LABEOC Update – 4/7/2020

LABEOC Update – 7 April 2020

As of noon (12:00 PM) today, Louisiana has 16,284 diagnosed cases, 582 deaths and 1,996 patients hospitalized (519 requiring ventilators)associated with the outbreak. There have been 74,655 tests completed. All data is available at www.ldh.la.gov/coronavirus.

UPDATED Louisiana Procurement Guidance. There are procurement opportunities for supplies and services related to the COVID-19 event – the LABEOC cannot provide preference or shortcut state procurement. All vendors and sales must follow the guidelines provided below: The link below provides the bids (open/closed) on the State Procurement website. The list is filtered and sorted to make it as easy as possible and includes both the open bids and the bids that have already closed. The list is dynamic and is updated regularly as bids open and other bids close.
https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/dspBid.cfm?search=department&term=1&order=descending&sort=bidno

Vendor Guidance from Office of State Procurement:

Thank you for reaching out to the State of Louisiana. In order to best meet the many needs of Louisiana’s citizens at this challenging time, please access the LaGov vendor system to register as a vendor with the State of Louisiana. During the registration process, you will be able to select all of the commodities that your company is able to provide.

• The State of Louisiana will be issuing Request for Quotes (RFQs) through the Louisiana Procurement and Contract Network (LaPAC), our on-line electronic bid posting and notification system, for the supplies/services currently needed.
• LaPAC will automatically send an e-mail notification to all of the vendors registered for that specific commodity. You will then be able to submit your pricing and availability electronically. The state is continually issuing bids and LAPAC is the best way to stay aware of the latest.

For PPE requests (Please note these guidelines are for NON-government entities): In an effort to streamline that process, the state has developed the following protocols for you to seek the PPE and testing kits that you need:

• To the extent possible, please continue to use the vendor/supply chain you would normally to request such supplies. The recently established FEMA air bridge is pushing the bulk of supplies to distributors to engage the standard supply chain.
• LDH is keeping a list of unique vendors (as they become made known to us) on our website, and you may be able to receive supplies more quickly by purchasing from them directly. View List Here. If you wish to be added to this vendor list, please email [email protected] with detailed information about your resources.
• You can call the State Supply Hotline at 225-325-5900 to be put on our list as supplies become available. This line is open 8:00 am – 5:00 pm CST; 7 days a week. Please note these guidelines are for NON-government entities. Additionally, this is not a guarantee that you will receive PPE – we are prioritizing supplies that go out based on need, so you may receive some of your request, rather than the entire ask at once. We understand there are shortages of supplies everywhere across the state and the United States, so please be patient as we look to distribute our limited resources the best way we can.

FEMA Project Air Bridge update. The air bridge expedites movement of critical supplies, in varying quantities, from the global market to medical distributors in various locations across the U.S.

• The air bridge was created to reduce the time it takes for U.S. medical supply distributors to receive personal protective equipment and other critical supplies into the country for their respective customers.
• FEMA covers the cost to fly supplies into the U.S. from overseas factories, reducing shipment time from weeks to days.
• While FEMA schedules daily flights, it does not have detailed visibility on PPE amounts until the cargo is loaded.
• As of April 6, 13 flights have landed, containing critical personal protective equipment (PPE): gloves, gowns, goggles, and masks.
• Seven flights are scheduled to arrive today, 6 in Chicago and 1 in Los Angeles. This is the greatest number of air bridge flights in a single day since the start of the program.
• An additional 72 flights are scheduled over the next three weeks.
• Overseas flights arrive at operational hub airports for distribution to hotspots and nationwide locations through regular supply chains. Flight arrivals do not mean supplies will be distributed in the operational hub locations.
• Per agreements with distributors, 50 percent of supplies on each plane are for customers within the hotspot areas with most critical needs. The remaining 50 percent is fed into distributors’ normal supply chain to their customers in other areas nationwide.
• HHS and FEMA determine hotspot areas based on CDC data.

List of Curfews in Effect. See attachment for the current list of curfews in effect. Always refer to your Parish and municipal authorities for the most current information or questions.

Recommended Guidelines / Best Practices for a Safer Shopping Environment. These are the guidelines that the Louisiana Retail Association has established as community “best practices” and are suggesting that local governments consider when implementing or amending orders that impose operating restrictions on retailers. See attachment.

Zoom Cyber Warning. As individuals continue the transition to online Zoom meetings, the State’s ESF-17 Team strongly recommends everyone inform the individuals that could schedule Zoom meetings to take following steps to ensure your Zoom meetings are properly secured:

• Require passwords for all Zoom meetings
• Never post Zoom links over public platforms \ social media
• Set screensharing to “Host Only”
• Update Zoom all applications (iOS/MacOS/Windows10)
• Use the “Waiting Room” for Zoom meetings open to public participation
• A virtual staging area that stops your guests from joining until you’re ready for them.
• Meeting hosts can customize Waiting Room settings for additional control and personalization.
• If you become victim of a teleconference hijacking or “Zoombombing” please report the event to the State’s Cyber Crimes Unit (CCU) at Louisiana State Police Fusion Center: 1-800-434-8007 (or by email [email protected]) as soon as possible.

FEMA Job Opportunities. FEMA has full-time and intermittent positions available in a variety of fields open to the general public. Health and safety is FEMA’s first priority for both the nation and employees. Many positions are currently telework and/or office based. Visit USAJOBS.gov and FEMA Careers to see the job listings.

On a lighter note…..Athletes who qualified for the 2020 Olympic games will not need to requalify for the rescheduled 2021 games. https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/athletes-qualified-tokyo-games-spots-70027740

Did you know – Lafayette, Louisiana has had a gymnast represent the United States at the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic games.

Thank you again for your support of Louisiana & helping us flatten the curve & build our medical capacity! Hope every has an opportunity to enjoy Taco Tuesday!

Chris J. DeGuelle
LABEOC Director

The LA BEOC is designed and developed by the NIMSAT Institute under the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP)