As many of you have undoubtedly heard, Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz announced a prohibition on dine-in service for food or drink at bars, breweries, and restaurants through March 31 in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Entertainment businesses and gyms are also impacted by this prohibition.
The order will go into effect at 5 p.m. today. It still allows for restaurants to offer takeout and delivery and will not impact grocery stores. The Mayor has also banned all events and gatherings of 50 people or more.
The Alaska SBDC’s advisors are standing by to assist you and your business weather these difficult times. We are working closely with the Small Business Administration, the Municipality of Anchorage and various economic development groups across the state to pool resources, coordinate assistance efforts and share information with you as we receive it.
If you’re already a client of the Alaska SBDC, please reach out to your advisor with any questions you may have, we will help in any way we can. If you’re not a client but would like to take advantage of our confidential one-on-one advising please sign up for our no-cost services and an advisor will contact you shortly
I know that many of you are worried about what’s next for your businesses. I want to assure you that the Alaska SBDC will continue to work to provide you with the best assistance and support that we can. The important thing right now is to ensure the safety of you, your employees and the community. In the meantime, make sure to document all of the impacts that COVID-19 is having on your businesses so that you will be well-positioned to take advantage of any relief or assistance programs that federal or state governments provide. For more information and a list of resources please visit our website and read our last newsletter released March 13.
I’ll update you as things change,
Executive Director