Small Business Quarantined Employee Grant

Governor Herbert announced additional help for small businesses in Utah with less than 50 employees. Small businesses can apply for the Small Business Quarantined Employee Grant if their employee’s have tested positive for COVID-19 or confirmed exposure and need to isolate/quarantine. Employers can use the grant to pay employees who have been asked to stay home for up to 40 hours a week for 2 calendar weeks. This is an additional resource to the FFCRA paid sick leave which could provide up to 4 weeks of paid leave for those who have been infected if needed.

• Less than 50 employees in Utah.
• One or more of your employees receiving notice that the employee must quarantine or isolate due to positive COVID-19 test or exposure to someone who has tested positive.
• Continued to pay out regular wages to an employee(s) while the employee was in
  quarantine/isolation.

Documentation of Quarantine/Isolation

• For employees who have tested positive, the employee would provide a copy of the positive test to the employer who would then include that copy in the grant application.
• For an individual who has been exposed by close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, contact tracers are contacting every close contact and can provide a certificate that the individual can offer to his/her employer if necessary.
• In the event of a surge in cases when full contact tracing is more difficult, a contact tracer may provide a certificate to a business where a positive case is known to work, which may be provided by the employer to close contacts at the workplace, indicating that the person should be in quarantine and is eligible for testing.
• For close contacts who are not co-workers need a certificate for testing/quarantine, they may email contact.tracing@utah.gov to request this certificate.

Any of these certificates is acceptable verification of an employee being asked to quarantine or isolate.

This grant is a state program for small business employers in Utah and is not affiliated with the FFCRA. This grant’s benefits cannot be used for the same employee during the same time period that FFCRA benefits are sought.

The grant is effective October 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020. Click HERE to apply. And as always, you can contact a Squire Advisor if you have any questions or want to discuss your specific situation and options.