Debbie's Blog
Coronavirus Update: March 21, 2020
Dearborn, MI,
March 21, 2020
Here’s an update for Saturday, March 21. Thought of the day: Staying home isn’t about protecting yourself, it’s about protecting our community and everyone we love. Last night, I hosted a telephone town hall. There were more questions than we had time to get to, people are concerned. Healthcare workers don’t have access to enough personal protective equipment, there aren’t enough COVID-19 tests, workers are worried about will their next paychecks come and how will they pay rent/utilities/food, and there is general uncertainty about how long this will last. You can listen to the event on my Facebook page here. I’ll be hosting telephone town halls once a week, the next one is Wednesday, March 25 at 5:00 pm. Phishing scams about COVID-19 are on the rise. Often, hackers will use recent news events and take advantage of people’s fears to steal personal and financial information. Protect yourself by being very suspicious of requests for personal information that occur via email, phone, text message, or social media message. For more on how to protect yourself from cyber-attack, click here. Offering unemployment insurance to hardworking men and women across the country is a must right now. The Families First Coronavirus Act that was signed into law by the president will send money directly to states to help them offer unemployment insurance to people. If you or someone you know needs to sign up for unemployment, click here. The IRS announced that deadline to file your taxes has been extended to July 15. Please share this important update with your family, friends, and colleagues. The federal government has declared the state of Michigan as an economic disaster. This sounds scary, but this designation offers low-interest loans to small businesses. If you or someone you know runs a small business, please share this update with them. More information here. Contact numbers for people looking for information are: • Centers for Disease Control, cdc.gov/coronavirus, 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636). • Michigan.gov/coronavirus, Call 2-1-1 or 734-287-7870 from within Michigan to connect with help of all kinds including food, housing, healthcare, and more. My office has put together a running list of food pantries and kitchens, and the state of Michigan put together an interactive map to find a food service program near you . These page will be updated on a regular basis. Please find the links directly below. Food Service Program Interactive Map Food Banks and Kitchens in Michigan's 12th Congressional District |
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