Reopening and Recovery

Retail Guidelines

• OSHA – Guidance for Retail
• National Retail Federation Checklist

Cosmetology Guidelines
Kansas Board of Cosmetology Guidelines

PPE items - these members offer Personal Protective Equipment 

Kansas Department of Health and Environment

Riley County Health Department

Funding

Disaster assistance fund for Manhattan businesses from the Manhattan Chamber. The application for the loan which can be up to $5,000 (greater under certain circumstances) can be found here. Please read this overview before applying.

Loan Amounts: Amount of funds awarded determined based upon the details in the application. Loans up to $5,000 for for-profit businesses located in the City of Manhattan, up to $10,000 for business ineligible for SBA disaster relief, Kansas HIRE program or any other state or federal program created to assist business during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, and up to 20,000 for primary employers defined as businesses that export over 75 percent of its product or service outside of the City of Manhattan that have maintained at least 80% of its employees from the 4th quarter of 2019 to March 31, 2020 and maintain employment levels for 12 months following award.

PPP has plenty of money for small businesses and program enhancements, but deadline to apply is June 30
On Friday, June 5 the President signed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 (H.R. 7010), which made several enhancements to the very successful Paycheck Protection Program. About $130 billion remains to be loaned, but, small businesses must contact a lender and apply by June 30.
Here are a few of the enhancements made to the PPP in H.R. 7010:

• Extends the maturity for loans made on or after June 5, 2020 from two years to five years.
• Extends the covered period from June 30, 2020 to December 31, 2020 for forgiveness of PPP loans.
• Extends the covered period for the use of loan proceeds from eight weeks to 24 weeks.
• Provides a safe harbor for small businesses from the rehire requirements if the business owner can
  document their inability to hire employees for unfilled positions by December 31, 2020 or their inability to
  return to the same level of business activity because of federal COVID requirements pertaining to social
  distancing, sanitation, and worker safety.
• Allows borrowers to use 60 percent of the loan amount for payroll costs and up to 40 percent for debt
  obligations, including interest on a mortgage, rent payment, or utility payment.
• Extends the deferment period for loans retroactively until the amount of forgiveness is remitted to the
  borrower by the lender (the deferment period ends for all borrowers 10 months after the end of the
  covered period).
• Delays the payment of employer payroll taxes until January 1, 2021 for PPP borrowers.
  
  For additional resources and a list of lenders participating in the Paycheck Protection Program,
  visit www.sba.gov/PPP.

SBA Disaster Assistance in Response to the Coronavirus
The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering designated states and territories low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications are being accepted online and there is an up-front $10,000 emergency grant program. For more information and to apply, go to https://covid19relief.sba.gov/. Note that If you apply for an EIDL and the grant, you can still apply for a PPP loan. However, if you choose to accept the PPP loan, the amount forgiven will be decreased by the $10,000 grant.

Small Business Owners Guide to multiple Federal relief options from the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Live Chat feature available on the Kansas Department of Commerce COVID-19 Response webpage specifically to provide support to Kansas businesses and nonprofits applying for Economic Injury Disaster Loans through the U.S. Small Business Association.

Kansas Creates Hospitality Industry Relief Emergency Fund
The Kelly Administration has established the Hospitality Industry Relief Emergency (HIRE) Fund to provide bridge loans for Kansas’ hospitality sector during the COVID-19 crisis. In order to sustain operations for this sector, the administration has allocated $5 million for a round of bridge loans to hospitality businesses. Eligible businesses in Kansas will be able to apply for a one-time loan of up to $20 thousand at 0% interest for a period of 36 months. There will be no principal or interest payments for the first four months.
Due to the overwhelming initial response, we regret to announce that all initial funds available through the HIRE Fund have been allocated at this time. However, they are keeping the form open and will continue to collect information from Kansas hospitality businesses on the losses they are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resources

We encourage local businesses and Manhattan residents to monitor the situation and be diligent in protecting themselves. The Chamber has compiled resources, both locally and nationally, for its business members and the general public.

Our goal is to minimize the impact on our community by looking to our public health experts for guidance related to COVID-19. Here are some additional resources for your reference.

• Kansas Department of Health and Environment
• Riley County Health Department - In cooperation with Ascension Via Christi and local medical partners a screening phone line available at 785-323-6400. 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Guidance for Businesses and Employers – CDC
• Risk Assessment Guidance – CDC
• Kansas Department of Labor

Resources from the U.S. Chamber

• Federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP)
• NEW - Guide to SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)
• NEW - Guide to the Employee Retention Tax Credit   
• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation launched a new online series called Path Forward to supplement and inform the Chamber’s work. Each episode of Path Forward will feature experts sharing their perspectives on the complex issues involved in a responsible reopening strategy. You can learn more about this initiative in the letter we sent to all of our members. We will be hosting a series of webinars, which you can sign up for by clicking here.

Resources for Restaurants and Workers Coping with the COVID-19 Emergency

K-State

USD 383

Fort Riley

The Kansas Department of Commerce launched a jobs website, connecting job seekers with Kansas businesses hiring to fill urgent needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 jobs site, kansasworks.com/coronavirus, allows employers from essential industries to quickly and easily post critical positions that need to be filled to support activities related to helping individuals and businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. The site, which is available at no cost to employers or job seekers, will be updated continuously as businesses add new jobs to the system. Job seekers can visit the site to find companies hiring for COVID-19-related positions and quickly access company hiring portals.

2-1-1 is a service by the United Ways of Kansas that puts people in touch with much-needed services and volunteer opportunities in their local communities. Now you can call, go online or even text to find help.
Dial 2-1-1

Google resources

Webinars

METL is a regional coalition of the Manhattan, Emporia, Topeka, and Lawrence Chambers of Commerce, representing the voice of nearly 3,000 Kansas businesses are hosting a webinar series.  This webinar series will provide business resources for COVID-19.

March 31
Sec. David Toland of the Kansas Department of Commerce
Sec. Toland provided business assistance information relating to the COVID-19 response.

April 2
Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Neil discussed the CARES Act and what that means for small businesses.

April 7
Karl Klein, regional director of the Kansas Small Business Development Center and Will Katz, director of the KU Small Business Development Center
This call focused on the nuts and bolts of the SBA application for small businesses.

April 9
Laurel Klein Searles, Unemployment Insurance Director for the Kansas Department of Labor

April 14
Sheldon Bartel with the National Development Council, a national non-profit
He will discuss revolving loan funds and small business recovery programs, including EIDL and PPP.

April 16
Wayne Bell, the District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, based in Wichita

Based on recommendations of the CDC

• Frequently and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash, or use your inner elbow or sleeve.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Stay home if you’re sick and keep your children home if they are sick.
• Clean surfaces in your home and personal items, such as cell phones, using regular household products.
• Consider an “elbow bump” instead of a hug or handshake.
  
  
  We hope to maintain business as usual, but also want to ensure we’re aligning with best practices to do all we can to keep our community healthy.