HyVee says they won’t be requiring guests to wear a mask, but they are going to hand them out just in case.

According to a release, the company plans to give out over 3 million free masks in their stores starting on Monday July 27^th.

Currently only HyVee employees have been required to wear masks.

The company’s Vice President indicated that it’s “Difficult to enforce the mask rules without knowing people’s medical conditions, as some cannot wear a mask.”

“While our employees are required to wear masks at work, we are not mandating masks for customers, except where ordered by states/local governments,” a Hy-Vee customer service representative says.

Hy-Vee vice president of communications Tina Potthoff says “It’s very difficult to enforce that without asking people their medical histories. There are many people in the country that cannot wear masks for medical reasons.”

The free masks program will coincide with the CDC’s “Mask it up to shut COVID down” initiative that is also starting this week.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (July 21, 2020) — In an effort to protect its customers and employees from COVID-19, Hy-Vee will distribute free masks to those entering its stores starting Monday, July 27. The company will hand out more than 3 million free masks in an effort to help support the CDC’s recommendation to wear masks in public by launching a new initiative called “Mask It Up To Shut COVID Down. It’s Your Choice.”

Starting July 27, employees will be stationed at the front doors of all stores to hand out masks to customers who are not wearing one prior to shopping. Customers will also see signage, employee attire, and other reminders around the store about the educational campaign.

Hy-Vee employees have been wearing masks since nearly the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Midwest grocer was recently named one of the top three supermarkets in America for its handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

Impacts could be felt soon for Lake area travelers heading in and out at the Springfield Branson National Airport, as several major airlines look at additional cuts.

Nearly 36,000 United Airlines employees have receive notice they could be furloughed in October.

Citing an 80% drop in revenue, American Airlines expect they too could furlough up to 25,000 employees.

With more than four billion dollars lost last quarter, Delta says even after 17,000 took exit packages…they feel they are still over staffed.

More than 2500 pilots have been warned of a possible furlough when the government’s payroll support ends in September.

Delta, United and American, along with low cost Allegiant, are the primary flights in and out at SGF.

Photo by Ani Kolleshi on Unsplash

If you’re going shopping in the Lake area, you’ll likely need a mask.

A number of stores are now making their own mask requirements, despite the fact the city nor the state have such an ordinance in place.

Those stores include Menards, Wal-Mart, Gerbes, Dollar Tree, Kohls, American Eagle and Starbucks.

Other stores with new mask mandates include Kroger, Best Buy, Costco and Sam’s Club.

Currently the only cities that require masks to be worn in Missouri are St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia and Springfield.

A new grant program for Missouri businesses worth $50 million dollars is also on the table.

Rob Dickson with the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

He says the money in the Cares Act can go toward paying employees, website development for e-commerce and leasing additional space to accommodate social distancing.

Missouri Department of Economic Development announces up to $30 million in grant funds for small businesses

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) announced a new Small Business Grant Program that could provide up to $30 million for Missouri small businesses. It was designed to provide relief to small businesses and family-owned farms for reimbursement of costs of business interruption caused by required closures due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“This virus isn’t going away, and we have to protect both the lives and the livelihoods of Missouri workers, families and children,” Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon said. “Thanks to today’s action by the Governor we are not only reinvesting in our economy, but building up the success and safety of our state over the long term.”

This program also factors in $7.5 million for family-owned farms and family farm corporations. Those participating in the production of agricultural crops, livestock or livestock products, poultry or poultry products, dairy products, or horticulture products are eligible for this grant.

“We know that every segment of agriculture has felt the tremendous impact of COVID-19 and will for many years,” Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn said. “We have continuously worked with Governor Parson and my colleagues across state government — including DED and the General Assembly — to provide support for the unmet needs of Missouri’s family-owned farms and ranches.”

Organizations eligible for this grant employ 50 or fewer employees, including the owner(s). Grant amounts are initially limited to $50,000, and organizations applying must incur or have incurred costs due to COVID-19 between March 1, 2020 and November 15, 2020. Applications will consider industry, timely use of funds, and availability of funds.

DED will begin accepting applications for this grant on July 15, 2020. The department is focused on assisting the hardest hit industries including retail trade, accommodation, food service, and health care, in addition to family-owned farms. However, this grant is not limited to these industries.

For more information about this program and more, visit ShowMeStrong.mo.gov.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

A new study from WalletHub says the Show Me State ranks in the top 10 on a list of states whose unemployment rates are improving the most.

WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzales.

She tells KRMS News the picture hasn’t always looked at good for Missouri.

The US jobs report for June showed close to 5-million jobs being added.

Hear Jill’s Full Interview with KRMS’s Christian Blood here:

Additional Details:

June’s jobs report shows that the U.S. added an additional 4.8 million jobs, and new unemployment claims last week were 81% below the peak during the COVID-19 pandemic. To help add some context to these statistics, WalletHub just released updated rankings for the States Whose Unemployment Claims Are Recovering the Quickest, along with accompanying videos and audio files.

To identify which states’ workforces are experiencing the quickest recovery from COVID-19, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three metrics based on changes in unemployment claims. Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A. To see the states most recovered since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, click here.

Change in Missouri Unemployment Claims (1=Quickest Recovery, 25=Avg.):

• 236.27% Change in Unemployment Claims (Latest Week vs Last Year)
  • 16,894 the week of June 29, 2020 vs 5,024 the week of July 1, 2019
  • 8th quickest recovery in the U.S.
• 126.04% Change in Unemployment Claims (Latest Week vs Start of 2020)
  • 16,894 the week of June 29, 2020 vs 7,474 the week of January 1, 2020
  • 15th quickest recovery in the U.S.
• 1,283.47% Change in Unemployment Claims (Since Start of COVID-19 Crisis vs. Last Year)
  • 708,103 between the week of March 16, 2020 and the week of June 29, 2020 vs 55,171 between the week of March 18, 2019 and the week of July 1, 2019
  • 21st quickest recovery in the U.S.

To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-unemployment-claims/72730/.

WalletHub Q&A

How encouraged should we be that the economy added 4.8 million jobs in June?

“We should be very encouraged that the economy added 4.8 million jobs in June, as this job growth exceeded expert projections and demonstrates that our recovery is accelerating. Reopening states has had a big impact, and these unemployment numbers demonstrate that the job losses caused by the pandemic are largely temporary,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Despite the encouraging news from the jobs report, it’s important to remember that quite a few states have paused their reopening processes due to spikes in COVID-19. We may see a slowdown in job growth in the near future.”

How will pauses in states’ reopening processes affect unemployment?

“If states pause their reopening processes, we will likely see a slowdown in job growth because people who are temporarily laid off in certain non-essential sectors will have to wait longer to get back to work,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “We likely will not see a spike in new unemployment claims unless states close businesses that have already reopened. Rather than impose more lockdowns, states should focus on mandatory measures that protect everyone such as mask wearing in public and temperature checks at workplaces and in airports.”

Do job losses from the COVID-19 pandemic tend to be temporary or permanent?

“Job losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are mostly temporary, as May’s jobs report shows 15.3 million people on temporary layoff compared to 2.9 million who have permanently lost their jobs,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Most jobless Americans expect to be rehired by their former employers, but exactly how soon that can happen will depend on both how quickly states are able to reopen and how safe the government and businesses can make customers feel. For example, mandatory COVID-19 testing before entering an airport could significantly alleviate people’s concerns about flying again.”

How is the wearing of masks linked to unemployment?

“Wearing masks helps prevent the release of droplets from the mouth or nose that may contain COVID-19, which consequently can help minimize the spread of the virus. Countries with more prevalent mask wearing have been less impacted by coronavirus, so mandating the use of masks in public may help us proceed to a full reopening sooner,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Consumers are more comfortable going out when they know everyone will be wearing masks, according to a recent WalletHub survey, and greater confidence leads to more people leaving the house and supporting businesses again.”

How do red states and blue states compare when it comes to recovery?

“With an average rank of 25 among the most recovered states, blue states had a better recovery from unemployment claims last week than red states, which rank 27 on average,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “The lower the number of the ranking, the bigger the state’s recovery was.”

How has unemployment in New York – the state with the most COVID-19 cases – recovered?

“New York’s unemployment claims have experienced the 11th quickest recovery in the U.S. For the week of June 29, New York had 93,797 new unemployment claims, a 76% decrease from the peak during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst.