Fort Worth-based Ben E. Keith Foods launched a direct-impact effort to support and raise awareness for restaurants, the food service industry and local communities.

Eat Local. Eat Often. encourages continued patronage both during the COVID-19 pandemic (through curbside pickup, delivery and takeout) and beyond during recovery. Eat Local. Eat Often. supports the sustainability of the restaurant industry.

“Eat Local. Eat Often. is an initiative in support of the restaurant operator. They are a key part of our business, but even more importantly, they are a key part of our society and our culture in this country,” said Mike Sweet, president of Ben E. Keith Foods. “When we move beyond this shelter-in-place environment and businesses begin to reopen, we know it will be a different landscape, and one in which we will need to support our industry more than ever. And there is no better way to support that than Eat Local. Eat Often.”

As part of Eat Local. Eat Often., customers are encouraged to order takeout from a local restaurant, pick up a meal curbside or purchase a gift card to use in the future. Each of these actions helps preserve the restaurant industry.

As Gov. Greg Abbott rolls out his plan to open Texas following the COVID-19 pandemic starting May 1, the City of Fort Worth’s Economic Development team is sending out a follow-up survey to local business owners to assess the state of their business six weeks in, and identify additional ways to help.

The results from the original Business Survey, which launched in March and generated more than 1,000 responses, led to several outcomes that the city has taken already to provide assistance to area businesses:

• According to the original survey results, the most significant challenges to businesses across industries are revenue/cash flow, rent/lease expenses, payroll and debt concerns. As a result, these became some of the key focus areas on the city’s Business Resources page.

• The city’s Business Resiliency Microloan program was also launched to help address revenue/cash flow challenges and assist with covering expenses.

• The city’s Loans & Grants page has been updated regularly with opportunities that span a wide range of industries, from small businesses, to women- and minority-owned businesses, to restaurants and creatives. It also provides information on SBA loans and the Paycheck Protection Program.

Businesses that participated in the first survey have also been contacted by the city via email with updates as soon as new resources and programs have become available.

New survey, new focus

The goal of the city’s new survey is to assess the impact that the past several weeks have had on businesses’ revenue and staff size, assess businesses’ ability to pivot to online or remote operations, and learn what resources businesses applied for in hopes of obtaining financial support (and whether or not they were eligible or aware of such programs).

Business owners in Fort Worth are encouraged to take the follow-up survey, now available at fortworthtexas.gov/covid-19-business-survey.

“As businesses in Fort Worth start to reopen, it’s important that we understand where they are now,” said Robert Sturns, the city’s economic development director.

“Some businesses have been pretty creative in working to maintain operations, some might still be closed, and some might be in transition or somewhere in between. Either way, business operations will be impacted, and their employees will be affected, and we’re trying to determine where some of those stress points are so we know where we should focus our efforts.”

The City Council on Wednesday accepted $158,715,568 in CARES Act funding from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Fort Worth continues to respond to the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 virus. Current and projected outlays include personnel, supplies and equipment and contractual expenditures. The city is developing a plan to use a significant portion of remaining funds to fund community assistance programs.

Eligible city expenditures include:

• Joint Emergency Operations Center expenses such as salaries, supplies and contracts.
• COVID-19-related overtime in various departments.
• Salaries of those reassigned to COVID-19 roles, such as the code compliance director, parks director, public events staff and others.
• Supplies and equipment such as personal protection equipment, cleaning and sanitizing supplies.
• Contractual expenditures such as RVs and hotels to host COVID-19-affected people, cleaning and so on.
• Unanticipated expenses such as emergency sick leave, emergency Family and Medical Leave Act, and unemployment.
• Community support programs.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress with bipartisan support and signed into law by President Trump on March 27. The $2 trillion economic relief package aims to protect the American people from the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19.

Cowtown’s nonprofit bikeshare system, Fort Worth Bike Sharing, is partnering with Fidelity Investments Careers and its Westlake Regional Center to offer essential workers free six-month memberships.

“We are thrilled to have Fidelity Careers sponsor and help implement this program to thank our essential workers who have kept Fort Worth rolling,” Fort Worth Bike Sharing Executive Director Jennifer Grissom said. “It is our privilege to provide an alternative transportation option that complies with the social distancing requirements while allowing a fun, active way to get to work. Our team is maintaining strict sanitizing practices in an effort to keep our essential workers safe and healthy.”

Through June 1, first responders, health care, hospitality or transit workers may apply for the free memberships. Email Fort Worth Bike Sharing from a work email address with the business name in the subject line or call 817-348-0084 with details of employment.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday revealed his plan to reopen Texas businesses. Abbott will allow his previous stay-at-home executive order to expire April 30.

Under what he calls Phase 1 of the statewide reopening efforts, restaurants, theaters and malls will be allowed to reopen on May 1 with no more than 25% occupancy. Licensed health care professionals, such as doctors and dentists, may return to work May 1 if they choose. Abbott also called upon Texans to act responsibly as we re-engage in the economy, to continue following all health precautions and sanitizing guidelines, and to care for our vulnerable neighbors.

To view the governor’s plan, visit his website.

Fort Worth city officials are meeting to determine what the governor’s plan means for Fort Worth businesses and will release details and guidance later this week. Abbott said his order supersedes all local orders and that businesses are allowed but not required to reopen.

Barber shops, gyms and nail salons are still closed on May 1, but may reopen by mid-May, during what Abbott called Phase 2 of his plan. Implementation of Phase 2 will depend on whether a spike in new COVID-19 infections is recorded during the Phase 1 reopenings.

Under orders by Gov. Greg Abbott, select activities and services that pose minimal to no threat of spreading COVID-19 are allowed to reopen beginning April 24.

The executive order establishes a temporary “retail-to-go” model that allows retail outlets in Texas to reopen, but requires establishments to deliver items to customers’ cars, homes or other locations to minimize contact.

The Texas Department of State Health Services provided these guidelines:

What should employees do to keep themselves and customers safe?

• All employees must be trained on environmental cleaning and disinfection, hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette.
• All employees must be screened before coming into the business for new or worsening cough; shortness of breath; sore throat; loss of taste or smell; feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100 degrees Fahrenheit; or known close contact with a person who is lab-confirmed to have COVID-19. Any employee who meets any of these criteria should be sent home.
• Upon entering the business, employees must wash or sanitize hands.
• All employees must wear face coverings.
• Employees must maintain at least 6 feet separation from one another.

How do customers purchase and obtain goods from a retail store that has just reopened?

Customers may purchase items from a retail location for pickup, delivery by mail or delivery to the customer’s doorstep, but may not enter the premises.

Retail to-go:

• All payments should be done over the phone or internet if possible, and contact should be minimized if remote payment is not available.
• Purchased items should be delivered by the employee to the backseat or trunk of the customer’s vehicle whenever possible to minimize physical contact with the customer.
• Employees must wash or sanitize their hands after each interaction with a customer, and whenever possible, must disinfect any item that came into contact with the customer.

Delivery to customer’s doorstep:

• All payments should be done over the phone or internet if possible, and contact should be minimized if remote payment is not available.
• Purchased items should be delivered by an employee or third-party carrier and delivered to the customer’s doorstep. The employee or third-party carrier may not enter the customer’s house or business.

Retail delivery by mail:

• All payments must be done over the phone or internet.
• Purchased items should be delivered by mail without customer contact.
• The customer should wash or sanitize their hands after the transaction.

The 2020 Census is underway and more households across America are responding every day. More than 70 million households have responded to date, representing over 48% of all households in America. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Census Bureau is adjusting 2020 Census operations in order to:

• Protect the health and safety of the American public and Census Bureau employees.
• Implement guidance from federal, state and local authorities.
• Ensure a complete and accurate count of all communities.

The Census Bureau temporarily suspended 2020 Census field data collection activities in March. Steps are already being taken to reactivate field offices beginning June 1, in preparation for the resumption of field data collection operations as quickly as possible following June 1.

In-person activities, including all interaction with the public, enumeration, office work and processing activities, will incorporate the most current guidance to promote the health and safety of staff and the public. This will include recommended personal protective equipment and social distancing practices.

Once 2020 Census data collection is complete, the Census Bureau begins a lengthy, thorough and scientifically-rigorous process to produce the apportionment counts, redistricting information and other statistical data products that help guide hundreds of billions of dollars in public and private sector spending per year.

To ensure the completeness and accuracy of the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau is asking Congress for 120 additional calendar days to deliver final apportionment counts. Under this plan, the Census Bureau would extend the window for field data collection and self-response to Oct. 31, which will allow for apportionment counts to be delivered to President Trump by April 30, 2021, and redistricting data to be delivered to the states no later than July 31, 2021.

On April 7, the Fort Worth City Council extended the emergency declaration that was originally signed by Mayor Betsy Price on Monday, April 6, 2020 to implement stay home, work safe restrictions to help combat the spread and impact of COVID-19 on the City of Fort Worth.

This action extends the declaration through April 30, 2020.

• Individuals are to stay at home. However, individuals may leave their residences for essential travel, essential activities or to provide or perform essential governmental functions, or to operate essential businesses. This includes traveling to work at an essential business, traveling for the health of yourself or another person, leaving to get food and supplies, or getting outside to exercise.
• To the extent individuals are using shared or outdoor spaces, they must maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet from any other person. This does not require a household or living unit to social distance when at home.
• Essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies and other establishments that sell household goods will remain open but must enforce social distancing. A list of essential and non-essential businesses is below. For specific information about businesses, call 817-392-8478 or email Covid19@FortWorthTexas.gov. To request that a business be added as an Essential Business, contact the Texas Division of Emergency Management via email at EssentialServices@tdem.texas.gov. Information is also available at tdem.texas.gov/essentialservices.
• In-house dining at restaurants is prohibited. Restaurants with or without drive-in or drive-through services; drive-in restaurants; drive-through restaurants; liquor stores; and microbreweries, micro-distilleries; or wineries may only provide take out, delivery or drive-in or drive-through services, as allowed by law.
• All businesses operating within the City of Fort Worth, except essential businesses, are required to close to the public.
• Businesses that are closed to the public may continue operations consisting exclusively of the following, as long as social distancing of a least six feet is maintained between all employees and contractors during the activities:
  • Maintain the value of the business’s inventory or equipment, process payroll and employee benefits, maintain the premises and the security of the premises, equipment or inventory, including the care and maintenance of livestock or animals;
  • IT or other operations that facilitate employees working from home; and
  • Facilitate online or call-in sales; and/or perform in-store repair services
• All public or private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or living unit are prohibited. This declaration does not prohibit the gathering of members of a household or living unit.
• All elective medical procedures are prohibited, with limited exceptions.
• If someone in a household has tested positive for COVID-19, the household is ordered to isolate at home.
• Nursing homes, retirement and long-term care facilities are to prohibit non-essential visitors from accessing their facilities unless to provide critical assistance or for end-of-life visitation.
• All in-person worship services remain prohibited, with the exception of worship support staff to facilitate online services.

For specific questions about businesses, call 817-392-8478 or email COVID19@FortWorthTexas.gov. For more information visit http://fortworthtexas.gov/COVID-19.

Congress recently approved the CARES Act, a federal bill to provide economic relief for individuals and businesses in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

One major component of the CARES Act is the Small Business Paycheck Protection Program, which provides small businesses with enough funds to pay up to eight weeks of payroll costs, including benefits. These funds can also be used to pay interest on mortgages, rent and utilities.

These funds come in the form of loans that may be fully forgiven when used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. Loan payments will be deferred for six months, and no collateral or personal guarantees are required. Small businesses will not be charged fees by either government or lenders.

Important points to keep in mind:

• Loan forgiveness depends on businesses keeping employees on the payroll, or rehiring employees quickly, while maintaining salary levels. At least 75% of the loan amount must be used for payroll expenses in order for the loan to be fully forgiven, and loan forgiveness will be reduced if salaries decrease, or if the number of full-time employees declines.

• All small businesses are eligible. This means a business with 500 employees or less, and includes nonprofits, veterans’ organizations, tribal concerns, self-employed individuals, sole proprietorships, and independent contractors.

• All loans will have the same terms, regardless of the lender or borrower.

• Unemployment benefits have been extended to self-employed workers, independent contractors, and those with limited work history. Unemployment insurance provisions now include an additional $600 per week payment to each recipient for up to four months.

When and how to apply

Contact your financial institution to determine when they expect to start processing applications. Apply as quickly as possible, as there is a funding cap.

Business owners can download the application online, fill it out, and take it to any existing SBA 7(a) lending partner, federally insured bank, or federally insured credit union to officially file it. (These institutions may allow for submission via email on their website.) Business owners may be asked to provide their tax and payroll information, as well as information about their rent and utility costs.

SBA Disaster Loans

In addition to the Small Business Paycheck Protection Program, businesses can also apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) through the U.S. Small Business Association, or SBA.

The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans provide targeted, low-interest recovery loans of up to $2 million to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and some private nonprofit organizations. As of March 20, businesses throughout the entire state of Texas can apply.

Important points to keep in mind about SBA Loans:

• The CARES Act, mentioned previously, also includes an opportunity to get up to a $10,000 advance on an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan. This advance may be available even if your EIDL application was declined or is still pending, and it will be forgiven. If you wish to apply for the advance on your EIDL, visit the SBA website as soon as possible to fill out a new, streamlined application. In order to qualify for the advance, you’ll need to submit a new application even if you previously submitted one already. Applying for the advance will not impact the status of, or slow down your existing application.

• The SBA offers other financial solutions, such as:
  • The 7(a) program, which offers loan amounts up to $5,000 for working capital, purchase of equipment, fixtures, refinancing debt, seasonal line of credit, inventory, starting a business, and more.
  • The Express Loan program, which provides loans up to $350,000 for no more than seven years with an option to resolve. The approval/denial of these loans has a turnaround time of 36 hours, and proceeds can be used for the same things as an 7(a) loan.
  • The Community Advantage Loan pilot program allows mission-based lenders to assist small businesses in under-served markets with a maximum loan of $250,000.
• Businesses can apply for both the Small Business Paycheck Protection Program and an EIDL loan, so long as each loan covers different operational costs.

For more information about these and other financial resources for businesses in Fort Worth, keep an eye on the city’s COVID-19 Business Resources page, which is being updated as information becomes available.

A hotline established for the COVID-19 outbreak has proven to be a popular way for Fort Worth residents and business owners to learn news and information about the virus and its effects on everyday life.

During the week of March 22-29, 1,995 calls and 744 emails were handled by call-takers in the Consumer Health Division of the city’s Code Compliance Department. Staff members in other city departments also provided answers to questions in their area of expertise.

The hotline, which operates 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, can provide basic information about the virus and its symptoms, information for businesses affected by the ongoing shutdown, information on how to report a violation of the stay-at-home order and other topics. Responses are available in English and Spanish.

Contact the hotline at 817-392-8478 or by email.

Other information sources

• For questions about COVID-19 and how to limit its spread: 817-248-6299 (This number is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.)
• For questions related to city services changes, contact the City Call Center: 817-392-1234; 1234@FortWorthTexas.gov
• An email address is available for residents and businesses: COVID19@FortWorthTexas.gov
• Comprehensive website for information on the virus and available city services