Important Announcement from Babylon IDA

Dear Business Owners,

The Babylon IDA is working with our economic development partners across the state to ensure the stability of our local economy at this time of uncertainty. Please see the below program information, advice, and guidelines from Agencies across all levels of government and NGOs that we have compiled for your benefit. 

Please know that the Town of Babylon and Babylon IDA stand in solidarity with our business community at this difficult time, and we will be doing everything possible in the coming days, weeks, and months to keep Babylon and our community strong. Thank you and stay safe.

World Health Organization

• Information and updates about the outbreak from the WHO can be found here

CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers

• Actively encourage sick employees to stay home

• Perform routine environmental cleaning

• Respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene should be encouraged

• More thorough interim guidance for businesses and employers can be found here

Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans

• The SBA will work directly with state Governors to provide targeted, low-interest loans to small businesses and nonprofits that have been severely impacted by COVID-19

• The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing

• States must make a request to the SBA in order for businesses to be eligible. NYS and the Governor’s office has made this request as of last Thursday and are in the process of receiving approval

• In the interim, businesses are advised to reach out to their regional Empire State Development (ESD) office and the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES). They will be coordinating, assisting, and communicating once NYS receives its approval

• Contact information on the Long Island ESD office can be found here 

• Contact information for the NYS DHSES can be found here 

• Additional small business guidance and loan resources from the SBA can be found here

US Chamber of Commerce

• The Chamber is advocating for immediate unemployment benefits for those who are displaced from their jobs and lack income to make ends meet

• The Chamber supports a tax credit to help businesses continue to pay people even if they can’t be on the job due to quarantines, closings, or limited operations

• The Chamber is also calling for low to no-interest business loans to cover revenue losses as a result of the outbreak

• Additional information about and advice from the US Chamber of Commerce can be found here

New York State

• New York State banned gatherings of 50 people or more

• NYS strongly advises only essential services remain open after 8pm

• NYS is asking private businesses to aggressively consider voluntary closings and to allow employees to work from home

• All schools in NYS will be closed for a period of two weeks at a minimum (March 18th to April 1st)

• The Governor has announced that NYS will be opening drive-through testing facilities in Suffolk, Nassau, Richmond, and Rockland Counties. 

• The Nassau drive-through testing facility will be open as of 3/17

• Find interim guidance for procedures when identifying an employee with concerns for COVID-19 exposures here

• The latest update on the virus from the New York State Department of Health can be found here

Suffolk County

• Suffolk County is in talks with Villages and Towns across Long Island about whether or not to postpone property tax due dates

• Suffolk County is working with NYS to set up a drive-through testing facility in the County

• More information on the County’s response can be found here

Town of Babylon / Babylon Industrial Development Agency

• The Town of Babylon is asking residents to utilize online services and/or call rather than visiting town facilities

• If the Town of Babylon, in conjunction with the County and Villages,. decide to postpone property tax due dates, the Babylon IDA will mirror those postponements for Pilot payments

• More information on the Town of Babylon’s response to the outbreak can be found here