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BOSTON – Wednesday,
March 25, 2020 – Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced new resources
available for small businesses in Boston impacted by COVID-19 (coronavirus).
All resources have been created through the City’s Office of Economic
Development, and are available online on boston.gov/small-business or under the Local Resources “Economic Development
Response” on boston.gov/coronavirus.
“Boston is a city
that looks out for one another, and during this challenging time, we are
doing everything we can to support the small businesses that are the
lifeblood of our communities,” said Mayor Walsh. “I encourage
Boston residents to continue patronizing the businesses most impacted by this
pandemic — purchase a gift card, order take out, or support your local
businesses in whatever way you are able to. Our Office of Economic
Development is in our neighborhoods, talking with businesses and responding
to their immediate needs, and we will keep working to support our small
businesses here in Boston.”
The Office of Economic
Development (OED) has created the following resources for small businesses in
Boston:
Highlighting Open
Businesses in Boston
The Office of Economic
Development has created a tool for essential businesses to publicly
share that they’re open, share gift-card information, and which (if any)
delivery/take-out services they use. This guide is available for residents to
utilize, and explore what local businesses are open in their
neighborhoods.
The Office of Economic
Development encourages all essential businesses that are
allowed to remain open during
the statewide closure of businesses that are non-essential to the
COVID-19 response, to register online if they are still open. The guide is
available online on boston.gov/open-businesses.
Under the State of
Massachusetts’ new emergency order all businesses and organizations that do
not provide “COVID-19 Essential Services” are required to close
their physical workplaces and facilities to workers, customers and the public
as of Tuesday, March 24th at noon until Tuesday, April 7th at noon. These
businesses are encouraged to continue operations remotely. Businesses with
questions on what is deemed essential are encouraged to view the
State’s guidance on essential businesses.
If the function of a
business is not listed in the State’s directory, but a business believes that
it is essential or it is an entity providing essential services or functions,
businesses may request designation as an essential business. This is
available through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and can be applied for online.
Boston Restaurant
Support
The Office of Economic
Development has created another tool for restaurants to publicly
share that they’re open, share gift-card information, and which (if any)
delivery/take-out services they use. This guide is available for residents to
utilize, and explore what local businesses are open in their
neighborhoods.
The Office of Economic
Development encourages restaurants to register online if they are still open.
The guide is available online on boston.gov/restaurant-support.
By direction of Mayor
Walsh and the Boston Licensing Board, the City of Boston has lifted licensing
regulations to allow takeout/delivery at all restaurants. OED has also created a guidebook for offering
take-out and delivery that can also be
used for groceries, pharmacies, and others. The Office of Economic
Development has created a form for employers and employees to complete if they agree to expand
their services to delivery.
Small Business
Conference Calls
The next Small
Business call will be held on Tuesday March 31st at 3pm as a resource for
small businesses. Please email smallbiz@boston.gov to be added to
the distribution list.
Small Business Survey
Boston’s Small Business
Team has been working in individual neighborhoods to ensure support is given,
and is working to proactively address concerns in the business community. As
part of that work, the Office of Economic Development has launched surveys
for small businesses to pinpoint the help and services they need during this
time. OED is currently collecting responses for their
second survey, and have had more
than a thousands respondents so far.
The results of the
first survey are already available on boston.gov.
In addition to the
services above, OED has sent a letter to the small business community with
guidance on regulations and safety protocols, in 6 languages. The Small
Business Team offering one-on-one technical assistance to help get services
online. Interested businesses can reach out through smallbiz@gmail.com.
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