Valued Members,

As information on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to emerge and ripple through our area, the Chamber seeks to continue sharing important information and resources with our membership. While we do not wish to overwhelm anyone with too much information, we do want to provide helpful resources and reassure you that we are here for you, we are processing and analyzing information and passing along only those items that can be verified as factual, and that we continue to act in the best interests of our members.

At this time, the Ketchikan Chamber Office is closed, but our Executive Director and Small Business Advisor continue to work remotely. Please email them with any concerns or questions, and continue to monitor our Facebook page – we are sharing information here constantly, as it has historically proven to be our highest form of member engagement.

Carrie Starkey, Executive Director: info@ketchikanchamber.com

Shelly Hill, Small Business Advisor: businessadv@ketchikanchamber.com

SHELTER IN PLACE

As of March 21st, the Ketchikan Emergency Operations Center (EOC) issued a joint proclamation from the City of Ketchikan, City of Saxman, and Ketchikan Gateway Borough strongly urging all residents to shelter in place. Only essential workers should be leaving their homes (supply chain, medical). For more information please follow the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Facebook page, and monitor their ALERT page online at https://www.borough.ketchikan.ak.us/AlertCenter.aspx

SBA DISASTER LOANS, RESOURCES

On March 21st, Alaska was approved to offer Economic Injury Disaster Loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA). You can apply for a disaster loan through https://disasterloan.sba.gov. Our small business advisor, Shelly Hill, is available to help you through this process. You can reach her at businessadv@ketchikanchamber.com

The SBA also provides additional guidance and loan resources for small businesses here: www.sba.gov/coronavirus

TAX CREDITS

The US Treasury Department, IRS, and US Department of Labor announced that small and midsize employers can begin taking advantage of two new refundable payroll tax credits, designed to immediately and fully reimburse them, dollar-for-dollar, for the cost of providing coronavirus-related leave to their employees. Read more: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osec/osec20200320

ECONOMIC IMPACT SURVEYS

There are several economic impact surveys being distributed at this time. Any and all information shared is helpful to these organizations to develop a plan forward. If you have a chance, please fill these out! The Ketchikan Chamber has developed a survey through the Small Business Advisor position, and it is available through email at businessadv@ketchikanchamber.com

Southeast Conference: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SECOVID

Alaska Chamber: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6VWXMRN

BUSINESS RESOURCES

The Alaska Chamber has put together a list of some wonderful resources, including State and Federal links, on their webpage. Resources include a Coronvirus Fact Sheet, Workplace Tips, Updates from the Alaska Dept. of Health and Social Services, and more. The Ketchikan Chamber is working to develop a similar list, and will update as soon as that happens, but recommends the State Chamber link until that time: https://www.alaskachamber.com/business-resources-for-coronavirus/

RECOMMENDATIONS

We recommend that all businesses, employers, and employees follow federal, state, and local mandates as closely as possible. We recommend that the shelter in place proclamation be followed as closely as possible. For those who still need to go in to work, please observe the following:

  • Stay home if you feel sick. Isolate and return home if you begin feeling sick while at work.
  • Employee excellent hand-washing procedures as per CDC recommendations (we are sharing a helpful video on our Facebook page that visually explains the importance of proper handwashing techniques).
  • If you must be in public, maintain a 6-foot distance from others if at all possible.
  • Continue to clean items that are commonly touched, and use best practices for interacting with these items. Disinfect door handles, pay stations, phones, and other commonly touched equipment as often as possible.

For those working from home, here are some helpful tips:

  • Many people are unaccustomed to working from home. Follow as close to your normal routine as possible: make the bed, shower, get dressed. Find a quiet, clean, well-lit area to work.
  • Make use of technology resources. Many video communication devices are available, such as Skype and Zoom. Slack can help with collaboration. Google Docs can help with remote office files that need to be shared.
  • Manage distractions as best you can, but still remember to…
  • …Take breaks! Any time that we are at work, we normally find ourselves interrupted by a quick trip to the water cooler, a coworker, etc. These give us a natural break from what we’re doing, which we may not encounter at home. This is good for your eyes and your brain. Get up and stretch. Take the dogs for a walk. Make yourself a snack.
  • Noise cancelling headphones are your friend.
  • Offer webinar resources for your employees, and look into some for yourself. A helpful place to start is http://chamberstrategies.com/webinars.php?p=8450 – there are several Coronavirus related webinars as well.

In these times, it’s hard to know what the proper steps forward are going to be. We are doing our best to write letters of support for legislation that will ease the impact this pandemic is having on businesses, as opportunities arise. We will continue to monitor and observe resources and communicate them to our membership in the best ways possible. Please, more than ever, remember to support local businesses as much as you can, and to practice HUMAN KINDNESS. We are all in this together.

Now, it’s your turn: What can WE do to help YOU? The more we know, the better we can help.

Wishing you all the best,
Carrie Starkey
Executive Director