DEMHS Region 5: PPE Rollout to Small Businesses

DEMHS Region 5: PPE Rollout to Small Businesses

Dear Municipal EMDs and CEOs:

The State of Connecticut has partnered with CBIA-CONNSTEP to assist in the distribution of donated surgical masks to eligible, essential small businesses with 50 employees or less. This email is to inform you that a distribution of surgical masks to eligible, essential small businesses will occur within DEMHS Region 5 on Thursday, April 30, 2020 between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM. These eligible, essential small businesses and their employees located within your municipalities are the backbone of our economies and these masks will help to ensure their continuity.

Supplies for eligible, essential small businesses will be distributed to designated municipal representatives at the established Region 5 Point of Distribution located at the following addresses:

• Northern Site

Goshen Fairgrounds
116 Old Middle St
Goshen, CT 06756

• Southern Site

Waterbury-Oxford Airport
300 Christian Street
Oxford, CT 06478

Each municipality in Region 5 will pick up their “community pack” on Thursday, April 30, 2020. This “community pack” will contain masks for eligible, essential businesses that requested them through the CBIA-CONNSTEP portal. Businesses must not be directed to the Regional Points of Distribution, they will be turned away. It will be the responsibility of each municipality to determine how these masks will be distributed to the businesses within their community; a distribution roster will be included in each business pack to assist the municipalities with this distribution.

We thank you for your continued partnership as we support all of our communities and stakeholders during the COVID-19 response and recovery phases. Healthcare workers and first responders continue to be a priority with our distribution strategy for varying types of PPE.

Please direct all questions to your DEMHS Region 5 Coordinator, John Field.

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Frequently Asked Questions:

What are eligible, essential small businesses?
Eligible, essential small businesses must have 50 employees or less with a need for surgical masks.
The list of essential businesses is available here: https://portal.ct.gov/DECD/Content/Coronavirus-Business-Recovery/Business-Exemptions-for-Coronavirus
Should all eligible, essential small businesses request masks?

Eligible, essential small businesses and employees that have limited contact with the public are strongly urged to create their own facemasks following CDC guidelines. We must ensure the limited supply of surgical masks is available to eligible, essential businesses that need them the most.

How many times can surgical masks be used?

The CDC recommends the preservation of necessary PPE by instituting extended use policies. Additionally, FEMA, recommends preservation methods to reduce, reuse and repurpose PPE. Both FEMA and CDC guidelines can be found here.

Is there a limit to the number of Surgical Masks that can be requested?

Eligible, essential small businesses must limit their total request to 2 surgical masks per employee. The maximum request should not exceed 100 masks.

How do eligible, essential small businesses make a request?
Eligible, essential small businesses can make a request on the CBIA-CONNSTEP Portal at the following link: https://www.ctcovidresponse.org/ct-smb-surgical-mask-requests. At this time, only surgical masks are available to eligible, essential small businesses.

Are healthcare workers and first responders receiving PPE?
Yes, healthcare workers and first responders continue to receive priority distributions of varying types of PPE as they are made available. First responders should continue to make resource requests through the local Emergency Management Director.

How often will this distribution to small businesses be occurring?
At this time, this is a one-time distribution of masks to eligible, essential small businesses in Connecticut.

Will every requestor receive masks?

Supplies are limited at this time; therefore, it is possible that not all requestors will receive the masks they request.