Please note, new resources are no longer being added to this page. If you are looking for a specific resource, please check the following new resource webpages to help keep you informed. For additional information, please contact Chandler Owdom. 

Coronavirus Government Assistance Programs Information Webpage

Recent updates on this page include:

• SBA PPP report on approvals
• SBA procedural notice addressing second-draw loans, including a 7(a) notice, 504 fee notice and borrower assistance notice
• SBA points of contact information
• VBA Partner Resources, including free resources from VBA Endorsed Provider Compliance Alliance for all VBA members (regardless of Compliance Alliance membership)

Workplace Resources for the COVID-19 Pandemic Webpage

Recent updates, information and resources on this page include:

• Virginia Department of Labor & Industry’s Final Permanent Workplace Standards (effective January 27, 2021)
• COVID-19 Vaccine Information from the VA Dept. of Health and VAMS
• Information from a Recent VBA Update on Governor’s Revised Executive Order on COVID-19

DOLI Emergency Temporary Standard Information and Resources

August 6th call information and resources

Thank you to those of you who could join us for the August 6th call to discuss the new Virginia Department of Labor & Industry (DOLI) Workplace Emergency Temporary Standards, 16 VAC 25-220. During this meeting, Scott Richter and David Burton joined us from Williams Mullen and provided an overview of the standards and what banks need to be aware of as employers. 

• The recording with audio transcript can be found here. The Q&A begins around minute 47. 
• Here is the PDF of David’s slides. 
• Here is the follow-up Q&A document. 

Overview of Technology Solutions for COVID-19 Self-symptom Checks From VBA Benefits Corp.

In response to several inquiries regarding the DOLI final Emergency Workplace Safety Standards and complying with the administration of employee self-symptom checks prior to entering the workplace, the VBA Benefits Corp. has gathered data on several technology platforms that allow employers to automate this process through an application. Please note that for banks that participate in the Anthem medical plan through the VBA Benefits Corp., there is an available solution at no cost to organizations. 

Overview of Technology Solutions for COVID-19 Self-symptom Checks

Additional Resources

• Here is the VA DoLI Outreach, Education and Training For the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard webpage. It has a lot of helpful information including FAQs, reporting recommendations, hazard assessments, compliance tools, and training tools that fill in some of the gaps in the regulation.

  • How to Report a Positive Case; VDH also has an email address for reporting cases on its website. It sends you a confirmation email back that your report has been received.
  • Lower Risk Level Information on Training
• Williams Mullen Resources:
  • David’s article, which we encourage you to read: Emergency Virginia Department of Labor and Industry Regulations Governing Employers’ Obligations to Employees Adopted on July 15, 2020 and to Become Effective the Week of July 27, 2020.
  • COVID-19 Comeback Plan: Please visit https://www.williamsmullen.com/comeback to view videos with specific tips and best practices that can help your business recover more quickly.
  • COVID-19 Legal Resources: Please visit https://www.williamsmullen.com/COVID19-Resources for helpful COVID-19 related legal news and resources.

Resources for Working Parents of School-Aged Children

VBA Survey Results: Accommodations for working parents of school-aged children

We had 50 responses to the survey which covered the following topics:

• Percentage of staff affected by children attending school virtually
• Ways banks are determining potential impact to staffing
• Strategies that banks are planning to implement to support working parents while children are virtual learning
• Specific strategies/accommodations banks are making in the areas of flexible work schedule, extended work from home opportunities, and additional PTO/paid leave
• How long banks are planning to keep updated policies in place

View the Survey Results Summary Here

Articles of Interest

• August 3-Across Richmond, neighborhood learning ‘pods’ emerge, offering a potential schooling solution
• July 31-Private companies, nonprofits rush to create spaces for Richmond children to attend virtual classes this year
• July 31-As Richmond-area kids head back to virtual school, working parents are in ‘panic mode’ to balance it all
• July 28-Richmond-based startup Trilogy Mentors raises more than $1.1 million for online tutoring platform

Return to Normal Operations Survey Results

VBA RTNO Survey

We are pleased to share the results of our Return to Normal Operations Survey. Thank you to the 56 banks that participated.  

Through this survey, we gathered information on how Virginia banks are working to restore normal business operations and how they will approach reopening offices and other facilities, employee health screenings and travel policies, among other things.

• Please click here for a high level overview.
• Please click here for the aggregate summary report with all the results.

ABA Survey Examines Bank Plans for Return to Offices, Facilities

As states and localities begin the process of easing stay-at-home orders in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, about seven in 10 banks expect to phase their workforces back into offices within the next 30 to 60 days, according to a recent ABA survey now available to association members. An additional 11 percent said they expected to do so within the next 90 days. With 426 banks of all sizes responding, the survey provides additional detailed information on banks’ phasing of return plans, facility management, health screening policies, provision of protective and hygienic equipment, support for remote workers and business travel considerations. Read the survey report (ABA login required).

Guidance

Virginia-Specific Information

• Governor Ralph Northam signed Executive Order Sixty-Five and presented the second phase of the “Forward Virginia” plan to continue safely and gradually easing public health restrictions while containing the spread of COVID-19. The Governor also amended Executive Order Sixty-One directing Northern Virginia and the City of Richmond to remain in Phase One. Read more here. 

• Governor Northam’s Executive Order requiring the use of face coverings while inside buildings can be found here. Banks fall under the essential brick and mortar retail definition, so it applies to banks starting Friday, May 29 for all customers and any customer-facing employee. Governor Northam also extended the state of emergency indefinitely in the amended Executive Order.

• Safer at Home: Phase Two Guidelines for All Business Sectors
• Safer at Home: Phase One Guidelines for All Business Sectors
• Forward Virginia: A Blueprint for Easing Public Health Restrictions

Council of State Governments

The Council of State Governments has provided additional guidance for businesses opening after COVID-19. View the document. 

ABA

ABA’s Reopening Matrix provides a free, customizable tool that can help guide banks’ planning. The matrix includes a comprehensive list of potential mitigation measures banks may take and lists any general federal guidance that applies to each reopening factor.

OSHA

Click here for their Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19. This guidance is not a standard or regulation, and it creates no new legal obligations. It contains recommendations as well as descriptions of mandatory safety and health standards. The recommendations are advisory in nature, informational in content, and are intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to comply with safety and health standards and regulations promulgated by OSHA or by a state with an OSHA-approved state plan. In addition, the Act’s General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1), requires employers to provide their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted webpages for bank employers and employees with tips for protecting staff and slowing the spread of COVID-19. The tips for bank employers—which reflect input from ABA staff experts—include creating a COVID-19 workplace health and safety plan, conducting a hazard assessment and developing hazard controls.

• Page for bank employers.
• Page for bank employees.

VBA Post-COVID Roundtable

Retail Banking Post-COVID Roundtable Discussion

In June, VBA was joined by industry partners, Haberfeld, Harland Clarke, PWCampbell and Q2, for an insightful roundtable discussion on best practices, takeaways and considerations as banks prepare to return to normal operations in a post-COVID world. For a recording of this session, click here and use password vbaretail620!. 

Webinars & Podcasts

Compliance Alliance Webinar – Reopening Your Branches: Protocols

Associate General Counsel Elizabeth K. Madlem discusses the course of action financial institutions should be taking when reopening your branches, including procedure development, escalation planning, knowing-your-customer protocols, cleaning schedules and more in this pre-recorded session.

Please note the discussion around dealing with customers with masks takes place around the 19 minute mark. 

Click here for the free webinar link. 

Return to Normal Operations: A Discussion with Treasury and Homeland Security Key Officials

Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary Dave Lacquement, Homeland Security Associate Director Sue Armstrong and ABA SVP Paul Benda discussed how the government and private sector are working together to provide guidance. Click here for the recording.

Podcast: Answering Banker Questions on Post-COVID-19 ‘Return to Normal’

ABA Banking Journal Podcast caught up with ABA’s Paul Benda to run through several questions on topics such as mask policies for both bank customers and employees; hygiene practices in the branch, including the applicability of OSHA requirements and availability of sanitizing supplies; best practices for bank customers and employees permitted in specific spaces; and temperature checks at the bank entrance and legal requirements around that data. Click here to listen to the podcast.

Screening and Temperature Check Information

As we prepare to transition back to an opening of the economy, temperature checks and COVID-19 testing will become more prevalent in the workplace.  Click here for a presentation from Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC with helpful information and considerations in these areas.

PWCampbell Teller Guards, Floor Graphics, and Branch Screen Messages 

VBA Endorsed Provider PWCampbell offers COVID-19 customizable safety solutions for those branches operating by appointment only for their lobbies or for all branches when it’s time to begin re-opening.

Read more on how PWCampbell is adapting to help their partners.

Teller Guards provide safety measures to combat the spread of the virus and protect bank employees and customers. These guards are designed to require very little assembly by the staff, therefore, requiring no outside personnel to be onsite. They are sturdy structures and do not require permanent installation that would leave damage to the work surface. For more information and pricing, contact Kevin Poirot | 412.963.0100 ext. 103.

Floor Graphics can be a great help to promoting social distancing within the branch – both for appointment only operations and for branch re-openings. These floor graphics can be customized to a bank’s branded colors and messaging and come in various shapes. For more information and pricing, contact Kevin Poirot | 412.963.0100 ext. 103.

Branch Screen Messages, for those banks who have screens in their branch locations, can provide an easy NO COST solution to sharing general virus safety measures to bank customers who are coming through the drive-thrus. These pre-designed messages have been developed by PWCampbell and can be easily inserted into whatever platform a bank uses to push out messages to in-branch screens and can easily be  branded for each bank. If you’re interested in using one or any combination of images available, please contact Travis Hileman | or 412.963.0100 ext. 382. 

Door Decals provide messaging for bank branches to aid them in complying with the national and state standards for social distancing in order to help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. 

Source4’s Pandemic Products and Merchandise Options

As the time nears to re-open branches, please click here for Source4’s short presentation on items that might be needed to re-open.

Articles of Interest

• Post-COVID-19 Office Design And Practices – PCBB BID

• An article in the ABA Banking Journal examines how banks are beginning to make the transition back to physical offices. The article features insights from ABA SVP Paul Benda on how banks should calibrate their risk mitigation efforts based on state and local guidance and reviews several potential risk mitigation strategies institutions may choose to employ.

The Farmers Bank of Appomattox Reopening Guide

Thank you to the Farmers Bank of Appomattox for providing this guide to their bank's phased reopening.