By Cathy Iino.
Hello, Killingworth–
Killingworth now has 11 confirmed cases and, very sadly, 4 deaths related to COVID-19. Statewide and Middlesex County numbers continue to rise, although the number of hospitalizations dropped significantly on Friday. The uncertainties about the disease are as hard to take as the social-distancing measures themselves, but we have to stick with those measures! Datahaven, a 25-year-old nonprofit, released a study this week estimating that social distancing has already save 10,000 lives in Connecticut.
Both the COVID-19 pandemic and Connecticut’s response to it evolve day by day. Doctors and scientists are learning as they go about the disease. That’s one reason “flattening the curve” is important. Patients today have the benefit of further experience in treating the effects of the coronavirus.
Likewise, the governor has continually added and revised measures for protecting public health and dealing with the economic impact of the virus and the quarantines. As of today, Governor Lamont has issued 31 multi-part executive orders, and state agencies have elaborated those orders with specific directions. The state has been “building the airplane as we fly it,” but now we are beginning to actually plan ahead for how we can reopen the economy when we are ready. The governor has appointed a Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group, headed by the former CEO of Pepsi and a Yale professor of epidemiology, which is to come up with recommendations on how to safely restart the economy and the educational system. That restart won’t be as soon as we would wish, but we can take heart that we are preparing ahead for it.
The town government, too, is developing new ways to deliver services in spite of Town Hall being closed. Officials and staff are going to great lengths to make sure that your questions get answered, your applications processed, and your filings made. If you need service from or have questions for Town Hall, please leave a message at 860-663-1765. We are checking our voicemail regularly and will get back to you as soon as possible.
Selectmen’s Office ext. 201
Town Clerk’s Office ext. 502
Tax Collector ext. 508
Assessor’s Office ext. 506
Building Department ext. 504
Health Department ext. 223
Still open. Many Killingworth businesses are active, although they have altered their regular schedules or offerings to provide safety to customers and staff. Essential businesses include restaurants and other food purveyors offering take-out menus, liquor stores, pharmacies, hardware stores, automotive suppliers and landscapers. Many financial advisors and other consultants are meeting with clients remotely, as are therapists, accountants, and attorneys. Home contractors and landscapers are working. If you are a regular client or customer, or you need a professional service, don’t assume the business is closed! A list of members of the Killingworth Division of the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce can be found here.
Small Business Grants. No doubt, however, that the COVID-19 pandemic is extremely hard on small businesses. State and federal programs continue to roll out. In addition, private support is developing for small business owners. Here are some examples (thanks to State Senator Norm Needleman for the leads), with links to information on the grants:
- Google has launched a $340 million grant program providing credits for Google Ads, intended to help businesses connect with their customers online. The credits are automatically added to active Google Ads accounts.
- GoFundMe will give businesses who raise at least $500 in a fundraising campaign and have been negatively impacted by the pandemic with matching grants. To qualify, a business must be independently owned and “not nationally dominant in your field of operation.” The grants are to be used to care for employees or pay ongoing business expenses.
- Licensed beauty professionals and students are eligible for $1,000 grants from Beauty Changes Lives if they are out of work.
- Licensed nail professionals who lose their income are eligible for $1,000 grants from Creative Nail Design x Beauty Changes Lives
- Spanx and the Spanx By Sara Blakely Foundation are offering 1,000 grants of $5,000 to women-owned small businesses every month for five months. The next round of applications will open on May 4.
- Duke University has created a list of roughly 400 grants available to small businesses in the United States.
Transfer Station. Wear a mask when you go to the Transfer Station. Although we have taken steps to allow social distancing there, you may come within 6 feet of someone else. If both of you are wearing masks, the risk of COVID-19 transmission is dramatically lower than if only one or neither of you is wearing a face covering.
Stay home, stay safe–
Cathy
