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Restaurants, state officials highlight relief funding

To date, through the onset of the pandemic the state has put more than $130 million out on the streets in support of small businesses

MANCHESTER, Conn. — MANCHESTER, Conn. -- As restaurants across Connecticut continue to struggle during the pandemic, Gov. Lamont, other state leaders, and officials from the Connecticut Restaurant Association came together Thursday morning to highlight relief funding.

Between making the move to take-out, setting up outdoor dining spaces, and installing covid safeguards inside, restaurants have been forced to switch up the recipe for safety time and time again during the pandemic.

Connecticut Restaurant Association Executive Director Scott Dolch said it's been a challenging time.

"We know we’ve lost over 600 and more we’re permanently closed throughout this tough winter," said Dolch.

It's a struggle not lost on the state, as Department of Economic and Community Development Deputy Commissioner Glendowlyn Thames highlighted relief funding.

“To date, through the onset of the pandemic the state has put more than $130 million out on the streets in support of our small businesses, with many of our restaurants taking advantage of that and then coupled with that," said Thames.

There's also federal funding.

“Over $10 billion through the federal funding has come to Connecticut and our small businesses and more recently, just within the last two months since the last round of the stimulus, we’ve already seen over two billion dollars through over 30,000 loans of small businesses that have accessed PPP dollars in our state," said Thames.

“My message to small businesses, those PPP loans are still available. They’re not gone. Please apply," said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz.

State leaders also pointing to the American Rescue Plan that was just passed in Washington as another lifeline.

“There’s more PP on the table. They extended the deadline from the initial March 31st to May 31st and also which is huge for our restaurants the 29 billion dollar restaurant revitalization fund that is really grants-oriented," said Thames.

RELATED: Connecticut to loosen COVID capacity guidelines for indoor and outdoor commercial venues in March

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