Covid
Moving to Phase 2
Moving to Phase 2 generally happens on Mondays. That would mean that as of February 15, most of the state will be moving to phase 2. However, this week, the change happens on Sunday instead, as many restaurants do a large percentage of their business as customers celebrate Valentine’s Day. Moving the phase reopening by…
Read MoreHouse Bill 1368
Washington State Legislature’s House Bill 1368 proposes offering more needed relief for our small businesses. Of the included $2.2 billion in federal dollars to be distributed by the state, $240 million is expected to go to Washington employers. An individual business could receive up to $75,000. Other money would go to food banks, schools and…
Read MoreLifting Pause on SR167 Project
The removal of the freeze on the SR167 Project was welcome news to businesses in our community. Those in transportation were especially concerned. In January, a freeze was put on the project, in addition to 8 other transportation projects. The paused projects did not meet the governor’s directive to focus on fish passage projects. And…
Read MoreData Breech
The WA state auditor has announced a data breech that could have exposed 1.6 million Washingtonian’s personal information. If you applied for unemployment between Jan 1 and Dec 10 last year, then your info may have been exposed. The ESD struggled with fraud during the pandemic. This breech is in addition to the nearly 400,000…
Read MoreNew Dashboard
A new dashboard has been released and with it, we are finally getting some better news. As of Monday, our community gets to move into Phase 2. The chamber let you know about the roadmap to recovery at the beginning of the month. Changes included moving from a county based plan to a regional plan.…
Read MoreUnemployment Taxes
Do you worry about unemployment taxes, especially after the roller coaster ride in 2020? As members of the Grassroots Alliance, the Chamber brings you opportunities to participate in their efforts. In November, the alliance advocated for local businesses. This week, we were sent the following invitation to us. We are extending it to you… We…
Read MoreCovid Vaccines
If you aren’t a health care worker, then you may be wondering when Covid vaccines will be available to you. Governor Inslee announced that our state has moved to into a new phase for distribution. You can now get the vaccine if you are over 65. Likewise, if you are over 50 but live in…
Read MoreFree PPP Webinars
The Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is providing both live virtual webinars and recordings of free PPP webinars. Funding is provided by funded by SBA and Washington State University. Live webinars will be held biweekly, as needed and recordings can be accessed at the WSBDC website. The next live virtual webinar will be on…
Read MoreApp for Determining Eligibility for Covid Vaccine
The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department announced an app for the Covid vaccine. When released, users will use it to determine their eligibility for vaccinations. The Health Department expects to release the app, called Phase Finder, later this month. App helps with understanding priority for vaccine Phase 1: Many health care workers and those living…
Read MoreRoad to Recovery
Governor Jay Inslee announced a NEW Healthy Washington plan for the road to recovery. This new plan removes the old Phases of Reopening established back in May. Phased re-openings will no longer be done county-by-county. Instead, 4 healthcare metrics will determine the reopening for 8 regions. These metrics include: Infections decreased by 10% for 14…
Read MoreRollback Extension (again)
The State rollback extension again has been extended and now lasts through January 11th. Read the full proclamation here.
Read MoreNew Stimulus Bill – PPP changes
Good news for small businesses with changes to PPP loans with the new stimulus bill. A $900 billion stimulus bill is now law. This stimulus bill includes significant updates to the Paycheck Protection Program. These changes apply to existing or new PPP loans. While the past changes were helpful, this makes the loan more beneficial to more…
Read MoreSchool Guidelines for In-Person Learning
The governor and the superintendent of public schools have announced a less restrictive School Guidelines for In-Person Learning. The new guidelines from the Department of Health have 3 categories. High, moderate and low. Each category has recommendations for who should receive in-person learning. In person learning should be made available for all students if cases…
Read MoreNFIB PPP and Covid 19 Webinar
Join NFIB’s PPP and COVID-19 experts, Beth Milito and Holly Wade, as they answer questions about: PPP forgiveness, including the latest from banks on the timing of application and acceptance COVID-19 updates and compliance resources for small business owners Congressional outlook for 2021, including 2nd PPP and extended COVID-19 paid leave CDC updates and state…
Read MoreCovid Vaccine
Today Governor Inslee announced that our state could receive the Covid-19 vaccine as early as tomorrow, Monday, December 13. If this is accurate, then Tuesday could mark the first doses given in Washington. Washington has an estimated 62,000 doses of the Pfizer Covid vaccine set for delivery. A news conference with Gov. Inslee made the…
Read MoreRollback Extension
Inslee announced, as many expected, a rollback extension beyond the original December 14 deadline. Restrictions will now extend through at least Monday, January 4. The governor’s website now states: In order to slow the spread of rapidly increasing COVID cases in our state and ensure that hospital and medical systems are not overwhelmed, we are…
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