Stay Informed

In collaboration with Nassau County and Hofstra University, we conducted a survey to assist in addressing and mitigating the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We received 1,431 responses to our first survey, which was open from March 24, 2020 to April 1, 2020, to assist the Coronavirus Economic Advisory Council in assessing the impact of the coronaivrus on Long Island businesses’ operations, finances, and employees. The Council prepared an interim report for the Long Island members of Governor Cuomo’s NY Forward Re-Opening Advisory Board, tasked with guiding New York’s reopening strategy. The report provides a summary of the Councils activities, key take-aways from Council meetings, suggestions of additional low-risk businesses and activities to be deemed essential and upcoming Council activities including re-opening protocols. Read the County Executive’s Coronavirus Economic Advisory Council Interim Report dated May 14, 2020.

As a follow up to the Coronavirus Economic Advisory Council’s survey and in partnership with the Suffolk County Economic Development and Planning Dept., and the Suffolk IDA, we conducted a follow-up online survey to gather important additional information on the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses of all sizes across Long Island.

Follow Up Survey – Request for Update Due May 27, 2020

This will further enhance the data being incorporated into a study being prepared by our retained external partner, HR&A, to analyze the survey results and develop economic projections for Nassau County. This will create a portrait of how the County’s economy was doing before the virus, the conditions right now and model what we can expect in the weeks, perhaps months, to follow. Their analysis is key to helping Nassau County make the case for more assistance from the state and federal government, by developing a sophisticated projection of various scenarios and collecting relevant data. The results from the initial survey, Council Interim Report, list of council members, and list of resources can be found at the Nassau County Coronavirus Economic Advisory Council webpage.

We want to thank the businesses that took the time to complete the initial survey, as well as the follow up survey.

Preparing to Re-Open: What Nassau Businesses Need to Know

Has Long Island met the New York State Seven Health Metrics? – Check the Regional Monitoring Dashboard.
Which phase is your business in? – NYS Re-Opening Industries by Phases.
NY Forward Business Reopening Lookup Tool can help.
Create a business re-opening plan with NYS Business Re-Opening Safety Plan Template.
Plan, prepare and respond following the CDC Business and Workplace Reopening Guidelines.

Tips for businesses affected by COVID-19:

Complete the Paycheck Protection Plan Forgiveness Application.
SBA disaster assistance program is working to offer loans to affected businesses. We encourage all businesses to register and apply. You can also email [email protected] and call 1-800-659-2955.
Let Nassau County know if you are applying for assistance at [email protected] so the county can track which businesses are being affected.
Track your expenses and losses during this period and keep all receipts.
Contact your bank for a business loan. If you are approved for a loan at 3.75% or comparable rate, the SBA will not offer you something better.
Contact your vendors and negotiate better payment terms.
Make good faith payments to vendors and employees to stay as current as possible.