Laserfiche WebLink
Treasury is further clarifying that when providing COVID-19 prevention and mitigation <br />services, recipients can identify the impacted population as the general public. Treasury <br />presumes that all enumerated eligible uses for programs and services, including COVID-19 <br />mitigation and prevention programs and services, are reasonably proportional responses to the <br />harm identified unless a response is grossly disproportionate to the type or extent of harm <br />experienced. Note that capital expenditures are not considered "programs and services" and are <br />not presumed to be reasonably proportional responses to an identified harm except as provided in <br />section Capital Expenditures in General Provisions: Other. In other words, recipients can provide <br />any COVID-19 prevention or mitigation service to members of the general public without any <br />further analysis of impacts of the pandemic on those individuals and whether the service is <br />responsive. <br />This approach gives recipient governments an extensive set of eligible uses that can adapt <br />to local needs, as well as evolving response needs and developments in understanding of <br />transmission of COVID-19. Treasury emphasizes how the enumerated eligible uses can adapt to <br />changing circumstances. For example, when the interim final rule was released, national daily <br />COVID-19 cases were at relatively low levels and declining;69 as the Delta variant spread and <br />cases peaked in many areas of the country, particularly those with low vaccination rates, <br />government response needs and tactics evolved, and the SLFRF funds provided the ability to <br />quickly and nimbly adapt to new public health needs. Treasury also notes that funds may be used <br />to support compliance with and implementation of COVID-19 safety requirements, including <br />vaccination requirements, testing programs, or other required practices. <br />69 See Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID Data Tracker, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data- <br />tracker/#trends_dailycases (last visited December 7, 2021). <br />57 <br />