Governor Cooper shared that North Carolina will remain paused in Safer At Home Phase 2 after the current Executive Order expires on Friday, July 17. “As we continue to see rising case numbers and hospitalizations, we will stay in Safer At Home Phase 2 for three more weeks,” said Governor Cooper. “Our re-opening priority is the school building doors, and in order for that to happen we have to work to stabilize our virus trends.”

Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen were joined today by education and health leaders to also announce health and safety plans for K-12 public schools for the new school year. Schools will open for in-person instruction under an updated Plan B that requires face coverings for all K-12 students, fewer children in the classroom, measures to ensure social distancing for everyone in the building, and other safety protocols.

Read the entire press release at the link below.

https://governor.nc.gov/news/north-carolina-k-12-public-schools-require-key-safety-measures-allow-person-instruction

Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen today announced that North Carolina will remain in Safer at Home Phase 2 for three more weeks. Cooper also announced that face coverings must be worn when people are in public places as officials seek to stabilize concerning trends of increasing viral spread.

Read the entire press release at the link below.

https://governor.nc.gov/news/north-carolina-pauses-safer-home-phase-2-adds-statewide-requirement-%EF%BB%BF-face-coverings

Over the last few weeks, as the state of North Carolina has started easing COVID-19 restrictions, we have taken a closer look at what we can do from an operations standpoint to further protect the health and safety of our employees.  Up until now, we have designated that masks were only required in the warehouse due to the close proximity of workers.  However, after more time spent looking at operations, we realized that the close proximity is happening in facility common areas as well.

With that said,we will now require masks be worn in all facility common areas starting today, Monday, June 1, 2020.  This will not only be mandatory for employees, but for anyone visiting our facilities.  You should have received an allotment of masks from your Manager or Supervisor, but if you find you need another please let them know.  Also, we will make available through James King, our Safety Manager, an allotment of disposable face masks for any visitors that might need them.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to work through how to fight this ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  The more we can do together to further prevent the spread, the better chances we have of keeping all of us safe and healthy.

Our President and Owner, Scott Carr, shared the following information with our employees in regards to the announcement from NC Governor Cooper on a transition to Phase 2 COVID-19 restrictions. You can read the full announcement from the Governor here.

The Governor of North Carolina has announced that the state of North Carolina can transition to Phase 2 of easing COVID-19 restrictions beginning today, May 22^nd, at 5 PM.  Phase 2 lifts the Stay At Home order moving into a Safer At Home recommendation, especially for people at high risk for serious illness.

Certain businesses will be open at limited capacity with other requirements and recommendations. Mass gathering limits in Phase 2 will be no more than 10 people indoors or 25 people outdoors in most circumstances. Childcare facilities, day camps and overnight camps will be open with enhanced cleaning and screening requirements. Teleworking is also urged when possible. 

Some businesses will remain closed in Phase 2 including: bars; night clubs; gyms and indoor fitness facilities; indoor entertainment venues such as movie theaters, and bowling alleys. 

As with Phase 1, I want everyone to know that entering Phase 2 will not affect our business or operations.  We will continue to follow the same protocols that have been implemented to protect the health and safety of our employees.  Specifically, this includes…

• Temperature screenings upon entrance into facilities
• Mandatory face masks and gloves on the warehouse floor
• Regularly washing/sanitizing hands
• Frequent cleaning of workstations and any shared equipment
• Maintain social distancing (six feet of distance)
• Filling out self-declaration forms
• Teleworking for non-essential employees
• Restricting travel-related activities between facilities
• Limiting the number of people visiting the facilities to essential

Our President and Owner, Scott Carr, shared the following information with our employees in regards to the announcement from NC Governor Cooper on a transition to Phase 1 COVID-19 restrictions. You can read the full announcement from the Governor here.

The Governor of North Carolina has announced that the state of North Carolina can transition to Phase 1 of easing COVID-19 restrictions beginning today, May 8^th, at 5 PM.  According to the Governor, Phase 1 is designed to be a limited easing of restrictions that can boost parts of our economy while keeping important safety rules in place.

Today’s order removes the distinction between essential and non-essential businesses. Retail businesses are allowed to open at 50% capacity and will be required to direct customers to stand 6 feet apart, perform frequent cleanings, provide hand sanitizer when available, screen workers for symptoms and more. The Order allows people to leave their homes for commercial activity at any business that is open.

Certain businesses remain closed, including bars, personal care businesses, entertainment venues, and gyms. Restaurants may only continue to serve customers for drive-through, take-out, and delivery. All workers at retail and other businesses are recommended to wear cloth face coverings. Teleworking is still encouraged for businesses that can practice it.

What I want everyone to know is that entering Phase 1 will not affect our business or operations.  We will continue to follow the same protocols that have been implemented to protect the health and safety of our employees.  Specifically, this includes…

• Temperature screenings upon entrance into facilities
• Mandatory face masks and gloves on the warehouse floor
• Regularly washing/sanitizing hands
• Frequent cleaning of workstations and any shared equipment
• Maintain social distancing (six feet of distance)
• Filling out self-declaration forms
• Teleworking for non-essential employees
• Restricting travel-related activities between facilities
• Limiting the number of people visiting the facilities to essential

Governor Roy Cooper today signed Executive Order No. 138 to modify North Carolina’s Stay At Home order and transition to Phase 1 of slowly easing certain COVID-19 restrictions effective Friday, May 8 at 5 pm. Certain businesses remain closed as the state continues battling COVID-19. 

“COVID-19 is still a serious threat to our state, and Phase 1 is designed to be a limited easing of restrictions that can boost parts of our economy while keeping important safety rules in place,” said Governor Cooper. “This is a careful and deliberate first step, guided by the data, and North Carolinians still must use caution while this virus is circulating.”

Read the entire press release at the link below.

https://governor.nc.gov/news/governor-cooper-announces-modified-stay-home-order-and-transition-phase-1-easing-restrictions

At midnight tonight, Mecklenburg County’s Stay at Home Proclamation moves under North Carolina’s Order and that plan’s three-phased approach to reopen the state. The North Carolina Order allows some businesses that were closed under Mecklenburg County’s Order to be open under State rules, which are scheduled to remain in place until May 8. Read the complete news bulletin at the link below.

https://www.mecknc.gov/news/Pages/Mecklenburg-Transitions-to-State-Stay-at-Home-Order-Thursday.aspx

Governor Roy Cooper today issued Executive Order No. 135  extending North Carolina’s Stay At Home order through May 8. The orders extending closure of restaurants for dine-in service and bars and closure of other close-contact businesses are also extended through May 8. He also shared details about North Carolina’s plan to lift restrictions in three phases once the data show that key metrics are headed in the right direction.  You can read the entire press release at the link below.

https://governor.nc.gov/news/governor-extends-stay-home-order-through-may-8-plans-three-phase-lifting-restrictions-based

As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to find ways to enhance the safety and security of our employees and clients. One way that has been discussed by our Coronavirus Task Force is checking temperatures, and both Safety and HR have been busy testing this process at our HQ campus. 

Over the next week, we will begin instituting mandatory temperature screenings before employees are allowed to work at facilities across the network. Those who need to be screened include all staff – both in the office and warehouse – as well as any vendors or visitors. Please be aware of this if you are making plans to visit in the coming weeks.

Keeping our operations up and running is as vital as ever during this coronavirus pandemic. But we can’t do that without employees coming into our facilities to work. That’s why we’re offering extra incentives for employees who are able to make it in to work. Those incentives include bonus attendance points, cash drawings, and casual dress.

As part of our continued efforts to keep employees safe, Bonded has signed a contract with Enviro-Master to clean and disinfect all facilities throughout this challenging COVID-19 situation. This includes a misting spray that sanitizes surfaces and high traffic touch areas. You can learn more about the company and their services by clicking here.

On April 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor announced new action regarding how American workers and employers will benefit from the protections and relief offered by the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, both part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) posted a temporary rule issuing regulations pursuant to this new law, effective April 1, 2020.  For more information, visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/ffcra.

Our President and Owner, Scott Carr, shared the following information with our employees, clients, and partners to update them on how we are reacting to the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis. Whether you are looking to do business with us or trying to find work, these are important guidelines you need to be aware of.

We continue to find ourselves in uncharted waters as the effects of the COVID-19 crisis hits closer and closer to home. Since my last message, schools and businesses around us have closed, thousands of people are out of jobs, and the county where we have a bulk of our locations has put in place a stay-at-home proclamation for residents. The good news for us is that, thankfully, our industry has been deemed essential infrastructure so we can continue to operate.

As I previously mentioned, we created a Coronavirus Task Force to help us continue to stay informed of any new or changing information. I wanted to share with you some of the important developments we have been discussing.

EMPLOYEE SAFETY

Employee safety continues to be at the forefront of our efforts. We have stepped up sanitation at all facilities, and make sure social distancing is always in effect. We have asked all non-essential operations employees to work from home. We are following CDC cleaning recommendations at our facilities to minimize any potential spread. We are also preparing to put in place temperature checks before employees enter facilities as another safety precaution.

LOGISTICS DEEMED ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

The US Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Administration (CISA) has deemed our industry as critical infrastructure. The supply chain is an essential part of how the United States of America operates on a daily basis. We are doing everything we can to encourage our employees to come to work so we can do our part to help our country.

STAY-AT-HOME PROCLAMATION

As of March 26, 2020, Mecklenburg County (where we have 9 of our 12 facilities) issued a stay-at-home proclamation. Although this should not affect our operations, HR has put together a letter for all employees to use as documentation they are working for a company deemed essential in case they have difficulty getting to any of our buildings.

As I mentioned in my last message, we encourage you to make us aware of anything from your perspective that would affect our daily operations so we can take the necessary precautions. 

On behalf of everyone at Bonded, we appreciate your continued partnership and support during this difficult time. If there is anything else we can do to assist you, please let me or one of our team members know.