NCPA Urges Swift Passage of COVID-19 Relief, Aid for Essential Businesses

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The National Community Pharmacists Association supports provisions in Senate Republican coronavirus relief legislation presented Monday that would shield essential small businesses from opportunistic lawsuits, provide additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program and offer tax credits to offset costs of safety precautions, said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey. Policymakers should swiftly negotiate a final package, according to Hoey, that maintains these provisions and also provides or ensures hazard pay and lets pharmacists administer tests and vaccines.

“It’s absolutely necessary to shield essential small businesses from opportunistic lawsuits, provide additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, and offer tax credits to offset costs of safety precautions,” says Hoey.sLeaders in both houses of Congress should move quickly to negotiate a final package, he said.

NCPA launched its “Essential” campaign earlier this month aimed at pushing Congress to include important small-business elements in the next round of COVID-19 relief. The NCPA plan calls for: