We are all facing a widespread public health concern. The Coronavirus is not something we will take lightly. My administration and city staff have been mobilized to work around the clock to ensure the safety of the public and our employees while we also consider ways to minimize the local economic impact of COVID-19.
My team and I are taking conservative measures to help mitigate this crisis locally out of an abundance of caution. We strongly believe prevention of the spread of Coronavirus is the key to minimize it’s spread and long-term economic impact. “Flattening the curve” of impact on our community is the goal of all proclamation measures being implemented.
We are working closely with local health officials and our business community for best practices, but I also want to encourage our business community to take immediate preventative measures. To that end, I’d like to thank the Governor and Lt Gov for their great work at the State level to prohibit mass gatherings for the coming weeks. Please visit Coronavirus.utah.gov for up to date information.
Yesterday, we learned the President will activate emergency relief efforts for small businesses which are most affected by the Coronavirus. The Small Business Administration has been advised to release $50 billion in funds to assist small businesses as they navigate this crisis.
Our city’s economic climate thrives on service-based companies and we recognize there will be substantial impacts as citizens self-quarantine and stay away from large gatherings. I have instructed my economic development team to begin work on solutions which will help those businesses stay viable long after the Coronavirus crisis dissipates. Salt Lake City wants to support our local businesses and is looking at financial support opportunities.
I am advising local businesses to address some key areas to minimize the impact of the Coronavirus:
- Create or consider implementing tele-work plans for employees where possible.
- Revise sick leave policies for your business to ensure employees have the capability to stay at home if sick or if they are taking care of a loved one.
- Minimize unnecessary travel.
- Make considerations for childcare.
Our team is hard at work identifying solutions that will help businesses which could become deeply impacted by this crisis. We will be working diligently to best serve the public and the business community as we all work through this public health crisis. Please share your questions through the Salt Lake Chamber COVID-19 website.
Our Economic Development team has developed and deployed a COVID-19 Business Impact Survey today to better understand the impacts businesses are already seeing as we identify possible solutions.