COVID-19 Updates

Scammers On Prowl
    As more people are adapting to a new work-from-home or remote location because of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, scammers are trying to take advantage of the situation.
    Working from home can actually put businesses at risk. Organizations of all kinds are facing an uptick in email-based threats, endpoint-security gaps and other problems. Many people are unaware of the hazards because working remotely is a different way to connect.
    Better Business Bureau (BBB) and SDN Communications are partnering to bring businesses in South Dakota the latest information and education about COVID-19 scams that are currently targeting them, as well as cybersecurity tips for protecting your employees and your organization’s sensitive data.
    This is a free virtual training session on Thursday from 11 a.m.-noon.  Jessie Schmidt, South Dakota state director, BBB, and Ryan Dutton, commercial sales manager, SDN Communications, are the presenters. They will talk about the best tactics to use to protect your organization during these trying times.
    Go to BBB.org/south-dakota and click on the “Cybersecurity Event” tab to register. For more information call 605-271-2067.

Fish Cleaning Stations Closed
    The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks is reminding anglers that fish cleaning stations at state parks, recreational areas, and fishing access areas are closed until further notice.
    While angling is an excellent way to practice social distancing, fish cleaning areas can get crowded. Other shared spaces may also be closed to help slow the spread of COVID-19, including modern restrooms and park visitor centers.
     “We know this isn’t an ideal situation,” said Chris Hull, “but anglers are some of the most respectful and adaptive users out there. We appreciate the help now so these facilities will be ready to open as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
    Anglers are encouraged to take their fish home to clean, or to bring fillet knives, zip lock bags for fillets and trash bags to dispose of fish waste properly.

Registration Extended
    Governor Noem signed an Executive Order temporarily extending certain vehicle registration renewals and the time period to register and title newly acquired vehicles.
    South Dakotans who renew their registrations in the months of March and May will have 60 days to complete this requirement upon the termination of the emergency declaration. Additionally, any newly acquired vehicle that has been obtained within the time period covered under the Governor’s Executive Order will have 60 days to title and register their vehicle after the emergency order has been lifted. Interest and penalties associated with the extended title and registration periods will be waived.
    The Department of Revenue strives to serve the citizens of South Dakota with services that keep them online and out of line. Although we may not be in office, we offer several alternative ways to complete your renewals.
    Our online services allow you to review and renew your vehicle registration/decals and license plates, purchase new license plates, opt-in for email renewal and general notifications, find out the estimated renewal cost of your vehicles, report the sale of a vehicle, and print a seller’s permit. Annual license renewals can be done online through the Vehicle Registration & Plates portal at mysdcars.sd.gov.
    Visit a license renewal kiosk to renew your vehicle registration in less than five minutes. A vehicle owner can navigate through the easy-to-use touch screen (voice assistance available) with a valid South Dakota driver’s license, South Dakota identification card, or if a company, the information provided on its renewal notice. Once the payment has been submitted and the transaction is completed, the license renewal tags and vehicle registration are dispensed directly from the machine. To find your nearest DMV Now License Renewal Self-Service Kiosk, please visit https://sddmvnowkiosk.com/.
    Renew registrations by mail with your local county offices. You will need to include a $1 mailing fee for registration cards and a driver’s license or identification card number. If you are looking to transfer your title, please contact your local treasurer with questions on the appropriate fees and documentation to be mailed in. Find your local county treasurers contact information by going to https://dor.sd.gov/government/county-treasurers/contact-county-treasurers/.

Loans For Ag Businesses
    U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza announced that agricultural businesses are now eligible for SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance programs.
    SBA’s EIDL portal has reopened as a result of funding authorized by Congress through the Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act. The legislation, signed into law by the President one week ago, provided additional funding for farmers and ranchers and certain other agricultural businesses affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
    “For more than 30 years, SBA has been prohibited by law from providing disaster assistance to agricultural businesses; however, as a result of the unprecedented legislation enacted by President Trump, American farmers, ranchers and other agricultural businesses will now have access to emergency working capital,” said Administrator Carranza. “These low-interest, long-term loans will help keep agricultural businesses viable while bringing stability to the nation’s vitally important food supply chains.”
    Agricultural businesses include businesses engaged in the legal production of food and fiber, ranching, and raising of livestock, aquaculture, and all other farming and agricultural related industries (as defined by section 18(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 647(b)). Eligible agricultural businesses must have 500 or fewer employees.
     The SBA will begin accepting new EIDL applications on a limited basis only, in order to provide unprecedented relief to U.S. agricultural businesses. For agricultural businesses that submitted an EIDL loan application through the streamlined application portal prior to the legislative change, SBA will move forward and process these applications without the need for re-applying. All other EIDL loan applications that were submitted before the portal stopped accepting new applications on April 15 will be processed on a first-in, first-out basis.
    For more information visit: www.sba.gov/Disaster.

Ag Summit Postponed
    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Governor’s Agriculture Summit scheduled for July 17-18 in Sioux Falls is postponed.
    The health and safety of all South Dakotans is a priority for Governor Noem and the South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDDA). The Governor and the SDDA look forward to bringing our industry leaders together, but for now we’re going to put this event on hold.
    “Given all that is going on, we believe it’s best to postpone this year’s event. SDDA remains dedicated to cultivating conversations between South Dakota producers and consumers, that will grow into trusted, long-lasting, relationships from the field to the plate,” says Kim Vanneman, South Dakota’s Secretary of Agriculture. “We are also here as a resource for producers and are working to provide information as we receive it.”

Trust To Aid Virus Patients
    The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has announced a multimillion-dollar effort to save the lives of COVID-19 patients and protect the frontline healthcare workers caring for them.
    A total of $4,711,481 in funding will be distributed across five upper-midwestern states to pay for 367 LUCAS mechanical CPR devices to be deployed to hospitals caring for patients during the pandemic and beyond.
    “These devices are vital because we don’t want frontline healthcare workers to choose between trying to save a patient or risking exposure to themselves and others to the Coronavirus,” said Walter Panzirer, a trustee for the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “LUCAS has been a proven, effective tool in saving lives during cardiac arrest, and having more of them available during this pandemic will save even more lives, including those of the doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers.”
    Research has shown cardiac damage in as many as 1 in 5 COVID-19 patients, leading to heart failure and death even among those who show no signs of respiratory distress. Among patients who recover, many could have long-term effects from such heart damage.
    The rise in cardiac complications caused by COVID-19 exposes both patients and healthcare workers to greater risk, as hands-on CPR can be needed for extended periods and personal protective equipment can become less effective in keeping the virus from spreading to medical providers.
    The Helmsley Charitable Trust is partnering with medical facilities in South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Nebraska to ensure the devices are in place before the peak of COVID-19 hits. The devices will remain in place after the pandemic as part of the hospitals’ cardiac system of care.
    “We were able to go from concept to delivery of the devices in two weeks, and that’s been an incredible effort of teamwork with the manufacturer and the hospitals,” said Panzirer. “It’s wonderful to see competing entities working together during a national crisis for the good of all.”