Updated 12/15/20
Town of Arlington New COVID-19 Restrictions Effective Dec. 16, 2020, and will last for at least 3 weeks.
| Industry | New Requirements |
|---|---|
| Indoor recreational and athletic facilities for general use (not limited to youth programs) | Closed to customers and the public, provided that: – Indoor recreational and athletic facility use for youth 18 and under only is allowed, as permitted in Phase II of the State’s guidance. |
| Fitness Centers and Health Clubs | Indoor fitness centers and health clubs are not allowed to operate, including those using alternative indoor spaces, provided that: – Appointment-only training with only one customer (or two from the same household) is allowed in a facility at a time. – Fitness centers and health clubs that have retail operations shall be permitted to operate those functions following retail workplace safety standards. |
| Museums | Closed to customers and the public. |
| Indoor historic spaces/sites | Closed to customers and the public. |
| Movie theaters | Closed to customers and the public. |
|
Indoor event spaces (meeting rooms, ballrooms, private party rooms, social clubs)
|
Not allowed to operate, provided that: – Private social clubs may operate if they serve food and comply with all regulations and guidance applicable to restaurants. |
| Sight-seeing and other organized tours | Not allowed to operate. |
| Indoor recreational venues with potential for low-contact (batting cases, driving ranges, bowling alleys, rock-climbing) | Closed to customers and the public. |
|
Restaurants providing indoor table service
|
Restaurants providing seated food service prepared on-site may operate only under the following requirements: – Continued compliance with all relevant state workplace standards, including the six persons per table limitation. – Bar seating is prohibited, unless a waiver is received from the Licensing Board. – Strict enforcement of all standards including the 90 minute limit to reduce crowding and prevent the spread of COVID-19. No member of any dining party may remain in a restaurant for more than 90 minutes in a calendar day. – No live entertainment; permissible entertainment is limited to approved televisions and background music. – All activities ancillary to dining are prohibited, including but not limited to billiards, bowling, and darts |
| Outdoor event spaces used for gatherings and celebrations, including those in parks, reservations, and other outdoor spaces not designated in Phase IV. | Capacity at both Outdoor Gatherings at Private Residences and Outdoor Gatherings at Event Venues and in Public Settings would be 25. For Indoor Gatherings at Private Residences and Indoor Gatherings at Event Venues and in Public Settings, capacity would be 10. |
|
Post-Secondary/Higher Ed/Vocational-Tech/Trade/
Occupational Schools
|
While Higher-Ed institutions are allowed to remain open, specific on-campus facilities (e.g. dining hall, gym) would follow the specific industry guidelines. |
| Office space capacity | Office spaces may remain open at 40 percent capacity. Employers are strongly encouraged to allow employees to work from home as much as possible. |
Effective Sunday, December 13 – Statewide Rollback to Phase III, Step 1
Governor Baker Announces New Restrictions Statewide for Capacity, Mask Compliance and Distancing Due to Increased Cases, Hospitalizations
The rollback includes the following restrictions:
- Outdoor gatherings at event venues will be limited to no more than 50 people
- Hosts of outdoor gatherings of greater than 25 people will be required to provide advance notice of the gathering their local board of health
- Indoor theaters and performance venues and higher contact indoor recreation businesses will be required to close to the public
- Outdoor theaters and performance venues will be limited to 25% capacity, and no more than 50 people
In all communities, capacity will be reduced from 50% to 40% for the following sectors:
- Arcades/Indoor and Outdoor Recreational Businesses
- Driving and Flight Schools
- Gyms/Health Clubs
- Libraries
- Museums
- Retail
- Offices
- Places of Worship
- Lodging (common areas)
- Golf facilities
- Movie Theaters (Maximum 50 people per theater)
This new capacity limit will not apply to sectors that do not currently have a percentage-based capacity limit, including restaurants, laboratories, and close contact personal services.
Click here to read the revised gatherings order.
Click here to read the order rolling Massachusetts back to Phase III, Step 1.
Restaurants and Venues
The Administration also announced new guidelines for restaurants and other venues with seated dining, including:
- Patrons must wear masks at all times except when eating and drinking
- Restaurants must seat no more than six patrons per table
- Restaurants must impose a 90-minute time limit on tables
- Musical performances at restaurants will no longer be permitted
- Food court seating must be closed in malls
Customers are encouraged to dine only with members of the same household.
Offices and Gyms
The Administration announced new guidelines for workplaces and gyms, including:
- In offices, employees must wear masks at their place of work when not in their own workspace and alone
- Employers are encouraged to close or limit the use of break rooms
- Patrons must wear masks at all times in gyms
The Administration continues to encourage all employers to offer teleworking to their employees when possible.
Form to Submit Questions to the State
Additional Re-Opening Resources:
- The Purchasing Hygienic or Protective Supplies page includes information for employers and employees about supplies needed to return to workplaces, as well as a Vendor Tool to assist businesses in locating and purchasing hygienic and protective supplies
Capital / Financial Resources
City of Boston Financial Relief Handbook. A helpful aggregation of local, state, and federal resources available to small business owners.
Verizon-LISC COVID-19 Recovery Fund ($2.5M) offering grants of up to $10k to help address immediate financial impact due to the pandemic.
LISC-Citizens Small Business Recovery Grants for Massachusetts. Grants of up to $10k to address immediate financial peril, limit layoffs, avoid gaps in employee benefits or insurance, mitigate economic instability and increase the likelihood of business survival. Funding priority to vulnerable businesses, including minority- and women-owned businesses those located in low-income communities. Sign up for updates.
Kiva – crowd funded 0% interest loan.
During this outbreak, offering crowd-funded loans up to 10-15k.
The Small Business Relief Initiative – Combined relief effort by GoFundMe, Yelp, Intuit QuickBooks, GoDaddy, and Bill.com
Google Ad Grants for Non-Profits
Growing list of Boston-area emergency relief funds from The Boston Foundation is here.
Small Business Administration Updates
The SBA is accepting Paycheck Protection Program through August 8.
- New, streamlined loan forgiveness application for all PPP borrowers.
- New “EZ” version of the forgiveness application for certain borrowers who meet any of the following requirements:
- Are self-employed and have no employees; OR
- Did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%, and did not reduce the number or hours of their employees; OR
- Experienced reductions in business activity as a result of health directives related to COVID-19, and did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%.
Small Business Tax Relief
Late-file and Late-pay Penalties Waived
Visit the Department of Revenue for detailed information.
- The Department of Revenue issued a Technical Information Release (TIR 20-4) outlining state tax filing and payment relief:
- Postpones the due date for personal income tax filings and payments from April 15 to July 15.
- Waives certain late-file and late-payment penalties that apply to corporate excise returns and payments due April 15 that are filed and paid by July 15.
- Extends the due dates for the first and second installments of estimated personal income tax (originally April 15 and June 15) to July 15.
-
Families First Coronvirus Response Act
Published by the U.S. Labor Department
Tips from the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Economic impact payments
Payment or personal information is NOT required to receive your payment. The IRS has your tax information and will either mail the check directly to you, or use the direct deposit information they have on file from your tax return. Once you’ve received payment, watch for a letter directly from the IRS confirming receipt within 15 days after the payment is sent. The letter includes how the payment was made and if it wasn’t received, what you should do. More information is available under the Payment Recipients tab.
If you receive Social Security and typically do not file a tax return, you will no longer need to file a simple tax return or any other paperwork to receive the stimulus. You will automatically get the payment. See IRS.gov/coronavirus for more information. US Treasury announcement
The IRS will use your tax return for your bank account or address, and to calculate and send payments. If you filed in 2019, that information will be used. If you have not filed your 2019 return yet, 2018 filing information will be used.
No one will call or email you from the government regarding your check. If you get a text, phone call, or email asking you for your personal information, do not respond.
Be sure you are eligible. Tax filers who have adjusted gross income levels of $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples will receive full payment. Payment is reduced by $5 for each $100 above that threshold. Individuals with income above $99,000 or couples above $198,000 with no children are not eligible.
Reach out. If anyone contacts you to get your personal information, then tries to keep you on the phone or rush you to a decision, hang up. Ask someone you trust, like a family member or financial advisor, for advice.
Contact your bank directly if there is a problem with your direct deposit or appears to be a hold on the stimulus check distribution.
For more information:
- Check IRS.gov/coronavirus for the most recently updated information.
- See BBB.org/coronavirus for recent scam information and consumer tips.
- See BBB.org/COVID and BBB.org/smallbusiness for information to help business owners.
Information for Landlords & Tenants
In Massachusetts, commercial tenants are obligated to pay rent, but courts are prohibited from engaging in most eviction actions against the tenants of small business premises units in non-essential evictions. The prohibition will continue until the sooner of August 18, 2020, or 45 days after the COVID-19 state of emergency has been lifted, subject to extensions instituted by Governor Baker.
Before taking any action against a tenant, commercial landlords should (a) review the relevant lease carefully to confirm the rights of each party, (b) be aware of the emergency orders and legislation currently in place, and (c) check with counsel about subsequent governmental measures. That last point will be particularly important as the emergency and prohibitions end because the required timeline to evict a commercial tenant may be temporarily altered, despite previous orders and the language of the lease. Additionally, landlords should keep careful records of their correspondence (both hard copy and electronic) with tenants to show their efforts to accommodate the tenants’ economic circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Making those efforts may help avoid eviction. In a worst-case scenario, after the emergency landlords that are able to show their efforts to assist tenants will have better luck in eviction actions than landlords that cannot.
Details and more information can be found in this newsletter from law firm McLane Middleton and at this Full Summary for employers from National Law Review.
Legal Support
The COVID Relief Coalition is a group of law firms, governmental agencies, and nonprofits (including our friends at Lawyers for Civil Rights) formed to provide advising to small business owners grappling with the impacts of COVID-19. Learn more / apply.
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ADDITIONAL LINKS
QUICKBOOKS ONLINE – $12-75
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GUSTO – $6-12/PER USER
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ALL-INCLUSIVE
GOOGLE SUITE/HANGOUTS – $6-25/PER USER*
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*In response to COVID-19 through July 1: free access to our advanced Hangouts Meet video-conferencing capabilities to all G Suite and G Suite for Education customers globally including larger meetings, for up to 250 participants per call, live streaming for up to 100,000 viewers within a domain, and the ability to record meetings and save them to Google Drive
OFFICE 365/TEAMS – $0-12.50/PER USER*
Services Provided: Video Conferencing | Instant Messaging | Information Storage/Sharing | Project Management | Security/Encryption
*In response to COVID-19: Beginning March 10, Microsoft is rolling out updates to the free version of Teams that will lift restrictions on user limits.
COMMUNICATION
ZOOM – $0-19.99*
Services Provided: Video Conferencing | Web Conferencing/Webinar | Security/Encryption
In response to COVID-19: free for educators to move toward virtual learning
4/9/20 UPDATE – FBI Warns: Zoom Bombers on the Attack
ZOOM PHONE – $14.99
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SLACK – $0-12.50
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LOOM – $0-5/PER USER*
Services Provided: Video Conferencing | Web Conferencing/Webinar |Instant Messaging
*In response to COVID-19 through July 1: free for educators, recording limit removed on the free plan, free trial extended to 30 days, Loom Pro price adjusted to $5/month
RING CENTRAL – $24.99-49.99 PER USER*
Services Provided: Video Conferencing | Web Conferencing/Webinar | Audio/Phone | Instant Messaging
*In response to COVID-19: Three months free RingCentral Office for K12 educators, health providers and non-profits
GOTOMEETING – $12-16/PER USER*
Services Provided: Video Conferencing | Web Conferencing/Webinar | Audio/Phone | Instant Messaging
*In response to COVID-19: some organizations may be eligible for access to free emergency remote work toolkit. Can register here.
CRM
LIVE AGENT – $0-39/PER USER
Services Provided: Project Management
INFORMATION SERVICES
DROPBOX BUSINESS – $12.50-20/PER USER*
Services Provided: Information Storage/Sharing | Security/Encryption
*In response to COVID-19: Free Dropbox Business subscriptions for a three-month period to nonprofits and NGOs that are focused on fighting COVID-19
GENIUS SCAN – $0
Services Provided: Information Storage/Sharing. Phone app for scanning/sending documents
TINY SCANNER – $0
Services Provided: Information Storage/Sharing. Phone app for scanning/sending documents
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
TRELLO – $0-20.83/PER USER
Services Provided: Information Storage/Sharing | Project Management | Security/Encryption
ASANA PROJECT MANAGEMENT – $0-24.99/PER USER
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SCHEDULING
ACUITY – $0-50
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ARTICLES
- 5 Tips for staying productive while working from home (Time)
- 20 Tips for working at home (Hubspot)
- Work from Home 101 (ZD Net)
- Managing Remote Employees (Forbes)
- Corona Virus Could Force Teams to Work Remotely (HBR)
