COVID-19 Partner Letter

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Dear Friends,

Our community and local businesses are at the heart of everything we do. COVID-19 continues to have an increased significant impact on communities across the country. Businesses and individuals are being faced with tough and costly decisions, attempting to balance caution with economic stability.

It’s a difficult time for everyone where good information, knowledge, solidarity and support are paramount. As you have no doubt heard from many in our business community, your health is a top priority, and businesses have taken various steps, including but not limited to some of the following:

• Increase cleanliness and sanitation practices,
• Work from home options when/where available,
• Crowd control or postponed/canceled events & activities,
• Take-out and delivery services, and so on.

For our customers, please take advantage of ways you are able to support local establishments by:

• Ordering take-out or delivery | there are both food and retail options available,
• Visiting your favorite retailers during off hours with less crowds,
• Supporting local businesses online or virtually if possible,

Local businesses are taking extra precautions to keep customers safe and they are open for business.

For our business community, we will continue to provide assistance and resources as they come available to be the most informed:

Businesses, please Fill Out This Form from Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity to help the U.S. Small Business Administration economic injury requests.

• Centers for Disease Control & Prevention | COVID-19 Information+ Resources for Businesses & Employers
• Illinois Department of Public Health
• S. Small Business Administration | Guidance for Businesses & Employers to Plan and Respond to COVID-19Including: Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program and SBA Products & Resources
• Illinois Chamber Dispatch | Responding to the Coronavirus Outbreak: Five Questions & Answers for Employers
• Main Street America Network | CDC Resource, SBA Resources, Community Response Examples

As your partners, we are dedicated to working on ways to continue offering support.

In the meantime, continue to check on those friends and family at risk, take food or donate to local food pantries and make sure you have reliable information.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of our organizations.

Sincerely,

Marcel Wagner                              Latonya Brock                                 Bruce Guthrie

President                                        Executive Director                         Executive Director

Great River Economic                  Quincy Area                                    The District

Development Foundation           Chamber of Commerce