THINGS TO KNOW – May 13, 2020

As of May 13, 2020. All information may change without prior notice. For corrections and additions to this list, send an email to editor@saipantribune.com or call 235-6397 or 235-2440.

FAQs: Employee Retention Credit under the CARES Act

The Employee Retention Credit under the CARES Act encourages businesses to keep employees on their payroll. The refundable tax credit is 50% of up to $10,000 in wages paid by an eligible employer whose business has been financially impacted by COVID-19. For details, go to https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/faqs-employee-retention-credit-under-the-cares-act.

Updated Government Resource listing

The CNMI government has issued an updated government resource listing as of May 11, 2020, which includes all government offices and agencies that are still operational and offering services to the public during the governor’s public health emergency. See Page 10 of today’s Saipan Tribune. For additional details, click on link at www.saipantribune.com.

How Trump admin is supporting the CNMI

The Trump administration outlines how it is supporting the people of the CNMI in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. For details, click on link at www.saipantribune.com.

USDA outlines telehealth service changes

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issues a summary of key service changes to increase the use of telehealth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These measures include allowing rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as “distant site” providers, increasing the types of services that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services can deliver via telehealth, and allowing certain telehealth services to be delivered to Medicare recipients by phone. For details, go to https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDARD/bulletins/289d418.

USDA RD takes steps to help

USDA Rural Development has taken a number of immediate actions to help rural residents, businesses and communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Rural Development will keep our customers, partners, and stakeholders continuously updated as more actions are taken to better serve rural America. Visit www.rd.usda.gov/coronavirus for more information. Or click on https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDARD/bulletins/2894700.

SBA Fact Sheet

The U.S. Small Business Administration has issued a “Fact Sheet for the CNMI” about the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. Read it by clicking on the link at www.saipantribune.com.

Commerce Department in operation

The CNMI Department of Commerce will continue to provide services to the CNMI business community via means of teleworking.
For direct support and services, the CNMI is advised to contact the support team via the department’s website at info@commerce.gov.mp and indicate the attention to the respective division or section for the appropriate services. See DOC advisory at the link at www.saipantribune.com.

FBI alert vs online scams

FBI issue an alert to the public to be on the lookout for scams that exploit the current COVID-19 pandemic. See FBI advisory at the link on www.saipantribune.com.

Process for mass testing

Mass testing for COVID-19 is ongoing at the Saipan International Airport. The test is free. People interested in being tested for COVID-19 can request for an appointment for specimen collection on the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. website at https://chcc.gov.mp/covid19testing.php or over the phone through the COVID-19 Info Line. For more information, see link at www.saipantribune.com.