LABEOC Update – 27 April 2020
Today at 4pm Central, Governor Edwards will make an important announcement about the COVID-19 Stay at Home order. Watch on https://www.gov.la.gov or https://www.facebook.com/LouisianaGov
As of noon (12:00 PM) today, Louisiana has 27,068 diagnosed cases, 1,601 deaths and 1,683 patients hospitalized (262 requiring ventilators)associated with the outbreak. Further data is available at www.ldh.la.gov/coronavirus.
Louisiana COVID-19 response strategic imperatives: Prevent spread of the virus, surge testing capacity, and surge contact tracing capability.
Reopening of Louisiana economy hinges on testing, tracking. Gov. John Bel Edwards’ decision on how quickly to loosen restrictions on Louisiana businesses amid the coronavirus outbreak hinges on two central capabilities, access to widespread testing and an ability to quickly track those who encounter someone infected with the virus. “That’s the key to reopening the economy without seeing cases surge,” the Democratic governor says. https://www.businessreport.com/newsletters/reopening-of-louisiana-economy-hinges-on-testing-tracking
OPEN BIDS – all can be found on LaPAC at https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/srchopen.cfm?deptno=all&catno=all&dateStart=4%2F27%2F2020&dateEnd=5%2F30%2F2020&compareDate=O&keywords=&keywordsCheck=all
- PPE & SANITIZER. See GOHSEP-RFQ-18, closes 28 April, 1200 CST
- MEDICAL SUPPLIES. LDH-RFQ-10, closes 28 April 10am CST
SEVERE WEATHER ALERT. A line of severe thunderstorms will move into the region beginning Tuesday night from the northwest and crossing the state into Wednesday, bringing the threat for damaging winds, hail, isolated tornadoes, and heavy rainfall which may lead to localized flooding.
Army Research Shows How Do-It-Yourself Facemasks Can Be as Safe as N95s. Shortages of facemasks have many people making their own-not just grocery shoppers and Pentagon staff, but even medical professionals in coronavirus-wracked hospitals. Scientists with the Army Research Lab, working with a Massachusetts hospital, have figured out the best easy-to-find materials for making homemade masks: a layer of absorbent cloth combined with a water-repelling fabric, preferably one treated with Scotchgard. https://www.routefifty.com/health-human-services/2020/04/army-research-shows-how-do-it-yourself-facemasks-can-be-safe-n95s/164913/
Oil Prices / Overstock: Oil slumped below $13 a barrel again as swelling global crude stockpiles made it more difficult for leading producers to balance the market by curbing output, Bloomberg reports. Futures in New York slid as much as 24%, snapping a four-day gain. While U.S. drilling is sliding and Saudi Arabia has started reducing output ahead of the start date for OPEC+ supply cuts, an immense glut of oil means storage tanks are close to capacity around the world. Read the full story.
PPP application portal reopens today; here’s what borrowers, lenders need to know. The Paycheck Protection Program portal reopened today at 10:30 a.m. with updated guidelines for borrowers and lenders. Congress on Friday replenished the PPP with more than $300 billion after the program ran out of its initial $350 billion funding in less than two weeks. Since then, several rules have changed. To stay up-to-date on the PPP, check out these frequently asked questions.
2020 NOAA/NHC Hurricane Resilience Webinar Series. With hurricane season quickly approaching, I wanted to share a series of upcoming webinars that will be available to you. You can view them from your home or at the office. This series will cover a variety of topics – all of which should be interesting. https://www.regions.noaa.gov/secar/index.php/noaa-secart-2020-hurricane-awareness-webinar-series/
Resilient Louisiana Commission. For information on Commissioners and Task Force Leaders for your business sector visit: https://www.opportunitylouisiana.com/resilientlouisiana
Private Sector PPE Exchange Network. The PPE Exchange is a simple to use Dashboard to connect private sector sellers with private sector buyers. The users enter their own information and update as needed. This dashboard is not for government contracting – it is designed for B2B only. You can join the Exchange Network here: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/ppeexchange
GNO Pivot Resource Database. The GNOpivot Resource Database was created to connect Louisiana businesses that are pivoting to serve our community’s immediate needs as a result of coronavirus. This at-a-glance resource page allows you to filter companies by their products or services. There is a wide range of companies included in the list, all offering something to assist in flattening the curve and sustaining our economy. Purchasing locally first helps our local economy, our neighbors and friends. Check here first for your immediate COVID-19 business needs. https://gnoinc.org/initiatives/coronavirus/resources/
LABEOC COVID Reset. Effective today, Monday, 27 April, LABEOC staff and GOHESP employees have been directed to return to their standard work shifts (40-hr/week). The only changes you should see to this will be the Daily Update will now be released shortly after the LDH published of the daily statewide statistics at 12 CST.
As always THANK YOU for your TREMENDOUS support of Louisiana.
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)
