The National Retail Federation (NRF), the world’s largest retail trade association, has petitioned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to include retail workers in the early phases of COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

The new $900 billion COVID stimulus package passed this week by Congress contains a number of new provisions that could directly affect BrandSource members, including additional Paycheck Protection Program funding (PPP) and relaxed deductibility rules.

Over 500 state and national trade associations, including the National Retail Federation (NRF), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, are pressing Congress to restore tax deductibility for business expenses paid with forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

In the wake of criticism for issuing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to financially viable companies like Shake Shack and the Los Angeles Lakers, and amid suspicion of widespread program abuse and fraud, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is seeking permission to question borrowers who received $2 million or more in PPP loans.

A renewed wave of COVID-19 is surging across the country, and BrandSource members are not immune.

The United Appliance Servicers Association (UASA), a BrandSource partner and arguably the nation’s largest appliance repair trade group, has pulled the plug on next February’s Annual Service Training Institute (ASTI) due to COVID-related health concerns.

Tempur Sealy plans to employ an antimicrobial and antiviral technology to select Sealy, Tempur-Pedic and Stearns & Foster mattresses in 2021.

Here’s another interesting effect of the coronavirus that we didn’t expect or at least use in our estimates for economic expansion or contraction: COVID-19 has greatly reduced the time we spend on the highways.

I have been following America’s economy for more than 60 years and have documented some extraordinary events over that time, but nothing prepared me for what I have witnessed in 2020.

As we continue to navigate our way through business during COVID-19, we have to remind ourselves that it’s imperative to make sure our shopping environments are always safe, informative and upbeat, whether we’re in a pandemic or not. It just makes long-term sense to operate this way.