Public Health Information on the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

If you know of anyone struggling to return to Colorado from overseas because of the COVID-19 pandemic, please encourage them to call Senator Gardner’s office or fill out this form so Senator Gardner and his team can work on their behalf.

Travelers must enroll in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive assistance. More information on STEP and the enrollment process can be found here.

COVID-19 Guidance, Resources, and Loan Information:

Apply for a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan for Businesses, Private Non-profits, Homeowners and Renters.

Resources, guidance, and loan resources from the Small Business Administration.

Small Business Guide and Checklist from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

About the Paycheck Protection Program:

The Paycheck Protection Program provides small businesses with funds to pay up to eight weeks of payroll costs including benefits. Funds can also be used to pay interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities.

Overview

Frequently Asked Questions for Small Businesses

Information for Borrowers

Information for Lenders

Borrower Application Form, which can be submitted to a Small Business Administration participating lender.

Find help for individuals and families affected by COVID-19.

What you need to know about direct economic impact payments to individuals.

Click here for the latest news about direct payments to individuals.

FYI: The deadlines to file and pay federal income taxes are extended to July 15, 2020. 

Information about COVID-19 paid sick leave.

Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of fear and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Be wary of price gouging, online and phone scams, and other suspicious activity related to the coronavirus. 

If you suspect any sort of scam or fraud, you can report it by calling 800-222-4444 or at FTC.gov/complaintand StopFraudColorado.gov.

Find the latest coronavirus consumer information from the Colorado Attorney General’s office. 

Here are tips to avoid coronavirus scams from the Federal Trade Commission.

• Gardner and 11 of his bipartisan colleagues urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide stability and relief for bison producers struggling because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic through a purchase of bison meat.
• At Gardner’s request, the Trump Administration announced it would send 100 million rapid point-of-care COVID-19 tests to states with the encouragement that states use these tests to support in-person education.
• On September 16, the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee’s passed Gardner’s Research Investment to Spark the Economy (RISE) Act, bipartisan legislation to provide $26 billion to U.S. researchers who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gardner and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) called on Senate leadership to include robust funding for school telehealth programs to support accessible healthcare services for students across the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
• Gardner called on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to continue utilizing existing flexibilities in the school nutrition and lunch programs this upcoming year.
• Gardner and Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Susan Collins (R-ME) made a bipartisan call to end tariffs on imported food and beverages from the European Union (EU) imposed by the United States Trade Representative (USTR). 
• Gardner and Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) introduced the American Dream Down Payment Act of 2020 to create savings accounts to allow prospective homebuyers to more easily save for down payments and other eligible costs associated with buying a home.
• Gardner made a bipartisan push to support physician training programs in rural communities to strengthen and maintain a physician workforce for the future, especially in rural areas.
• Gardner, Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and the entire Colorado congressional delegation sent a second letter to President Donald Trump asking for extended federal funding for the Colorado National Guard in support of the fight against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Gardner introduced the Back to Work Child Care Grants Act last to provide critical resources to help child care providers in Colorado safely reopen and help support working parents.
• Gardner, Senators Angus King (I-ME), and Steve Daines (R-MT), along with four of their Senate colleagues, urged Senate leadership to increase flexibility for restaurant owners and food supply chain workers under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
• Gardner called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review whether or not the Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System (CCDS) decontamination services could be used for non-healthcare professionals.
• Gardner introduced the Research Investment to Spark the Economy (RISE) Act to authorize $26 billion in support to U.S. researchers who have been impacted by the pandemic.
• Gardner sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) urging the consideration of policies that will bolster jobs and innovation across the clean energy economy in the next COVID-19 relief package.
• Gardner cosponsored the Pandemic Authority Suitable To Utilize Reserve Easements (PASTURE) Act, bipartisan legislation that would allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to authorize emergency haying and grazing on land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) during a pandemic like COVID-19.
• Gardner and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced the Crisis Care Improvement and Suicide Prevention Act, which would direct states to utilize five percent of their Mental Health Block Grant for crisis care services, allowing states to upgrade crisis care programs and strategies.
• Gardner called on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide Congress with a written plan and timeline about any potential changes to Medicare rules governing telehealth.
• Gardner joined 53 Members of Congress in strongly encouraging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to quickly provide further relief to rural healthcare providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gardner joined the Reviving the Economy Sustainably Towards a Recovery in Twenty-twenty (RESTART) Act to support small and mid-sized businesses most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gardner introduced the Timely and Effective Systematic Testing (TEST) Act, sweeping legislation to strengthen the nation’s health preparedness efforts for COVID-19 recovery and future pandemics.
• Gardner introduced the Paycheck Protection Program Extension and Modification Act of 2020, which would allow recipients of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) who have already received a PPP loan apply for a second loan and extend the deadline to apply for PPP loans through December 31, 2020.
• Gardner along with Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) introduced the Timely and Effective Systematic Testing (TEST) Act to strengthen the nation’s health preparedness efforts for COVID-19 recovery and future pandemics.
• Gardner joined the Reviving the Economy Sustainably Towards a Recovery in Twenty-twenty (RESTART) Act to support small and mid-sized businesses most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gardner along with Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and U.S. Representatives Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM) and Jim Hagedorn (R-MN) led 49 Members of Congress in strongly encouraging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to quickly provide further relief to rural healthcare providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gardner and 37 of his Senate colleagues joined in calling on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide Congress with a written plan and timeline about any potential changes to Medicare rules governing telehealth.
• Gardner sent a letter with a bipartisan group of 38 senators urging U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to provide additional funding for children’s hospitals impacted by COVID-19.
• Gardner called for the expansion of access to telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic to be made permanent.
• Gardner sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza urging the Administration to ease paperwork requirements for small businesses seeking loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
• Gardner urged the Senate Committee on Appropriations to support funding for community health centers that provide Americans with critical health care, including testing and treatment of COVID-19.
• Gardner secured confirmation from President Donald Trump that National Guard assistance will continue through mid-August.
• Gardner, Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Representatives Jason Crow (D-CO) and Doug Lamborn (R-CO) led a bipartisan group of 125 members of Congress in a letter to President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor calling on the administration to ensure National Guard servicemembers receive the federal benefits they have earned.
• Gardner and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), along with 41 of their Senate colleagues, wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) urging targeted legislative action to support live music venues in Congress’ next phase of response to COVID-19.
• Gardner and Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act to extend the loan period and provide greater flexibility in where the funds can go.
• Gardner and the Colorado Delegation sent a letter to FEMA requesting that personal protective equipment deliveries to these senior care facilities be continued through June and July.
• Gardner and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse (D-CO) and Jason Crow (D-CO) requested that FEMA cover 100 percent of approved COVID-19-related costs incurred by the state of Colorado and its city, county, and municipal governments and two federally recognized tribes.
• Gardner joined S. 3679, the Newborn CARES Act, to help new parents receive the $500 per child direct payments provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act instead of having to wait next year for the payment.
• Gardner called on the leaders of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship to work to extend the timeframe of the Paycheck Protection Program loans.
• Gardner secured new PPP guidance for seasonal employers to increase their Paycheck Protection Program loan amounts.
• Gardner requested that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other federal agencies take action to protect seniors from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gardner introduced the Paycheck Protection Program Deadline Extension Adjustment for Loans (DEAL) Act to extend the loan forgiveness period from 8 to 16 weeks and amend the rehire date from June 30th to 16 weeks after the PPP loan is awarded.
• Gardner and Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) announced their Rehire America plan to help workers and businesses recover and strengthen over the coming months.
• Gardner joined 22 of his Republican and Democratic colleagues in calling on the Senate to provide additional support to child care workers and providers across the country.
• Gardner joined three of his colleagues on a push to strengthen American manufacturing to address critical needs in the American supply chain.
• Gardner joined a bipartisan, bicameral letter to express unwavering support for Australia amidst recent comments made by Chinese Ambassador Cheng Jingye.
• Gardner joined a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Senate and House leadership requesting additional funding for institutions of higher learning and students to address financial shortcomings related to COVID-19.
• Gardner sent a bipartisan letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to advocate that Congress should not overlook nonprofits, charities, and houses of worship in the fourth-phase relief proposal for the coronavirus pandemic.
• Gardner called for improvements to the Paycheck Protection Program to reflect the needs of small businesses in Colorado.
• Following a bipartisan call to action from Gardner and 40 other Senators, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced it would increase reimbursements for certain telephone-based telehealth.
• Gardner sent a letter with 40 Senators to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requesting an increase for telephone-based telehealth reimbursements.
• Gardner led a bipartisan, bicameral push in Congress with 22 U.S. Senators and 17 U.S. Representatives to include S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, in the next COVID-19 relief package.
• Gardner and Congressman Joe Neguse (D-CO) secured updated guidance from the Small Business Administration to help many mom and pop restaurants access small business loans and weather the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Gardner and members of the Colorado congressional delegation called on Senate and House Leadership to include Gardner’s Great American Outdoors Act to support the nation’s outdoor economy in future economic relief legislation.
• Gardner and a group of bipartisan Senators sent a letter to United Nations Secretary General António Guterres requesting that the UN convene an independent panel of experts to conduct a review of the World Health Organization’s response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
• Gardner sent a letter with 27 bipartisan U.S. Senators to President Trump urging him to eliminate payment limits for livestock, dairy and specialty crop producers in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.
• Gardner and members of the Colorado congressional delegation urged U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to quickly approve the request by Colorado Governor Jared Polis for a Secretarial Disaster Declaration for Colorado’s Western Slope counties impacted by the major freeze event on April 13.
• Gardner and members of the Colorado congressional delegation renewed their call for the Small Business Administration to provide regulatory certainty and ensure that Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Health Clinics are eligible for certain CARES Act assistance.
• Gardner called on congressional leaders to provide the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline with $80 million to support critical suicide prevention activities amid a public health crisis that is upending the social and financial stability of countless Americans.
• Gardner joined a bipartisan group of Colorado Congressional Members in calling on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to expand the definition of “local government” in the CARES Act to help ensure those communities with populations under 500,000 receive support under the Coronavirus Relief Fund.
• Gardner and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to provide much-needed financial certainty for rural communities during the COVID-19 crisis to ensure long-term funding needed for essential services.
• Gardner requested the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assign a liaison to work directly with the livestock and food industries in order to provide resources to keep our domestic and global food supply chain secure.
• Gardner proposed harsher fines and punishment for individuals who use the COVID-19 pandemic to prey on people with scams and fraud and he plans to introduce the Combating Egregious Advertising through Sentencing Enhancement (CEASE) Act, which greatly increases the Federal Trade Commission’s fines and punishment for false advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gardner, along with Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Colorado Governor Jared Polis wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling for additional funding and critical modifications to the Paycheck Protection Program to support small businesses in Colorado and $500 billion in relief to states.
• Gardner sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue calling on the department to extend assistance to the dairy industry, which has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Gardner and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) sent a letter urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure the needs of Colorado’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities are met as the agency allocates disaster relief funds.
• Gardner called for immediate additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program after the Senate failed to provide an extra $250 billion to keep the program running.
• Gardner wrote to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma to encourage both HHS and CMS to develop ways to ensure beneficiaries are able to access necessary medications at home without risking exposure to COVID-19.
• Gardner and members of the Colorado delegation urged the SBA to ensure Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Health Clinics are eligible for assistance under the CARES Act.
• Gardner and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) requested the U.S Department of Agriculture to take additional steps to provide relief for farmers to ensure the continuity of food supply during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gardner and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) called on the Trump Administration to follow Congressional intent as it distributes the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund, which provides emergency funding for state and local governments as part of the CARES Act.
• On April 2, Gardner called for an investigation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services into reports that thousands of ventilators in the Strategic National Stockpile are not operational.
• Gardner wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting that he provide immediate assistance to cattle producers by using the resources provided in the recently enacted CARES Act
• Gardner wrote to the IRS and U.S. Department of Treasury calling on the agencies to automatically qualify seniors for the cash payments established by the CARES Act.
• Gardner urged the Small Business Administration to increase access to loans provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to benefit more workers, restaurants, and franchises in Colorado and across the nation.
• On April 1, Gardner applauded Taiwan’s commitment to donate two million masks to the United States, including 100,000 directly to the state of Colorado.
• Gardner called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide additional COVID-19 testing kits to the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Indian Tribes in Colorado and ensure they have the testing capabilities necessary to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gardner joined members of the Colorado delegation in sending a letter to the directors of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory requesting expedited review of personal protective equipment being developed at Universities in Colorado.
• Immediately after the President signed the CARES Act into law, Gardner joined the Colorado congressional delegation to request that the Small Business Administration immediately implement the act’s loan programs for small businesses. 
• Gardner requested that the U.S. Department of Defense assist the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Transportation Command to repatriate American citizens stranded abroad due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
• Gardner along with several members of the Colorado delegation called on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to quickly review the state’s application for a 1135 waiver to provide Colorado’s Medicaid program more flexibility to serve Coloradans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gardner and several members of the Colorado congressional delegation called on the President to approve the request from Colorado Governor Jared Polis for additional funding to support the Colorado National Guard as they work to respond to statewide incidents related to COVID-19.
• On March 23, Senators Gardner, Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) called for the creation of a taskforce under the National Security Council to counter propaganda emanating from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) surrounding COVID-19.
• On March 21, Senator Gardner unveiled new bipartisan legislation to help Colorado’s rural hospitals and providers amid the coronavirus pandemic with Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO).
• After urging from Senators Gardner and Michael Bennet (D-CO), Congressman Scott Tipton (R-CO), and Attorney General Phil Weiser, it was announced that Denver ABC and Fox will air in La Plata County, finally connecting Colorado satellite viewers in the Four Corners region with Colorado news and emergency information.
• Gardner and bipartisan colleagues introduced the MEP Crisis Response Act of 2020, which would help Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers stay open during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
• Senators Gardner and Michael Bennet (D-CO), Congressman Scott Tipton (R-CO), and Attorney General Phil Weiser wrote to Denver-based television broadcasters and satellite companies calling for a solution to provide residents of Southwest Colorado with access to in-state programming during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.
• On March 19, Gardner urged Senate leadership to include a fix to allow rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to bill Medicare for telehealth services in future legislation related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
• Gardner urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to waive the remainder of U.S. Forest Service fee payments in 2020 for ski areas leasing public lands to assist in the lost revenues related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
• On March 18, Gardner voiced his support for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which was passed by the Senate and signed into law.
• On March 17, Gardner called for additional provisions known as the American Workforce Act to support American workers and boost the economy to be included in the economic stimulus package being considered by the Senate in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Gardner and the entire Colorado congressional delegation wrote to the Administrator of the Small Business Association on March 17 requesting that the SBA approve the Governor of Colorado’s request for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) declaration.
• On March 17, Gardner requested that the Federal Emergency Management Agency provide clear guidelines to state and local governments on the options available to them under the national emergency declaration.
• On March 16, Gardner urged the Department of Veterans Affairs to take every precaution to ensure veterans receive quality medical care during the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Congress approved $8.3 billion for the United States to prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 outbreak on March 5, with Gardner’s support.
• At Gardner’s urging, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Robert Lighthizer removed tariffs on certain medical products that are necessary for the U.S. to prepare for the COVID-19 outbreak.
• On March 4, Gardner pressed Senate witnesses about the United States’ preparedness for the COVID-19 outbreak at a hearing held by the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation and Space’s hearing titled “From SARS to Coronavirus: Examining the Role of Global Aviation in Containing the Spread of Infectious Disease.”
• Gardner and the entire Colorado congressional delegation sent a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Wellness and Response on March 4 in support of the State of Colorado’s grant request to ensure preparedness for the novel coronavirus outbreak.  
• On February 28, Gardner wrote to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Robert Lighthizer requesting USTR remove section 301 import tariffs on medical products that are necessary for the U.S. to prepare for the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
• On February 27, Gardner wrote to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Federal Aviation Administrator Steve Dickson requesting information regarding the United States’ domestic and international screening and prevention practices for the coronavirus with regard to countries with a growing number of hotspots.
• On February 6, Gardner wrote to Senate Appropriations leaders requesting that they work with the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure robust funding for the outbreak response.
• On January 31, Gardner wrote to World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros concerning Taiwan’s exclusion from the WHO and WHO-sponsored emergency briefings regarding the coronavirus.
• Also on January 31, Gardner wrote to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Azar requesting that the novel coronavirus taskforce coordinate with medical supply manufacturers to ensure that the U.S. has a medical supply strategy in place to address possible shortages in light of potential further spread of the virus.
• In January after the first reports of the coronavirus were confirmed in the U.S., Gardner contacted the CDC to inquire about steps that they plan to take to contain the outbreak and work with other domestic and international agencies to develop screening practices and treatments.
• Gardner also contacted the State Department with concerns about the coronavirus and its implication for global health, and China’s handling of the outbreak.
• At Gardner’s urging on January 24, the U.S. Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a briefing from top U.S. officials regarding the coronavirus.