• Ken Riehl, CEO, [email protected]

• Peter Webber, Sr. VP, [email protected]

• Olivia Perez-O’Dess, Member Services Director, [email protected]

• Retailers Reopening This Week for Curbside Pick-up and Delivery. As phase one of Reopening Massachusetts progresses, Cape Ann’s jewelers, toy stores, clothing stores and more are now able to serve their customers with curbside pick-up and deliveries. For additional sector-by-sector information, please click here.

• Barbers and Salons Reopening. For more detailed information and guidelines for business owners and customers please click here.

• Office Spaces May Open at 25% Capacity This Week. For detailed guidance for this sector, please click here.

• Reopening Massachusetts General Business Guidance. The following information is designed to help businesses meet the self-certification requirement to reopen. All businesses must meet these requirements before reopening.

• COVID-19 control plan template – Template that satisfies the written control plan requirement for self-certification

• Compliance attestation poster – Poster that customer facing businesses are required to print, sign, and post in an area within the business premises that is visible to workers and visitors

• Employer and Worker posters – Posters that businesses can print and display within the business premises to describe the rules for maintaining social distancing, hygiene protocols, and cleaning and disinfecting

• Hygienic or Protective Supplies for the Workplace – Resources to help inform employers and employees about supplies needed to return to workplaces, and connect businesses with manufacturers and distributors.

• Find all this information and more on the new Reopening Massachusetts website, including detailed sector-specific reopening guidance, timelines and links to additional resources.

• Reopening – Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards. The Department of Public Health (DPH) and the COVID-19 Command Center developed new Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards in consultation with the Reopening Advisory Board. These new standards will apply universally to all workplaces that are open in Phase 1, and are designed to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission to employees and customers during the first phase of reopening, and are applicable to all sectors and industries.

• State Replaces “Stay-at-Home” Advisory with “Safer-at- Home” Advisory. Read the details of the “Safer-at-Home” advisory issued today by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health here.

• Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Continues. For further information about PPP and EIDL loans and other SBA loan and debt relief programs please click here.

• Guide to PPP Loan Forgiveness. This U.S. Chamber of Commerce has shared this helpful guide for businesses to help navigate the application process for Paycheck Protection Loan forgiveness.

• The Chamber’s special COVID-19 information and resource page - including information and updates about Cape Ann’s businesses and their operations – continues to be updated daily. Please send your business information and updates to Olivia Perez-O’Dess ([email protected]). These lists include take out and delivery options, retailers, banks and grocery store hours.

• Job Postings Welcome. We encourage Chamber members to use us as a resource to post job openings as Americold has done. All CACC members have an online account where they can post a job listing. View current job listings here. For assistance in posting job openings for your business, please contact Olivia Perez-O’Dess at [email protected].

• Resources for Cape Ann Businesses. The Chamber team is working diligently to assist our members and the community as we navigate these uncertain times together. We encourage you to review the Chamber’s compendium of Business Resources and Recommended Actions here and we invite you to contact us if you have any questions or need assistance.  

• City of Gloucester Shares Phase 1 Plan for Reopening Public Beaches. Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken, Director of Public Works Michael Hale and Public Health Director Karin Carroll recently announced the city’s phase 1 reopening plan for the City’s beaches and Stage Fort Park, beginning today.

• Good Harbor Beach will be open for residents only.

• Wingaersheek Beach will be open for residents and a limited number of non-residents.

• Stage Fort Park will be open to the public. Non-resident parking fees will be on a cash-only, no change basis.

• Niles and Plum Cove Beaches are resident-only.

• For more details about Gloucester’s public beaches plan please click here.

• LEAP for Education’s Summer Internship Program is now recruiting employers and community members. Be a “Career Mentor” and virtually advise a teen summer intern in a six-week project-based remote learning experience. Please email JoAnn Leavitt, Program Coordinator, at [email protected] if you would like further information, or call 774-270-0119.

• Action Inc. Update. More affordable housing will soon become a reality for downtown Gloucester. In addition to the 30 rental units, there will also be approx. 2,000 sqft of retail space on the ground floor. For more details, including photos of the former Cameron’s site under construction, please click here.

• CARRYOUTMA. We invite our readers to check out this new website created by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. This is a great resource designed to help us support our favorite local eateries offering take-out, curbside pick-up and delivery services.

• Cape Ann Tourism Facebook Group. Members of the Chamber’s Tourism Council have formed a Facebook Group to share ideas, enable discussions, and promote information and resources that can enable a strong, safe and viable tourism industry North of Boston in and around Cape Ann.

• The Open Door’s #MyBowlAtHome Tribute. The Empty Bowl Dinner has been a long-standing community tradition that brings us together each spring. We won't gather for the annual Empty Bowl Dinner this month as we have for the past 20 years, but The Open Door has created a fun way to still come together—while staying apart. They are inviting us to join them in our #MyBowlAtHome Tribute where we can still #ShowUsYourBowls and be #CommunityStrong. From May 21 through May 31, take a picture with your favorite empty bowl (or bowls!) from years past and share them on social media with your friends and family.

• Sharing Some Fun Cape Ann Chamber History. 1623 Studios recently interviewed Cape Ann photographer, historian and raconteur Les Bartlett. Les recounted the story of the 1925 road trip from Gloucester to Florida to promote summer tourism on Cape Ann. To see the full interview, including a vintage photo of the Chamber’s classic Reo Sedan on YouTube, please click here.

• Manchester Historical Museum Shares History of Town’s Early Days of Education. For part 3 of this story, featuring Plain School, please click here.

• Salon Amara to Open June 2.  This will be for hair services only. For details please click here.

• Soft Touch Salon is Now Open. They are following all the guidelines and taking precautionary measures to get open safely. At this time all appointments are required in advance and they will not be taking walk-ins. For details click here.

• BlackBear Barbershop is Now Open. For further information and to make an appointment please click here.

• An update from Nailgic - As they prepare for our reopening, they are taking all necessary steps to insure customer and staff safety. They have certified their spa with the Barbicide Covid-19 certification to perform proper infection controls.

• Magnolia Farmer’s Market -Please join them online. In lieu of their Lexington Avenue street-side market, they are kicking off the season with a virtual farmers market. They have a phenomenal group of vendors listed on our website, www.magnoliacommunityfarmersmarket.com, where you can shop for local goods and produce. Shopping is open Monday through noon on Fridays, with contactless pickup in Magnolia on Sundays.

• Say Thank-You or Congratulations the Gift of Cape Ann. Cape Ann Gift Certificates are a great way to say congratulations to graduating high school and college seniors, thank-you to their teachers and all health care workers and first responders, and support over 200 local businesses. To learn more please visit here. To purchase Cape Ann Gift Certificates, please email Karen Carone at [email protected].

• Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM). For AIM’s latest COVID-19 blog please click here.

• COVID-19 Command Center Update: Read MEMA’s May 21 Command Center report here.

• Department of Public Health: Safer-at-Home Advisory

• Commonwealth of Massachusetts. For the latest COVID-19 news and information for Massachusetts, including public health advisories, business resources and government services, please visit here.

• Department of Public Health: Stay at Home Advisory. For details click here.

• Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante: Most recent update

• Centers for Disease Control

• Symptoms and Self-Checker

• What You Need to Know

• Congressman Seth Moulton: Updates and Resources

• OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19

• Essex: www.essexma.org

• Gloucester: www.gloucester-ma.gov

• Manchester-by-the-Sea: www.manchester.ma.us

• Rockport: www.rockportma.gov