JIC RELEASE NO. 137 - Importation, Distribution, and Sale of COVID-19 Related Commodities; SNAP Update; GDOL Prepares for Unemployment Assistance Funds - GHS OCD

COVID-19 test results are reported from multiple labs at varying times of the day. Cumulative test results will be provided this evening once all tests from today are finalized.

To date, there have been 165 cases confirmed through COVID-19 testing provided with 5 deaths and 125 released from isolation. As this is an evolving situation, information is subject to change with little to no notice.

For updated information on COVID-19 cases on Guam, visit the COVID-19 Dashboard and Situation Report at http://dphss.guam.gov/covid-19/.

Importation, Distribution, and Sale of COVID-19 Related Commodities
The Director of the Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) reminds island businesses that COVID-19 related commodities, such as hand sanitizers, alcohol, antiseptic wipes, masks, and test kits are all regulated items pursuant to local and federal laws. Although some regulatory requirements have been relaxed due to the current emergency, minimum requirements must still be met to import and sell these items.

The Division of Environmental Health (DEH) of DPHSS, which enforces the importation, distribution, and sale of drugs and medical devices pursuant to local and federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, has responded to several detentions of COVID-19 related products at ports of entry. These detainments are undergoing a regulatory process, which includes assistance from the Office of the Attorney General and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Businesses are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure that their products are in full compliance with governing laws. For guidance, they are encouraged to visit www.fda.gov and http://www.guamcourts.org/CompilerofLaws/GCA/10gca/10gc040.PDF. U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also issued guidance documents specific to certain COVID-19 products. Businesses that fail to comply with the law are subject to having their merchandise denied entry and/or criminal penalty.

For questions, please contact the Consumer Commodities Program of the Division of Environmental Health at 300-9579.

SNAP EBT Allotment to be Released Tonight
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Supplemental Emergency Allotment for the month of May 2020 will be released tonight, May 22, 2020. These benefits will be electronically loaded into the SNAP recipients EBT cards.

As a reminder, the law authorized the issuance of emergency supplemental benefits to households receiving SNAP up to the maximum allowable SNAP monthly benefit for a household’s size. Calculation is based on the number of eligible household members. Households that already received the maximum benefit for their household’s size will not receive an additional emergency allotment.

Should you have any questions or need additional information, please call the numbers below or send an email to PublicAssistance@dphss.guam.gov.

BES North (Dededo) at 635-7488/635-7484/635-7439/635-7396/635-7429
BES Southern (Inarajan) at 828-7542/828-7534/828-7524
BES Central (Castle Mall in Mangilao) at 735-7340/735-7519/735-7256/735-7344/735-7375

GDOL Prepares for Unemployment Assistance Funds
The Guam Department of Labor (GDOL) is preparing to launch its employee application module for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program, which will allow thousands of Guam residents to receive unemployment assistance funds.

In anticipation of the PUA employee model launch, GDOL is notifying financial institutions of the influx of millions of dollars in federal money that will be disbursed to eligible recipients within the coming weeks. Based on guidance from GDOL, the Guam Bankers Association will be advising island residents that are seeking PUA benefits to consider direct deposit by opening a bank account now. They are also advising island residents to collect any necessary account information and access hireguam.com to sign up for direct deposit.

Other financial institutions can email rapidresponse@dol.guam.gov if they want to seek further guidance from GDOL on the release of PUA funding.

For inquiries on COVID-19, contact 311 through a local number, or call the Joint Information Center at (671) 478-0208/09/10.

X Flooding is a temporary overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry. Flooding may happen with only a few inches of water, or it may cover a house to the rooftop. There are many possible causes of floods including heavy rain, coastal storms and storm surge, waterway overflow from being blocked with debris, or overflow of levees, dams, or waste water systems. Flooding can occur slowly over many days or happen very quickly with little or no warning, called flash floods.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/floods

Wildfire

Regularly clean the roof and gutters.
Maintain an area approximately 30’ away from you home that is free of anything that will burn, such as wood piles, dried leaves, newspapers and other brush.
Connect garden hoses long enough to reach any area of the home and fill garbage cans, tubs, or other large containers with water.
Review your homeowner's insurance policy and also prepare/update a list of your home's contents.

Fire Weather

Turn on your TV/radio. You’ll get the latest weather updates and emergency instructions.
Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the route to take and have plan of where you will go. Check-in with your friends and family.
Keep your car fueled, in good condition, and stocked with emergency supplies and a change of clothes.

Drought

Conserve water

Take shorter showers.

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Run the washer less frequently and only when you have a full load.
Water your lawn less frequently and do so when the temperature is cooler in the early morning or late evening.
When you run the tap to heat or cool water, keep a pitcher to store the water and use it to water plants.
Avoid washing your car.

Practice fire prevention

Don't set off fireworks when conditions are dry.
Deposit cigarette butts in the proper receptacle to avoid starting a
Pour water over camp fires and backyard fire pits to ensure they are completely out before leaving them unattended.

Follow directions from local officials. If there are restrictions on water usage, be sure to heed them.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/wildfires and https://www.ready.gov/drought

X
Typhoons/Hurricanes are massive storm systems that form over the water and move toward land. Threats from typhoons/hurricanes include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, and rip currents.

“Hurricanes” form in the Atlantic Northeast Pacific region and “Typhoons” form in the Northwest Pacific Region. These large storms are call cyclones in other parts of the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes.

JIC RELEASE NO. 137 - Importation, Distribution, and Sale of COVID-19 Related Commodities; SNAP Update; GDOL Prepares for Unemployment Assistance Funds