Phase 2 of Reopening Begins June 17th  
Phase 2 allows a wide range of additional businesses to reopen and expands the services for some of the sectors that successfully opened in Phase 1. Specific rules are now available for the following sectors:
  • Amusement Parks
  • Hotels
  • Indoor dining
  • Indoor museums, zoos, and aquariums
  • Indoor recreation (e.g., bowling, movie theatres, etc.)
  • Libraries
  • Outdoor events
  • Personal services (e.g., nail salons, tattoo parlors, etc.) 
  • Sports and fitness facilities (e.g., gyms, fitness centers, pools, etc.)

The sector-specific rules include detailed information and requirements about physical distancing, facility capacity, hygiene, sanitizing, signage, personal protective equipment (PPE), scheduling, training and more.

Businesses and non-profits planning to reopen on June 17 as part of Phase 2 need to visit Connecticut’s self-certification website to certify that they that they are compliant with the reopening rules for their sector.
PPP Loans: New Information and Upcoming Webinar
On June 5, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act. The act provides modifications that will allow businesses more flexibility in using the loan funds and qualifying for forgiveness.

Click here to read an article with the highlights you need to know from blumshapiro.

The new law eases some of the program’s restrictions, giving small businesses more time to use their loans and letting borrowers spend more of their loans on non-payroll expenses.

Key changes to the PPP include:
  • Extends the period to use PPP funds from 8 weeks to 24 weeks
  • Reduces the minimum payroll spend to 60% (from 75%)
  • Borrowers can now use the 24-week period to fully restore their workforce levels and wages (December 31 instead of June 30)
  • Businesses now have five years to repay the loan, instead of two

The new  legislation  also includes a number of updates and exceptions related to loan forgiveness, the rehiring of employees, and the payment of payroll taxes. We encourage businesses to read the new legislation and work with a financial professional to ensure they fully understand the updated requirements.

While demand for PPP loans has slowed, funding remains available. More information can be found on the  SBA website , including a  tool  to find lenders that are still issuing PPP loans .

To help explain these changes, the CT SBDC will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday, June 10th at 11am. Click here to learn more and to register .

Face Masks Available to Small Businesses with less than 50 employees
We have more masks to make available. We have less than 2,500 left to order. Reserve yours today!

The Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce which proudly supports the communities of Bristol, Burlington, Farmington, Plymouth, and Wolcott is proud to announce that we will be donating face masks to small businesses within the region we serve with under 50 employees. This donation is on a first come first serve basis.  Each small business will be able to reserve two masks per employee, no more than 100 masks per business .  The Chamber is committed to providing as many masks to small businesses as possible, and requests that you only reserve what you need to ensure we can help as many businesses as possible.

Distributions are taking place weekly with contact-less pick up of these items available at the Chamber office located at 440 N. Main Street in Bristol.
Central CT Chambers Virtual Meetings
We recently announced many virtual meetings for the upcoming weeks. We look forward to connecting face-to-face with our members and hope you can join us for one or all.

We are committed to bringing you the most up-to-date business news regarding COVID-19.
The information on the webpage is listed in chronological order, with the newest/latest developments at the top. This page will be updated frequently.
Central CT Chambers of Commerce | Website