Paducah Chamber Contributes to Small Business Relief Fund: The Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors recently approved a contribution of $5,000 to the city’s Small Business Relief Fund. “Small businesses make up over 80% of our total membership,” said Chad Beyer, Chairman of the Chamber Board. “The Chamber is committed to serving the businesses of this community and this is a way for us to show our support to them. We are proud to be a part of this effort and to partner with other community members to provide this financial assistance.”
Beyer said the Chamber usually celebrates the month of May as Small Business Month with a kick off at the May Power in Partnership breakfast and other seminars and special events. With COVID-19 the Chamber will not be having any in-person group meetings or events in May. “We are proud to be a part of this effort to lift up our small businesses and continue to recognize them through this contribution,” he added.
The Small Business Relief Fund is a partnership of the City of Paducah, West Kentucky Technical and Community College and the Community Foundation of West Kentucky. To donate to the Small Business Relief Fund, go to the Community Foundation’s website at cfwestky.org, call 270-442-8622 or mail to the Community Foundation, P.O. Box 7, Paducah, KY 42001.
Kentucky Reopening Plan: Gov. Beshear on Tuesday shared new guidelines to help businesses as they prepare for a gradual reopening while continuing to keep all workers and patrons safe. He said the guidelines apply to most employers.
The 10 rules to reopening a business under the Healthy at Work plan are:
Continue telework where possible
Phased return to work
Onsite temperature/health checks
Universal masks and other necessary PPE
Close common areas
Enforce social distancing
Limit face-to-face meetings
Sanitizer/hand wash stations
Special accommodations
Testing plan
This week, Kentucky began the phased reopening of health care services as the first step under Gov. Beshear’s Healthy at Work initiative, which set out public health benchmarks for reopening Kentucky’s economy. The phased reopening included radiology and lab services, clinics and medical offices, chiropractic offices, and optometrists. Dental offices may reopen under Phase 1, provided they follow certain protocols and have the proper equipment to do so. The Board of Dentistry, along with the Kentucky Dental Association, Kentucky Dental Hygienists’ Association and a number of other groups have developed the following guidelines for safely operating dental offices under Phase 1.
This initial Phase 1 does not apply to long-term care settings, prisons and other industries or other settings, nor does it apply to elective surgeries or procedures.
Phase 2 is set to begin Wednesday, May 6. At that time, outpatient surgeries and other invasive procedures can resume, though hospital and care facilities will have to meet strict guidelines.
Phase 3 is scheduled to start Wednesday, May 13. Hospitals and care facilities can begin doing non-emergency surgeries and procedures at 50% of their pre-COVID-19-era patient volume.
Officials want the final stage, Phase 4, to being Wednesday, May 27. At that point, most of the restrictions on types of procedures and volume will be left to the facilities to determine. However, oversight and guidelines meant to ensure that capacity remains in the system will continue.
Masks Required by May 11: The Governor said that by May 11, everybody working for or visiting an essential business that is reopening should be wearing a mask. He said every Kentuckian should wear a mask when going to the grocery, into any place of business or any place where social distancing of keeping at least six-feet apart might be broken. Dr. Steven Stack, Commissioner for the Department for Public Health said the mask has “to cover your nose and go beneath your mouth. Ideally, it also should go below your chin.”
KY Unemployment Payments Update and New Hotline Number: Gov. Beshear provided an update on the state’s efforts to work through an unprecedented number of unemployment insurance claims. He said nearly 174,000 claims have been paid out totaling more than $173 million. However, he noted that about 37,000 claims from March remain unprocessed. The Governor said a variety of issues were causing the delays, including employer separation and identity verification issues. The new hotline number is 844-958-4627.
PPP News: The Small Business Administration has issued Payment Protection Program loans as of yesterday totaling:
Overall
Number of approved loans: 475,000+
$ volume of approved loans: $52 billion+
Number of lenders: 5,100+
Businesses can apply through any existing SBA 7(a) lender or through any federally insured depository institution, federally insured credit union, and Farm Credit System institution that is participating. Consult with your local lender as to whether it is participating in the program.
Review Procedure for Paycheck Protection Program Loans: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin and U.S. Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza issued the following statement yesterday on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): “The Paycheck Protection Program is providing critical support to millions of small businesses and tens of millions of hardworking Americans.
“We have noted the large number of companies that have appropriately reevaluated their need for PPP loans and promptly repaid loan funds in response to SBA guidance reminding all borrowers of an important certification required to obtain a PPP loan. To further ensure PPP loans are limited to eligible borrowers, the SBA has decided, in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, that it will review all loans in excess of $2 million, in addition to other loans as appropriate, following the lender’s submission of the borrower’s loan forgiveness application. Regulatory guidance implementing this procedure will be forthcoming.
“We remain fully committed to ensuring that America’s workers and small businesses get the resources they need to get through this challenging time.”
Send Us A Video! We want to showcase your business on our Facebook page! It’s easy and painless. Just create a short video (on your phone is fine) to promote your business. Take about 30 to no more than 45 seconds to share with others information about your business, your hours, a special you have, discount, etc. Be creative to inspire others to do business with you through online shopping, carryout, pickup, delivery, telebusiness, etc. Click here for more details!
Chamber Resource Site: Please visit our COVID-19 website - this is your ONE stop resource site!
Is your business looking for money saving opportunities with health insurance or workers compensation costs? The Paducah Chamber offers these programs to help you.
