City Offers Help To Small Businesses In Coronavirus Closure Zones

NEW YORK CITY — A helping hand from the city is being extended to small businesses in newly-formed and hopefully-temporary coronavirus cluster zones.

“Look, you are our highest priority here in the city,” said Jonnel Doris, commissioner for the city’s Department of Small Business Services.

Doris sat alongside Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday and outlined the broad strokes of small business aid available through the city.

De Blasio acknowledged that new restrictions that shutter non-essential businesses in three cluster zones in Brooklyn and Queens effectively knock down mom-and-pops just as they’re getting back on their feet.

He encouraged small business owners to check nyc.gov/COVIDZone for information on restrictions in zones.

“We want this to be a very brief period of time, only a matter of weeks,” he said.

The help doesn’t stop there, Doris said. He said officials have reached out 200,000 small businesses — including those in red, orange and yellow zones — along with local groups and leaders to spread the word about resources.

Those include assistance getting access to capital or cash infusions and help with leases, Doris said.

“You can reach us at nyc.gov/business, and you can also reach us at our hotline 888-SBS-4NYC,” he said. “We've already had over 47,000 calls to that hotline. We will continue to monitor it, but we want to make sure that you understand that the New York City Small Business Services is here for you. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.“

Click here to access the city’s small business help site. The hotline is, again, 888-SBS-4NYC.