COVID-19 Update – June 11
State’s Phase 2 Reopening Scheduled for June 17
Governor Ned Lamont recently announced that Connecticut’s second phase of reopening initially scheduled for June 20 will begin three days early on June 17. The Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) has published specific guidelines and best practices for each business sector in order to safely reopen. Businesses are not required to reopen; the decision to reopen rests with individual business owners.
Phase 2 reopening rules by sector:
- Amusement Parks
- Hotels/Lodging
- Indoor Dining at Restaurants
- Museums, Zoos, and Aquariums
- Indoor Recreation (e.g. bowling, movie theaters, etc.)
- Libraries
- Outdoor Events
- Personal Services (e.g. nail salons, tattoo parlors, etc.)
- Sports and Fitness Facilities (e.g. gyms, fitness centers, pools, etc.)
Please note that businesses must self-certify and commit to comply with the sector rules established to keep their employees and customers safe. Once the self-certification is completed, businesses will be provided with signage and a badge that can be voluntarily posted on their premises or website. The self-certification can be accessed by clicking here.
As a reminder, the state maintains a business recovery portal as a resource for businesses to find up-to-date information and guidance. The site can be accessed at www.business.ct.gov/recovery.
Paycheck Protection Program Changes
On June 5, the bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (PPPFA) was enacted in Washington in an attempt to address many concerns expressed by the small business community around the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
The PPPFA made multiple changes, including:
- The amount of the loan needed to be spent on payroll needed to qualify for forgiveness has been reduced to 60% (a reduction from the original 75% requirement).
- Extends the time period to use funds from 8 to 24 weeks.
- Extends the repayment term from 2 years to 5 years.
- Pushes back a June 30 deadline to rehire workers to December 31, 2020 in order for their salaries to count toward forgiveness.
Additional information is available here.