What a week! Time seems to have slowed down… it’s hard to believe that 30 days ago, on March 4th, the Coronavirus was something on the news that happened to other people, in other countries. And now only a month later, it has completely upended our worlds.

We wanted to share a few things that have come up this week that we think are important.

If you are one of our small business clients, you’ve probably heard about the Paycheck Protection Program. It was rolled out a little prematurely perhaps as the banks weren’t prepared to accept applications yesterday morning but many were by late yesterday afternoon. We suggest you check the bank you already work with first since they may give their existing customers some priority over others. This program is offering funds to cover operating expenses for companies and other organizations with less than 500 employees including up to 8 weeks of payroll costs and benefits, utilities, rent payment or interest on the mortgage. This program is good news for employees too, as it should help their employers keep them employed for at least the next couple of months. The loans are fully or partially forgivable depending on the employer maintaining salary levels and full-time employee headcount and at least 75% of the monies must have been used on payroll. Click here to be directed to the U.S. Small Business Administration website for more information.

Governor Ned Lamont is continuing to be very active in signing Executive Orders to provide assistance to CT residents. Yesterday, he signed Executive Order Number 7T which has six sections. The highlights are that he has restricted non-essential lodging to make it available for healthcare workers, military, and homeless people – it essentially shuts down hotels, motels, VRBO and AirBnb rentals. The Order also expands the types of businesses that can sell alcohol, and makes it easier to seek an order of protection if domestic abuse becomes a problem. Click here to be directed to ct.gov to see the full Executive Order.

New laws for grocery shopping mean less crowding in stores so that it will be easier to have at least six feet of distance between shoppers. In addition, we’re seeing people step up to help the elderly get their groceries, as companies like Instacart and Peapod are having difficulty keeping up with demand. You may have seen a program created by a University of Nevada student called Shopping Angels (click here to read CNN’s coverage of the story). Elderly Connecticut residents can send an email to   shoppingangelsct@gmail.com for more information and to seek assistance. This free service is available for elderly residents in several states; click here to connect with the Shopping Angels Connecticut Facebook page.

Paul McCartney got it right when he sang I get by with a little help from my friends. We’re seeing business owners and organizations stepping in to help the heroic healthcare workers who are risking their lives and their health to serve the public. We are doing our small part by providing free power of attorney services to anyone working in the healthcare industry. We’ve seen other local companies start to do the same. We ask that you show your support to these organizations, so that they can continue to provide services to others for free – and, of course, please share this information with your friends in healthcare:

 

Do you know of an organization helping healthcare workers? If you do please let us know so that we can feature them; click here to email us.

 

We were pleased to have Attorney Sarah Poriss join us for Let’s Talk Foreclosures, telling our audience what to expect going forward if they fall behind on their mortgages. Click here to watch the recorded event (fair warning – we did have some technical difficulties, but we’re getting better at Zoom every day!)

This week we will be hosting 2 webinars:

Join us on Wednesday, April 8th at 3 PM for another discussion with Attorney Sarah Poriss on how to protect your credit rating if you can’t pay your bills. This is an interactive session so if you have a question, bring it! Click here on Wednesday at 3:00 PM EST.

Our 2nd discussion will be with Eric Bergenn of New England Financial Group, who will provide an update on the current financial climate and discuss what you should be thinking about during the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 outbreak. Again, please bring your questions! Click here to join us on Thursday, April 9th at 6:30 PM EST.

Beckett Law LLC, and its subsidiary firms CT Bankruptcy and Estate Planning Law Center will continue to stay abreast of all news, announcements, and policies that have developed as a result of this pandemic. We value your business and the relationship we have built with you over the years. We urge you to heed the CDC’s guidance about hand-washing and physical distancing and we are confident that we will be able to meet face-to-face and shake hands again soon.

Stay safe!