Update for May 5th: Mandatory Facial Covering Order Effective Tomorrow | More Info on Employee Retention Credit | Send Comments to Gov.'s Reopening Advisory Board

Mandatory face covering order takes effect tomorrow. Governor Baker’s order requiring face coverings in public spaces goes into effect on Wednesday, May 6th. This order applies to all employees and customers of businesses and other organizations that are currently open to the public and pmitted to operate as COVID-19 Essential Businesses, such as grocery stores, pharmacies and other retail stores. Any customer can be refused service or entry into a business for not adhering to this order. Additionally, both customers and employees may be subject to fines for non-compliance. Any covering that covers both the mouth and nose is considered sufficient. Read the order here.

Get face covering signs for your business. If you would like a sign for your window reminding customers that face coverings are mandatory, you can download a sign here. Window signs can also be dropped off at your place of business at no cost. Please email Megan Day at megan@stonehamchamber.org to have signs delivered.

Internal Revenue Service issues FAQs on CARES Act Employee Retention Credit. A lesser know provision of the CARES Act is getting more attention as businesses are looking for payroll relief options beyond the PPP. To read the IRS FAQs, click here. For an overview of the program, click here.

Provide feedback to the Governor’s Reopening Advisory Board. On April 28, Governor Baker announced the creation of the Reopening Advisory Board. This group is charged with advising the administration on strategies to reopen the economy in phases based on health and safety metrics. To submit comments to the board, please fill out the form here. Comments will be reviewed and taken into consideration as the Advisory Board develops a reopening report.

We want to share your expertise with the community. The Chamber is creating a library of how-to videos to share on social media. Topics can be anything you want to share and any length. You can upload your videos here. To learn more, click here.

Take advantage of the many free webinars being offered to small businesses. There are a lot of great webinars coming up in the next two weeks to help guide you through the COVID-19 crisis, navigate reopening your business and learn new skills in an ever changing economy.

Wednesday, May 6