***UPCOMING WEBINAR***
Friday, May 22, at 10:30AM: The Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce will host a Business Town Hall with Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro, with the latest information from the County about re-opening businesses. Questions will be taken via Zoom and Facebook Live, as well as the County's Town Hall phone line. Thank you to M&T Bank, Marshall and Sterling Insurance, and Nuvance Health for sponsoring this event. Register HERE .
Update for Wednesday, May 20, 2020
  • If you are an essential business, your employees working and interacting with the public qualify for a COVID-19 test. If you are a business reopening in Phase 1, you also qualify to have your employees tested. To find a testing site, you can use the test site finder HERE.

  • The NY Department of Labor has released a FAQ page for employers in regards to COVID-19, including questions on Unemployment Insurance, Shared Work and Job Refusal. The page can be found HERE.

  • The US Department of Labor has adopted revised policies for enforcing OSHA’s requirements with respect to coronavirus as economies reopen in states throughout the country. The revised policies cover increased in-person inspections at all types of workplaces, and the enforcement policy for recording cases of coronavirus. Both policies can be found HERE.

  • Guide to PPP Loan Forgiveness: The US Chamber of Commerce recently released a useful and easy to follow guide on what businesses need to do to apply for forgiveness of their PPP loans. Access the guide HERE.

  • That State has updated the guidance on what types of organizations are considered essential. The updated guidance can be found HERE.

  • While the Mid-Hudson region has NOT yet met the criteria to begin phase 1 of reopening, all businesses, including essential businesses, must develop a COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan. A template for a plan may be found HERE. Please note: This plan does not need to be submitted to a state agency for approval but must be retained on the premises of the business and must made available to the New York State Department of Health (DOH) or local health or safety authorities in the event of an inspection.

  • In today’s (Wednesday) press conference Governor Andrew Cuomo said beginning Thursday, religious ceremonies can take place as long as there are less than 10 individuals gathered and social distancing efforts are in place. The Interfaith Advisory Committee will be convening to determine how religious institutions can reopen fully going forward.

  • Governor Cuomo said there has not been a date set to reopening casinos because they are considered large gathering venues. Casinos who are run by Native American tribes have announced reopening dates because technically they are sovereign and cannot be closed by the state.

  • Governor Cuomo reiterated that if there is a region that has their various indicators rise after they begin the reopening phases, the state will shut that region back down.
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 .

To view our website and see previous emails, important documents, and other resources available, click 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.
Resources With Links
United States Small Business Administration
EIDL For Agriculture Application: https://covid19relief.sba.gov/#/
Federal Representatives
Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney: (845) 561-1259
Congressman Antonio Delgado: (845) 443-2930
Centers For Disease Control

Novel Coronavirus Hotline (24/7): 1-888-364-3065
New York State Government


NY Forward Reopening Information: https://forward.ny.gov/
State Representatives
Senator Pete Harckham: (914) 241-4600
Senator Sue Serino: (845) 229-0106
Assembly Member Didi Barrett: (845) 454-1703
Assembly Member Kevin Cahill: (845) 338-9601
Assembly Member Jonathan Jacobson: (845) 562-0888
Assembly Member Kieran Lalor: (845) 221-2202
New York State Department of Labor
Dutchess County Government


Dutchess County Mental Health Hotline (24/7): (877) 485-9700
Dutchess Tourism
For updates on major attractions, lodging, and restaurants (including a list of restaurants and farms open for takeout, curbside & delivery) click  here , for important information and updates (including a resource guide for County tourism-related businesses) click  here .
Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce
Business News Portal: https://www.dcrcoc.org/news
Dutchess County Workforce Investment Board
Dutchess Business Notification Network
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Dutchess Business Notification Network | [email protected]