COVID-19 Tips from Michael Watson

Shelter-In-Place Order

Governor Reeves signed Executive Order 1466 on Wednesday, April 1, establishing a statewide shelter-in-place order to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in Mississippi. The order goes into effect at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 3, 2020 and shall remain in effect until 8 a.m. on Monday, April 20, 2020. The guidelines for the shelter-in-place are as follows:

• Individuals are to stay at home except for the limited allowances in the executive order.
• When outside of their homes, people must follow social distancing guidelines by maintaining a 6-foot distance from others and avoid groups of 10 or more.
• Evictions are suspended, though people are still required to pay any rent or make any mortgage payments.
• All nonessential businesses are to stop all activities other than those necessary for minimum operations (e.g. payroll, health insurance, security) and enabling employees to work from home.
• Social and other non-essential gatherings in groups of more than 10 people must be cancelled or rescheduled.
• Restaurants and bars may only remain open for drive-thru, curbside, and/or delivery service.
• People may leave their homes only to perform essential activities, such as caring for someone in the vulnerable population, getting food or necessary supplies, and working for an essential business.
  • Click here to read what qualifies as an “essential business”.
• Individual outdoor recreation is encouraged, but not group recreation or activities such as soccer or basketball games.

Click here to read the full Shelter-In-Place Executive Order.

Click here to view all COVID-19 related Executive Orders.

The CARES Act/Paycheck Protection Program

Congress recently passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which allocates $350 billion to assist small businesses affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), one of the largest sections of the CARES Act, will provide government-backed loans from private banks that can, in some cases, be converted to grants. Under this program:

• Eligible recipients may qualify for a loan up to $10 million determined by 8 weeks of prior average payroll plus an additional 25% of that amount.
• Loan payments will be deferred for six months.
• If you maintain your workforce, the SBA will forgive the portion of the loan proceeds that are used to cover the first 8 weeks of payroll and certain other expenses following loan origination.

Lenders may begin processing loan applications as soon as April 3, 2020. The Paycheck Protection Program will be available through June 30, 2020.

Click here to see if you qualify for a PPP loan.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs)

The CARES Act expands eligibility for the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs). In early March, the SBA’s disaster loan program extended to cover all small businesses affected by COVID-19, but the CARES Act opens this program up further and makes it easier to apply. Changes include the following:

• EIDLs are now also available to Tribal businesses, cooperatives, and ESOPs with fewer than 500 employees. They are also available to all non-profit organizations, including 501(c)(6)s, and to individuals operating as sole proprietors or independent contractors.
• EIDLs can be approved by the SBA based solely on an applicant’s credit score.
• EIDLs that are smaller than $200,000 can be approved without a personal guarantee.
• Borrowers can receive a $10,000 emergency grant cash advance that can be forgiven if spent on paid leave, maintaining payroll, increased costs due to supply chain disruption, mortgage or lease payments or repaying obligations that cannot be met due to revenue losses.

Click here to apply for an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan.

Price Gouging

The Attorney General’s Office received more than 200 calls related to price gouging on necessities, like hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, toilet paper, and water. The office received a few calls about extreme prices on personal protective equipment (PPE) as well. These allegations are disappointing and disrespectful to the first responders and healthcare professionals working tirelessly to protect the people of Mississippi. If you think you’ve seen price gouging, please do the following:

• Take a picture of the product or sign.
• Make sure the picture is dated and time-stamped.
• Email the picture to webpage@ago.ms.gov with a description of the location and your contact information.

For more information, call the Attorney General’s Office at (601) 359-3680.

The Mississippi Bar is experiencing an increase in spoofing/phishing emails. The most recent emails have been phishing scams trying to get individuals to send the scammers money and gift cards. Please remain vigilant as scammers are trying to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you receive a spoofing/phishing email, please delete it immediately.

Court Operations Update

The Mississippi Bar received an update from the U.S. District Court- Southern District of Mississippi. Special Order #2 was entered on Tuesday, March 31 by Chief Judge Daniel P. Jordan III concerning continuing efforts to combat and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to view the order.