Coronavirus/COVID-19: Information for companies

Information from the Schneider + Partner advisory group

Status: 26.03.2020

Information on issues relating to securing liquidity,,

on liquidity support,

of labour law and tax law,

to short-time work and the short-time allowance,

insolvency money and

möglicher possible quarantine measures according to the infection protection law

Overview of grants and cover letters

Information by Battke Grünberg Attorneys at Law PartGmbB

Current recommendations for employers in connection with the corona virus: Coronavirus - To Do for employers

Information from eureos GmbH

Current information on employment law, tax law, business administration: Corona-Newsportal - How you as a company overcome the crisis

• 1. liquidity assistance and guarantees
• 2. tax deferrals, waiver of enforcement measures and late payment penalties
• 3. flexible short-time working allowance and working time arrangements
• 4. measures to suspend or extend the obligations to file for insolvency

Information from KPMG Law

Client information: Coronavirus - current questions and answers at a glance

Biostatistical Corona-Blog of QuoData GmbH

QuoData GmbH has launched a blog to evaluate the spread of the coronavirus in an international context. QuoData's statistics experts follow the development of the pandemic and regularly make the results of their analyses available.

Lipotype GmbH

Planning lipidomics research: We thought about how to support you during COVID-19

If you have any questions about supply chain/logistics, the World Courier team will be happy to assist you:

infolej@worldcourier.de

Mr. Fekete rfekete@worldcourier.de

Mr. Pohle mpohle@worldcourier.de

Labor- und Reinraumtechnik Arnsdorf GmbH

Protective measures at the workplace/production site:

• Protective walls made of acrylic glass or polycarbonate in thicknesses 5 -8 mm, individually according to customer specifications (example 1, example 2)
• Face covering (example 3, example 4) Gesichtsbedeckung (Beispiel 3, Beispiel 4)

Cluster IT Mitteldeutschland e. V.:

Help with ICT issues such as communication, collaboration, ICT infrastructure and information security

Energy Saxony e. V.:

#WirVsVirus Hackathon

futureSAX GmbH:

short-term offers of help Corona pandemic

Business Angels Netzwerk Deutschland e. V.:

Corona - how can start-up liquidity be secured?

Sächsisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Verkehr:

Special programme for micro-enterprises  

City of Dresden - Office for Economic Development:

Dresden emergency programme for micro-enterprises, self-employed and freelancers

Use tax measures in case of economic difficulties caused by coronavirus

The Saxon State Ministry of Finance has announced that companies that get into financial difficulties as a result of the coronavirus can take advantage of tax aid offers from the tax authorities. In concrete terms, current advance payments for income tax or corporate income tax can be reduced or suspended upon application. Tax payments due can be deferred; late payment surcharges can be waived. Enforcement measures can also be temporarily waived. Affected companies are advised to contact their responsible tax office in good time. In addition, the coalition committee in Berlin has decided on tax policy measures to ease the burden on business, such as improved depreciation possibilities for digital assets.

Action by the European Commission

Guarantees

Small grants programme

Liquidity support

The Free State of Saxony grants affected companies interest-subsidised liquidity aid loans, state guarantees, etc., to bridge liquidity difficulties caused by supply bottlenecks, order cancellations or payment defaults. The contact for this is the Sächsische Aufbaubank - Förderbank (SAB). Consultations are free of charge, the SAB's advisory centre can be reached on the hotline number 0351 4910-1100.

Short-time work compensation
he legislator has significantly facilitated access to short-time work benefits. Previously, employers had to pay 80 percent of the lost social security contributions themselves, not only from their own share, but also from the employee's share. What is new is that these social contributions are reimbursed at 100 percent. In addition, companies can already make use of short-time work compensation if only 10 percent of employees are affected by the loss of work - instead of the previous one-third. Normally, the payment of short-time work benefits is limited to 12 months, but it can now be extended to 24 months. The short-time allowance is applied for at the regional employment agency.

Important questions and answers on short-time work compensation

https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/unternehmen/finanziell/kurzarbeitergeld-uebersicht-kurzarbeitergeldformen

https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/unternehmen/finanziell/kurzarbeitergeld-video

https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/coronavirus/bundestag-kurzarbeitergeld-1729626

Compensation for loss of earnings during quarantine

Saxon companies, self-employed persons and freelancers who are officially quarantined due to the corona virus, who are subject to a ban on activities and thus suffer a loss of earnings, can apply for compensation via the Saxony Regional Directorate. In the case of salaried employees, the employer usually continues to pay the salary initially. The employer can subsequently have the money refunded by the Saxony Regional Directorate upon application. The basis for the compensation is the law for the prevention and control of infectious diseases in humans (Infektionsschutzgesetz). According to this law, compensation for the first six weeks of quarantine is based on the loss of earnings, i.e. net pay. From the beginning of the seventh week, the compensation is based on the amount of sickness benefit.

However, if employees are unfit for work - i.e. they are on medical leave - the benefits of the employer and the health insurance company take priority. There is therefore no entitlement to compensation for the period of sick leave. According to the Infection Protection Act, the self-employed and freelancers are also compensated for loss of earnings. The basis for calculating the compensation is the last available income tax assessment. Applications must be submitted to the Saxony Regional Directorate within a period of three months after the interruption of activities or the end of quarantine.

Subsidies

Dresden emergency programme for micro-enterprises, self-employed and freelancers

Consulting Center Consolidation

Rescue and restructuring programme for small and medium-sized enterprises in difficulty

Liquidity support measures

KfW Business Loan

Promotion of consultancy

Crowdfunding

Aescuvest offers a unique opportunity to all start-ups and research companies that want to realise projects related to #Covid19: Aescuvest realises a crowdfunding campaign in the shortest possible time to finance your research projects or to accelerate the market entry of your products and solutions. In addition, Aesucuvest can help you to access EU and national funds as quickly as possible. Take advantage of the positive tailwind from the public and investors and shorten your time to market considerably.

Click here to find out more: https://www.aescuvest.eu/fight-covid19/

more information:

Crowdfunding campaign
Video of the campaign

The German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) generally recommends compliance with the hygiene rules that also apply to protection against influenza:

• avoid shaking hands
• wash hands regularly and thoroughly
• keep your hands out of your face
• coughing and sneezing into a handkerchief or the crook of your arm
• keep your distance in case of illness
• ventilate closed rooms regularly

The trade association responsible for your company offers notices for hygiene information. You can find a list of professional associations on the website of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGVU). For the general public, the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) also offers infographics for download.

Another possibility is to enable working in a home office, depending on the operational possibilities. Instead of business trips, video conferences or telephone conferences may also be possible.

In addition, the DGUV has published 10 tips for operational pandemic planning. However, these do not specifically refer to the corona virus.

Information on occupational safety and working conditions in connection with the corona virus is also available on the website of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

What else can entrepreneurs do?
Even independently of the corona virus, it is always advisable for companies to pack an "emergency case" in case the managing director falls ill. This case should contain powers of attorney, a representation plan, information on customer and supplier structures and a document folder with bank details and passwords.

How can I prepare the company for a pandemic?
The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief has published a manual on "Operational Pandemic Planning" for the influenza virus. It is intended to serve as a guide for companies that want to draw up their own pandemic plan in order to fulfil their duty of care towards employees and at the same time be able to maintain business operations. The great diversity of products and services, customers and suppliers, company structures and size requires companies to plan individually. The handbook therefore functions as a guide with checklists in which as many points worth considering as possible are listed. Although it was prepared for an influenza pandemic, it can also be used as a guide for a coronavirus pandemic.

What do companies that send employees abroad have to consider?
A employee may not in principle refuse to work or to be posted. However, if there is a travel warning from the Foreign Office for the country or region, a refusal may be justified. Irrespective of this, in view of the progressive spread of the coronavirus and the associated restrictions in various countries, companies should consider whether the respective trip is currently sensible or absolutely necessary. Whether the employer must bring back employees already working abroad or at least have them brought to a safe country depends on the individual case

What if a large number of employees fall ill, order or delivery bottlenecks occur and therefore the business cannot be maintained?
The employer bears the operational risk. In such a case, however, companies may be able to apply for short-time work. However, a company must first exhaust all other possibilities to avoid short-time working (e.g. holidays, reduction of overtime, home office/mobile working or similar).

If employees in your company show symptoms of Covid 19 disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, you should contact your local health authority immediately. You can obtain the contact details, for example, from a database of the Robert Koch Institute. The public health department is then responsible for both the reporting procedure and the imposition of further measures.

Infected persons are usually asked by the public health department about their contacts in the past few days and their symptoms, they are registered by name and, if necessary, undergo laboratory tests. You should cooperate with the Office in this respect. For contacts who show symptoms but are not seriously ill, the Health Office can order a home quarantine.