I may be misunderstanding this, but I think you can apply to have those 14 days paid by the federal coronavirus emergency fund. Kind of like the way FEMA gives grants to people in disaster zones. Like I said, I may be all wrong.
You have to pay the employee and the make a claim, and the claim has to be approved. I’m not in an industry that such claims are a priority. And it’s likely that the benefit will be extended. So I will still be better off laying off my employees before the virus hits
FEMA does not ‘GIVE’ grants to people in disaster situations. They provide grants to cities and entities, but not individuals except temporary rent/housing assistance but it is awful what the offer. I was impacted with major loses and FEMA was nice, but sent me to SBA disaster relief and they offered me a ‘loan’.