CONNECTICUT, USA — Governor Ned Lamont outlined relief funds offered to small businesses in the federal legislation that was being voted on Monday.
A pie chart on federal relief was shown to demonstrate how the money will be distributed. There will be $325 million allocated to help the small businesses struggling throughout Connecticut. Other major areas of finical relief will fall under direct payments and unemployment insurance.
Governor Lamont said the relief will focus on helping small businesses, which will target the small to mid-size businesses that have been impacted the hardest by the pandemic. Grant sizes will range from $10,000 to $30,000 and the expected final pool of businesses will include somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000. Lamont said checks will be sent out around December 31.
The Connecticut Restaurant Association released a statement on the relief, thanking the Governor, along with Commissioner Davide Lehman of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, and Chief of Staff Paul Mounds for their partnership. The statement read:
“Few sectors of Connecticut’s economy have been hit harder or more directly by the pandemic than our local restaurant industry. This additional funding for small businesses will help hundreds and hundreds of those restaurants keep their doors open and keep more of their workers employed during the difficult winter months ahead. The result will be that more restaurants will be ready and able to be part of Connecticut’s economic recovery in 2021 as we finally begin moving beyond the pandemic.
“We’re very thankful to Governor Lamont, Commissioner David Lehman, and Chief of Staff Paul Mounds for their partnership in getting to this point. Our association has been advocating for additional funding since September, and the Governor and his team have kept an open door throughout, fully recognizing the damage done to our industry. We’re also very grateful to the many state legislators who put forward plans and calls to action in recent days and weeks, as their efforts helped keep the conversation moving toward action and a positive outcome.
“Connecticut and its restaurants are not out of the woods yet. In the months ahead, we will continue to go above and beyond to keep our customers and our employees safe, and we urge the dining public to continue supporting their local restaurants and all small businesses across Connecticut.”
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin also released a statement praising the grant program and the potential relief the city could receive from it. Bronin said:
“This new grant program is hugely important, and I’m grateful to Governor Lamont, Commissioner Lehman and the Governor’s entire team for recognizing that so many businesses — and especially our restaurants — are in a fight for survival and urgently need this help. Restaurants in particular have been hit hard, especially in cities like Hartford where so much of their business depends on office buildings, theaters, and stadiums full of people — and without immediate assistance like this, many of them won’t make it much longer.”
The daily COVID-19 statistics were also released from over the weekend. From December 18 to 20, Connecticut administered 88,731 tests and 4,595 came back positive, yielding a positivity rate of 5.18 percent. Hospitalizations declined again from Thursday by 24 patients. There are now 1,143 people being treated in the hospital for COVID.
There were 95 COVID-19 related deaths reported over the weekend. Connecticut's death toll has now reached 5,676 people.
Connecticut as of Monday has vaccinated 7,761 people and expanded the provider network. Lamont said nine nursing homes have received vaccinations and 75 more are scheduled for this week. The Governor added people who fell into Phase 1B like teachers, grocery workers, public transit workers, could begin to receive vaccinations by late January.