The Coronavirus Pandemic is Straining Food Supply Chain

Now, in the second month of the COVID-19 shutdown in Connecticut, the disconnect between what officials say about the food supply and what the economically challenged are experiencing is obvious: hundreds of people in cars lined up for bags of free groceries, half empty grocery store shelves, and food banks and pantries just flat out of food.

Officials up and down government insist the U.S. has plenty of food, including Gov. Ned Lamont, who last week called it “anxiety” about a shortage rather than an actual shortage.

“Our food supply in this state, in this country, in our food banks, is strong,” Lamont said.

Those on the ground say otherwise, and some are calling for a re-evaluation and better coordination of food systems, possibly from the state level.

For now, it’s evident the coronavirus pandemic has created massive problems and unprecedented challenges related to state and federal food policies or systems along two paths. One challenge is in maintaining the food supply itself. The other is in administering the various financial assistance streams needed to keep Connecticut and other Americans fed.

Parts of the supply chain have been threatened by COVID-19. And consumers may not be feeling the impacts of the most pronounced disruption yet - the ripple effect from the closure of several meat processing plants that closed after COVID-19 outbreaks among their workers.

Wednesday, Tyson suspended operations at its largest pork processing plant in Waterloo, Iowa. That follows Smithfield Foods shutting pork processing plants in Wisconsin and Missouri after the closure of its Sioux Falls, SD plant — one of the largest single-source COVID hotspots in the country.

There are reports of more than a dozen pork, beef and chicken plants now closed in several states including Colorado and Pennsylvania. That will likely exacerbate the potential for shortages and high prices beyond what was already occurring as shoppers cleared out grocery stores and food-strapped food banks found themselves competing with the general public in retail establishments.

Long haul trucking to get produce from the two biggest growing areas - California and Florida - has had a tough time meeting the faster purchasing pace, especially with the additional time now needed for cleaning trucks and supplies and ensuring the health of drivers traveling through COVID-19-stricken states.

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See The True Heroes of COVID-19 and How They're Filling the Void

We know a lot about how leaders can launch a nimble response to a fast-moving crisis. They need to do rapid sense-making by convening the best experts to collect and digest emerging data and information. They must be frank and transparent about what they know and don’t know about the situation and communicate clearly and continuously about what they are doing to respond. The best leaders also convey empathy for what their people are experiencing, and extend care and reassurance in uncertain times.  

Most of all, leaders need to encourage and steer rapid scale innovation. Crises are fast-moving and laden with uncertainty. Decisions must often be made without full information and strategies have to be adapted to quickly changing circumstances. To mount a nimble crisis response, leaders must create the conditions to empower many people everywhere to help solve the problems at hand and push the best ideas forward to execute at scale.

In nimble organizations, the people who generate new ideas are entrepreneurial leaders, while the people who help them do what needs to be done are the enabling leaders, and the people responsible for high-level vision, strategy and resource allocation, as well as for collecting and disseminating information about the situation, are the architecting leaders. 

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Hopes for Quick Coronavirus Stimulus Deal Break Down

Hopes for a quick bipartisan deal on a massive stimulus package quickly unraveled on Sunday as lawmakers remain deadlocked on several key provisions.

A meeting between the four congressional leaders and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin failed to break the stalemate as Democrats voiced concern that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is trying to jam them with a bill they have not signed off on.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said as he left the meeting that they did not have a deal.

“We continue to talk,” he said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said after the meeting that House Democrats would offer their own stimulus package that she hoped would be “compatible” with the Senate’s package.

“I don’t know about Monday but we’re still talking,” Pelosi told reporters, referring to the preferred GOP timeline for passing a bill.

The impasse comes as the Senate will hold a first procedural vote at 3 p.m., where bipartisan support will be needed to move forward.

Democrats will meet at 1 p.m. to discuss their strategy. McConnell has given no indication that he will delay the vote, potentially forcing Democrats to either move forward with the GOP leader’s plan or block the bill from advancing. Schumer did not say as he left the meeting if Democrats would allow the bill to move forward.

McConnell told reporters after the meeting that he would move forward as planned with the scheduled 3 p.m. procedural vote, and still wants to pass a stimulus package on Monday. He described the talks as "very close," but acknowledged that people were still "elbowing and maneuvering for room."

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Pennsylvania Police to Enforce Business Closures

The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) plan to enforce the closures of non-life-sustaining businesses that were ordered by Gov. Tom Wolf (D) in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, the agency said Sunday.

PSP Commissioner Col. Robert Evanchick said in a release that the state police, along with other state officials, will ensure Wolf’s order is followed. Wolf said Thursday that all businesses had to close amid the pandemic, except for “life-sustaining” businesses like grocery stores, gas stations, farms and transit systems.

Evanchick said in the release that violations of Wolf’s order could lead to fines, jail time or “additional administrative penalties.” 

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Pelosi says House will draft its own coronavirus funding bill

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on Sunday that House Democrats would draft their own coronavirus stimulus bill after all sides failed to reach a deal on a massive proposal being negotiated in the Senate.

“We’ll be introducing our own bill and hopefully it will be compatible with what they discuss on the Senate side,” Pelosi said as she left a short meeting in the Capitol with the leaders of both parties negotiating the stimulus package.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has scheduled a procedural vote for 3 p.m. on Sunday to jumpstart the process, and has vowed a second vote on the massive proposal Monday.

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