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RESTAURANTS ARE OPEN FOR INDOOR DINING!  

Specific questions and media requests related to COVID-19 should be directed to Marshall Weston at mweston@marylandrestaurants.com
ServSafe offers COVID-19 Precautions Training Videos in English and Spanish, free and available to anyone on-demand. View the classes available and register here.
Executive Orders and Government Guidance Documents
Resources for Reopening & Resuming Operations

Guidance from the Maryland Department of Health regarding Outdoor Seating
This guidance was provided to RAM this afternoon. We suggest that you contact your local health department for clarifications and answers to your questions. The information in today’s alert is what has been provided to us, and we are unable to provide any further interpretive guidance. Each county is permitted to act independently, therefore your local health department will be the best place for answers.
COVID-19 Food Safety FAQs (updated 7/7/2020)

County by County list of Outdoor Seating requirements
This document has been compiled by RAM and is the best information we have at this time and should be considered subject to change. Some jurisdictions are still working on and clarifying their policies. We will send updates of this document as necessary.
County Breakdown for Outdoor Dining Reopening

Employee Health Screening Questions
These questions have been provided by the Maryland Department of Health and should be used for all employees prior to their shift.
Health Screening Questions

Testing Sites & Response to a COVID-19 Positive Employee
The Restaurant Law Center have created these documents which outline what restaurant operators should do in the event of an employee testing positive for COVID-19. They address what to do if an employee is sick as well as what to do for employees who were exposed but are asymptomatic, and includes relevant links from the CDC, EEOC, or OSHA for additional guidance. 
COVID-19 Testing Sites
Guidance for Restaurants Responding to a COVID-19 Positive Employee
On-Premises Workplace Infection Control Practices 

Notice of Recall for Employees
As reopening begins, you may use the following Notice of Recall template to contact your employees prior to scheduling shifts so that they may declare their intention to return to work.
Notice of Recall template

Ensuring Physical Distancing Compliance
Restaurants and bars should use signage, distance markings, directional signs/markings, barriers/partitions, or other effective controls to maintain required physical distancing. Such controls should also be used at entrances to indoor areas for restroom use, carryout and delivery pickups. If feasible, consider exits that are separate from entrances. RAM suggests that designated employees be used as needed to help ensure compliance and monitor. You should develop processes and policies for compliance, and you should also communicate such on your website and/or social media so that customers know what to expect.
CDC Signage Resources and Print your own Signs

The following checklists, provided by Ecolab, can be used to ensure operational readiness in foodservice establishments upon reopening:  ​

SBA and Treasury Release Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application
The form and instructions inform borrowers how to apply for forgiveness of their PPP loans, consistent with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).  SBA will also soon issue regulations and guidance to further assist borrowers as they complete their applications, and to provide lenders with guidance on their responsibilities. The PPP was created by the CARES Act to provide forgivable loans to eligible small businesses to keep American workers on the payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The documents released today will help small businesses seek forgiveness at the conclusion of the eight-week covered period, which begins with the disbursement of their loans.

PPP LOAN FORGIVENESS APPLICATION FORM 3508EZ  (Revised June 16, 2020)

Workers' Compensation Insurance Alert
For those restaurants that have secured PPP funding The National Council on Compensation Insurance has released guidance for carriers that allows the exclusion of payroll from workers compensation premium calculations when the workers are being paid but not actually working. This is especially important when an employee may be working part time but the employer is paying full time wages, as some are doing absent federal government funding. The onus of wage separation is on the policyholder. The audit instructions attachment provides guidance.


Face Masks and Face Coverings - required beginning April 18, 2020
Governor Hogan's Executive Order will require all restaurant employees who "interact with customers" to wear a mask or face covering. Local health departments are permitted to require a more restrictive standard and many are requiring all employees to wear a face covering. Check with your local health department for their guidance and requirements. Make your own cloth face coverings and do not purchase N95 masks - they are needed by medical professionals.  Many RAM Allied Members also have masks available for purchase.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)
In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, small business owners in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories are eligible to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance of up to $10,000. The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing. The loan advance will provide economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. Funds will be made available within three days of a successful application, and this loan advance will not have to be repaid.

https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options

EIDL Summary - created by the National Restaurant Association 

Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC)
The tax credit provides all businesses with a refundable payroll tax credit for 50% of wages paid by employers to employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employers with 100 or fewer employees may claim the credit for all employee wages, regardless of whether the employer is fully operating or partially or fully shut down. Companies with more than 100 employees may claim the credit for employees who are on the payroll but not currently working due to the crisis. The credit is provided for the first $10,000 of compensation, including health benefits, paid to an employee for wages paid from 3/13/2020 through 12/31/2020.
 
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/faqs-employee-retention-credit-under-the-cares-act

ERTC Summary - created by the National Restaurant Association

Resources for Restaurant Owners
RAM Resources for Restaurant Employees
Operational & Marketing Tools for Restaurants
The companies and products listed below are not endorsed by RAM.  However, they are resources that may be relevant to your business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 16, 2020 RAM Statement
March 20, 2020 Restaurant Letter to Governor Hogan
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) – Coronavirus (COVID-19) page
Governor Hogan’s Executive Orders