Governor Ned Lamont announced Monday the state will continue with the age-based approach to COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, but added that educators and childcare providers will have dedicated clinics beginning in March. The state says this is “in an effort to ensure that Connecticut continues taking the most equitable and efficient approach to quickly administering the COVID-19 vaccine to as many people as possible.” They have been implementing the age-based phase approach, “because of the very limited supply of the vaccine that it has been receiving from the federal government.” They added, “other previously considered scenarios proved overly complex and confusing, would potentially exacerbate inequities in vaccine distribution, and slow down the process of providing it to Connecticut residents.” To provide clarity and predictability, the governor announced a schedule for age-based eligibility for the next several months: - March 1, 2021: Expands to age group 55 to 64
- March 22, 2021: Expands to age group 45 to 54
- April 12, 2021: Expands to age group 35 to 44
- May 3, 2021: Expands to age group 16 to 34
Gov. Lamont said this schedule is dependent on weather and vaccine availability. Read More Two-week Window Exclusively for “Mom and Pop” Businesses to Apply for PPP | Yesterday the White House announced targeted changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that will provide minority-owned businesses, “mom-and-pop” businesses, and very small nonprofits with access to the support they need. Businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 20 employees will have a two-week exclusive window to apply for PPP loans starting Wednesday, February 24. This period of exclusivity will give lenders and community partners more time to work with the smallest businesses to submit their applications and ensure these organizations are prioritized. Other changes include: - Self-employed and sole proprietors can now use gross income (versus net income) to calculate the PPP loan amount, increasing potential loan size.
- Business owners behind on their federal student loan payments are now eligible for PPP loan forgiveness.
- Clarification that non-citizen small business owners who are lawful U.S. residents can use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to apply for the PPP
- Small business owners with prior non-fraud felony convictions are no longer excluded from applying for PPP loans.
Click here to read the announcement and learn more about the steps that are being taken to promote equitable access to this important program. The SBA website also includes tools to help you get matched with a lender or find lenders in your area. I encourage you to act quickly. Unless the federal government extends the deadline, the PPP will expire on March 31, 2021. Sincerely,
David Lehman, Commissioner |
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