Small business owners across the country are hurting as the coronavirus crisis deprives them of customers and states enforce closures of all except essential businesses.
Indian American restauranteur Arun Mirchandani told CNBC he had shuttered his eatery in deference to his workers safety, but “As far as small businesses go, we have probably taken the biggest hit.”
Small businesses like these make up more than 99% of all American enterprise reports the Business Insider, and employ more than half of the US workforce.
As the outbreak spreads with economic disruption in its wake, small businesses face the brunt of its impact from the loss of customers, wage cuts, staffing cutbacks and even closures; a recent survey reports that more than 80% of small businesses expect the situation to get worse.
The federal government has responded with a $2 trillion stimulus package to stabilize the US economy and earmarked more than $300 billion for small businesses in the form of loans and payroll-tax deferment.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act will provide emergency loans to small-midsize businesses to prevent layoffs and to continue paying workers during the crisis. Businesses of 500 or fewer employees that continue to employ and pay workers through the pandemic are eligible.
Entrepreneur, investor and strategist Shukoor Ahmed reviewed the 1400 page Relief Bill Division A of the bill, which provides more than $377 billion in support to small businesses. It includes prominent measures from the Keeping American Workers Employed and Paid Act and the COVID-19 RELIEF for Small Businesses Act of 2020.
He has provided summaries of the small business provisions in the stimulus via the following links. .
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
