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Disclaimer: we are doing our best to ensure this information is accurate and up-to-date, but many things about our situation are unclear and rapidly changing, so please bear that in mind.

State of California

The State of California has put up a website to share information and resources related to the coronavirus pandemic: https://covid19.ca.gov/

On Thursday, March 19th, California Governor Gavin Newsome issued a statewide order to stay home.

State and Federal Tax Information

Because of the pandemic, the deadline to file both California and federal taxes has been pushed back to July 15th .

For more information on taxes, see the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS's) webpage on coronavirus.

Counties

On Monday, March 16th, the following counties issued “shelter-in-place” orders to last through Tuesday, April 7th.
  1. Alameda
  2. Contra Costa
  3. Marin
  4.  San Francisco
  5.  San Mateo
  6. Santa Clara
Santa Clara County Public Health has posted an  FAQ about the shelter-in-place order that is available in English, Español, Tiếng Việt, 中文, and Tagalog (pilipino).

Since then
  1. Monterey,
  2. Santa Cruz, and
  3.  Sonoma counties
have also issued “shelter-in-place" orders. These orders are also called “shelter-at-home.”

If you live in any of these counties, you should stay home unless you need to do an “essential activity” or do work that is considered essential.

Essential

Essential Activities
  • Getting medicine and seeing a doctor
  • Getting food
  • Walking, hiking, or running outside (just make sure you stay six feet away from other people)
  • Caring for family members (including pets!) or other people who are vulnerable
Essential Businesses
  • Pharmacies and hospitals
  • Grocery stores and convenience stories
  • Newspapers, TV, radio, and other news and media services
  • Gas stations and auto repair
  • Garbage collection
  • Banks
  • Laundromats

Public Health Links By County

City of San José

On Wednesday, March 18th, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo announced Silicon Valley Strong, a new initiative to coordinate local information and resources.

The website for Silicon Valley Strong is also available in Español and tiếng Việt.

The 2020 Census

The census counts every person living in the United States. It happens only once every ten years, and it's happening right now! It's important because it affects political representation and funding (power and money) for the next decade.

You can complete the census online or through the mail. The census only asks a few questions, and the Census Bureau is required by law to keep your information private and confidential.

Santa Clara County has published a webpage explaining what the census is and why it's important for our region. Because of coronavirus and shelter-in-place, many outreach events to promote the census have been cancelled, so it's extra important that you fill out the census for your household and reach out to your communities and encourage them to do the same.

For more information on what the census is and why it's important, check out this podcast episode.

San Andreas Regional Center (SARC)

SARC has put up a webpage dedicated to coronavirus information and resources.

Because of the shelter-in-place orders, SARC workers are working remotely from their homes until Tuesday April 7th .

On March 16th, SARC published a letter that outlines which services count as essential for persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities. These essential services will continue to run during the shelter-in-place order. People who work for these services are allowed to leave their homes to go work:
  • Residential care facilities (group homes)
  • Supported living services (SLS)
  • Independent living services (ILS) for people who live on their own
Services that are non-essential include:
  • Day programs
  • Caregiver relief services
These programs should not continue serving people in person during the shelter-in-place order. Clients and employees of these programs should stay home.

However, the California State Department of Developmental Services has authorized “regional centers to pay vendors for absences that are a direct result of the COVID-19 outbreak.”

For more information, see SARC’s webpage dedicated to coronavirus and ask your manager.


Hope Services

Social Distancing Order For All Hope locations
April 1, 2020
This Notice expands and clarifies the list of social distancing requirements to be adhered to in the workplace:
  • Only essential staff are permitted on premises, and by approved schedule to keep staffing to a minimum. 
  • Every individual must maintain at least six-foot social distancing from other individuals who are at the same worksite, except for members of the same household and personal caregivers in the home.
  • Continue to frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using hand sanitizer
  • Cover cough and sneezes with a tissue or fabric or, it that’s not possible, coughing or sneezing into your sleeve or elbow (not into your hands)
  • Avoid social interactions outside your home to prevent possible transmission at work locations.
  • Remain at home when sick with a fever or cough.
  • These social distancing requirements are mandatory, except between members of the same family or living unit. Everyone must strictly comply with the social distancing requirements when they are not in their home unless specified otherwise. Exceptions are for activities where strict social distancing is impossible or inadvisable, such as:
  • When providing client care or necessary supports; 
  • When the work of the essential business functions, or provision of minimum basic operations requires some amount of closer contact;
  • When providing essential transportation when strict compliance is impossible.

Stay Home or Go to Work?
Because of the shelter-in-place orders, you should stay home unless your work is considered essential. Some of Hope’s programs are considered essential, such as Supported Living Services (SLS). However, many of Hope’s programs (including all day programs) are not considered essential, and clients and staff for these programs should stay home while shelter-in-place continues.

If you work for a program that is non-essential (like EMCC) and you want to work outside your home, check with you manager. You may be able to temporarily work for an essential program like SLS. Some managers may offer in-person work hours for tasks that are different than the direct services you usually provide. They will likely announce or request this in email.

Opportunities to Work from Home 
  • If your program is closed, check with your supervisor — you may be able to work from home.
  • In addition to paid hours for training, you may be allowed to do wellness checks (call clients on your caseload, see how they’re doing, and document it).

Sick Leave & Paid Time Off (PTO)
During shelter-in-place, you can stay home and use paid sick time even if you’re not sick.
  • Do you have kids who are home because of coronavirus? You can use paid sick time to stay home and care for them.
  • Have you used up all of your paid sick days? You can take up to 15 more days of paid sick leave that count as negative sick time. If you quit Hope and have negative sick time, you may have that time deducted from your final paycheck.
Unemployment, Disability, & Paid Family Leave (PFL) Benefits
If you can’t work because of coronavirus, you may be eligible for unemployment, disability, and paid family leave (PFL) benefits from California State’s Employment Development Department (EDD). For more information on unemployment, disability, and paid family leave, check out EDD’s webpage on coronavirus:https://edd.ca.gov/about_edd/coronavirus-2019.htm


Unemployment Insurance
If you can’t work because your kids are home because of coronavirus and you need to care for them, you may be able to get unemployment insurance benefits. Visit EDD’s website to see if you’re eligible and file a claim.

If you can’t work as many hours as you usually do because of coronavirus, you can file for unemployment insurance.

Please note, if you are receiving paid sick leave or paid family leave, there is a chance that you may not qualify for unemployment insurance. This is somewhat unclear to us.

Disability Insurance

Are you quarantined because you got exposed to coronavirus? If a doctor can certify that, you can also file for disability insurance.

Paid Family Leave
If someone in your family has coronavirus and you’re caring for them, you can file for Paid Family Leave (PFL).

Is someone in your family quarantined because they were exposed to coronavirus? If a doctor can certify that and if you’re caring for them, you can also file for PFL.

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