Long Island is on pace to reopen soon, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Friday, as long as two requirements are met–a continued decline in Covid-19 deaths and an improvement in the contract tracing program–are met.
Long Island and Mid-Hudson Valley regions will be permitted to begin construction staging in anticipation of phase one of reopening.
Cuomo also announced the launch of the $100 million New York Forward Loan Fund to provide flexible and affordable loans to help small businesses, focusing on minority and women owned small businesses, that did not receive federal COVID-19 assistance. The state will take a smart, targeted approach for distributing these loans, focusing on businesses with 20 or fewer employees and less than $3 million in gross revenues. Businesses interested in receiving a loan should visit esd.ny.gov/nyforwardloans.
“Small businesses are the engine of the New York economy, but they are now facing some of the toughest challenges in this pandemic,” Cuomo said. “Helping our small businesses is a top priority, and we are starting the New York Forward Loan Fund and making more than $100 million available to provide loans to small businesses, focusing particularly on minority and women owned businesses that have faced even greater risks and received less in federal relief throughout this pandemic.”