CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCES

Key Resources

• Commonwealth of Massachusetts  
  • COVID-19 Guidance and Directives- Businesses and Employers
  • Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency

• U.S. Department of Labor
• COVID-19 Resources

• National Retail Federation
  • Coronavirus Resources for Retailers
  • Federal Coronavirus Economic Stimulus Legislation

 Openings, Gatherings and Operations

• Openings
• Essential Services Order | List of Essential Services | Essential Services FAQ's

• Gatherings
  • Assemblage Guidance
  • Stay At Home Advisory

• Operations 
• Department of Public Health
• Pharmacy-Grocery Order (mandating alternative shopping hours for seniors, banning reusable bags, and other strategies to reduce exposure)
• Grocery Stores Employees Emergency Child Care- List of Providers
• Law Allows for Restaurant Beer/Wine Sales with Takeout Meals

• Other Actions
  • Attorney General 
    • Price Gouging of Essential Products and Services (Amendment)
    • FAQ’s- Employee Rights & Employer Obligations
  • MA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)- Temporary Suspension of Bottle Deposit Redemption Enforcements  

Business Financing Programs 

• Massachusetts - Small Business Recovery Loan Fund
• U.S. Small Business Administration
  • COVID-19 Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources
  • Loan Programs
  • • Economic Injury Disaster Loan - Apply for Assistance
    • Act now! No cost to apply, no obligation to take if approved.
    • Issued on first come first serve basis.
    • Loans take 3-4 weeks (check Express Bridge Loan eligibility)
    • Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance  
    • A loan advance of $10,000 that is available to applicants who have been approved for an EIDL; it does not need to be repaid, so you can think of the Advance as a grant for business expenses
    • Express Bridge Loan Pilot Program Guide
    • Allows existing SBA Express borrowers to access funds used to bridge the gap while applying for a direct EIDL discussed above.
    • The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) 
      • PPP Overview - loan program designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep workers on the payroll. Loans are up to $10M, with a 0.5% interest rate and a 2-year maturity; there are no payments for the first six months
      • PPP Information for Borrowers
      • PPP Guidance
      • Application

• NRF Retail Webinar – Small Business Loans – COVID-19-Apr 5 2020

Unemployment Insurance

• Department of Unemployment Assistance
  • Information on Unemployment and COVID-19
  • Filing for Benefits 
  • Informational Town Halls  
  • Cares Act Guidance

Taxation

• Department of Revenue
  • Sales Tax Filing and Payment Schedule Delay
  • TIR 20-2: Late-File and Late-Pay Penalty Relief for Certain Business Taxpayers Affected by the COVID-19 State of Emergency
  • Internal Revenue Service
    • Employee Retention Credit - fully refundable tax credit for employers equal to 50 percent of qualified wages (including allocable qualified health plan expenses) that Eligible Employers pay their employees. NOTE: ERC’s may not be claimed on wages paid for leave or sick time under the FFCRA (see below).
      • Employee Retention Credit FAQ’s

Federal Expansion of Paid Leave and Sick Time - Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)

• U.S.  Department of Labor- Wage and Hour Division
  • Fact Sheet for Employers
  • Fact Sheet for Employees
  • Questions & Answers
  • Required Employee Notice Poster