; FEMA Disaster Response Capacity; Federal Funding of National Guard (Title 32); Community-Based Testing Sites; Strategic National Stockpile; FDA Ventilator Guidance; CDC Respirator Guidance; Defense Production Act; Guidance from Federal Agencies; CDC Public Guidance; Coping With Stress; Combating Disinformation and Rumors; and How To Help.

Topline messaging includes the following:

  • Under the direction of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, FEMA, HHS and our federal partners are working with state, local, tribal and territorial governments to execute a whole-of-America response to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and protect the public.
  • The number one priority is the health and safety of the American people.
  • On March 31, the president extended the nation’s Slow the Spread campaign until April 30.
    • The American people play a key role in the campaign to help slow the virus’ spread and keep our most high-risk populations safe. 
    • The initiative presents the entire country with an opportunity to implement actions designed to slow and limit the spread of COVID-19, like staying home as much as much as possible, canceling or postponing gatherings of more than 10 people, and taking additional steps to distance yourself from other people. 
    • On April 3, CDC issued a recommendation to the public to use cloth face coverings in community settings to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by people are infected and do not know it.
    • For the latest updates and information on how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you are sick is available at www.coronavirus.gov.
  • On April 3, the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program began offering nearly $350 billion in loans to small businesses.
    • If an employer maintains their workforce, the SBA will forgive the portion of the loan used to cover the first 8 weeks of payroll and certain other expenses.
    • In addition to its traditional loan programs, the SBA is also providing Economic Injury Disaster Loans and forgiveness for up to six months of new and existing loans.
  • FEMA is expediting movement of critical supplies from the global market to medical distributors in various locations across the U.S.
    • FEMA continues to coordinate an air bridge for flights from Asia.  The first flight landed Sunday, March 29, and delivered 80 tons of much needed PPE supplies to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
    • Additional flights landed in Chicago on March 30, Miami on March 31, Los Angeles on April 1, and Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, on April 3.  FEMA has more flights scheduled and is adding more daily.
    • Each flight contains critical personal protective equipment (PPE), to include gloves, gowns, goggles, and masks in varying quantities. FEMA does not have detailed visibility on the amount of PPE until the flights are loaded overseas.
    • Overseas flights are arriving at airports that are operational hubs. They are not indicators that the supplies will be distributed in those locations.  All supplies are national supplies and will be distributed to hot spots and through the vendors regular supply chain to locations across the country.
    • Upon arrival, PPE is provided, in varying quantities, first to medical distributors in areas of greatest need; then, the remainder will be infused into the broader U.S. supply chain. Prioritization will be given to hospitals, health care facilities, and nursing homes around the country.
  • Given the scarcity of the ventilators in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) and the current capacity of the private sector to meet the demand, the federal government has adopted a process to manage federal ventilator resources to ensure the ventilators are shipped to the states in the amount needed to manage the immediate crisis.
    • At present, the federal government has 9,800 total ventilators available, which includes 9,054 in the Strategic National Stockpile and 900 available from the Department of Defense.
    • To submit a request, states and tribes will work through their FEMA/ HHS regional leadership.
  • As of April 3, FEMA and HHS have delivered ventilators from the Strategic National Stockpile to California (170), Connecticut (50), Illinois (450), Louisiana (150), Maryland (120), Michigan (400), New Jersey (850), New York (4,400), Oregon (140) and Washington (500).
    • Additional allocations in process include a 250 bed Federal Medical Station, a Public Health strike team and 300 ventilators for Michigan; a 50 bed Federal Medical Station for the Metro DC area; 200 ventilators for Louisiana; and 100 ventilators for Massachusetts.
  • On April 3, CDC launched COVIDView, a weekly report that summarizes and interprets key indicators from a number of existing surveillance systems.
    • The report provides CDC expert summaries and interpretations of important and timely surveillance data to track the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
    • COVIDView includes information related to COVID-19 outpatient visits, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations and deaths, as well as laboratory data.
    • The report will be updated every Friday.
  • Forty states, four territories and 12 tribes have issued stay at home orders.

Contact Us

 

If you have any questions, please contact FEMA Office of External Affairs, Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs Division:

  • Congressional Affairs at (202) 646-4500 or at FEMA-Congressional-Affairs@fema.dhs.gov
  • Intergovernmental Affairs at (202) 646-3444 or at FEMA-IGA@fema.dhs.gov
  • Tribal Affairs at (202) 646-3444 or at FEMA-Tribal@fema.dhs.gov
  • Private Sector Engagement at (202) 646-3444 or at nbeoc@max.gov.

Follow Us

 

Follow FEMA on social media at: FEMA online, on Twitter @FEMA or @FEMAEspanol, on FEMA Facebook page or FEMA Espanol page and at FEMA YouTube channel.

 

Also, follow Administrator Pete Gaynor on Twitter @FEMA_Pete.

FEMA Mission

 

To help people before, during and after disasters.

 

Federal Emergency Management Agency Logo