Important Dutchess County Business Updates For March 19, 2020

Dutchess Business Notification Network

To get updates as they come in and are verified, be sure to join our Facebook Group by searching "Dutchess Business Notification Network", or by clicking HERE .

If you have any questions regarding the information in this notification or any other business related concerns and suggestions, please email [email protected]. Please do NOT contact elected officials regarding information in this email as they are currently inundated with handling the government response to this crisis. This network was created to help coordinate responses and share the burden, and we ask that you please contact us with any questions or concerns so our elected officials can focus on their task at hand. Thank you for your continued support through this time.

New for Thursday, March 19, 2020

County Executive Molinaro announced today he will host an hour-long Coronavirus Telephone Town Hall for local business owners and leaders on Friday, March 20, at 1PM. During the call, he’ll provide updates on the County’s response to the evolving pandemic, its economic impacts and relief efforts, as well as answer participants’ questions. Members of the business community can participate in this Telephone Town Hall by calling (845) 765-7121 on Friday, March 20, beginning at 1PM.

On Friday, March 20 at 2:30PM, the Small Business Administration will hold a briefing with SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza on COVID-19’s economic impacts and the SBA’s targeted relief efforts for the nation's small businesses. After the briefing, there will be a Q&A portion. You can sign up for the briefing HERE.

Governor Cuomo signed a NEW executive order today mandating businesses that rely on in-office personnel to decrease their in-office workforce by 75 percent. This follows the Governor's directive yesterday that all businesses implement work-from-home policies. Exemptions will be made for essential service industries, including shipping, media, warehousing, grocery and food production, pharmacies, healthcare providers, utilities, banks and related financial institutions, and other industries critical to the supply chain. For more information click HERE.

The Governor also announced the Department of Financial Services has issued a new directive to New York State mortgage servicers to provide 90-day mortgage relief to mortgage borrowers impacted by the novel coronavirus. The directive includes waiving mortgage payments based on financial hardship, no negative reporting to credit bureaus, grace period for loan modification, no late payment fees or online payment fees, and postponing or suspending foreclosures.

A MESSAGE TO ALL COMPANIES PROVIDING HOME DELIVERY: All deliveries of packages, groceries, etc. should be delivered to the front doors of homes, and delivery service providers should not enter the residency. Although this may be inconvenient, especially for the elderly, it is more dangerous for them to potentially be exposed to COVID-19 and contaminate the home.

Dutchess Community College has suspended on-campus classes and activities for the remainder of the spring semester. Teaching and learning will continue remotely on March 30^th and students will be able to complete the semester as planned. More information can be found HERE.

New York Department of Labor's Shared Work Program allows employees on a reduced schedule to collect unemployment for days not worked helping to offset reduced incomes. NY is apparently moving much more quickly than other states and the program is a great way to help reduce expenses while retaining employees. For more info go HERE.

Small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and most private not-for-profits in all Mid-Hudson counties are now eligible to apply for SBA economic injury disaster loans (EIDL). This applies to all seven Mid-Hudson counties: Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester. The SBA can provide up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could have been met had the disaster not occurred. Your loan amount will be based on your actual economic injury and your company's financial needs. The interest rate on EIDLs will not exceed 4 percent per year. The term of these loans will not exceed 30 years. The repayment term will be determined by your ability to repay the loan. For more information go HERE.

In an effort to support local eateries affected by current restrictions on dining out, Central Hudson is offering a $30 gift card to the restaurant of your choice to the first 200 people. More information can be found at www.CentralHudson.com and their Facebook page .