Skip to content

The Delta Variant and the Small Business Community

Click HERE to read the entire article. 

The small business community was increasingly optimistic this summer. The pandemic was waning, restrictions disappeared and customers were coming back in droves.

Vaccinated individuals gathered without masks. While many businesses struggled to find qualified employees, their prospects for recovery looked good.

Then the Delta variant came and COVID cases started to significantly increase. That optimism that defined the small business community has been replaced with concern and uncertainty.

How significant will the spike in Illinois be? What, if any, mitigation measures will be put into place? How will the resurgence of the pandemic impact consumer behavior?

The trajectory of the pandemic may shift again before this article is published. It seems the only thing that remains certain during this pandemic is uncertainty.

Policymakers must be ready to support the small business community should the new surge threaten the viability of small businesses. This includes promptly getting Back to Business grants to as many struggling small businesses as possible. Policymakers have allocated about $300 million for these grants. The onset of the Delta variant makes it crucial to swiftly provide this funding to as many small businesses as possible.

Click HERE to read the entire article.

Insights Archive

DHBL w/Elliot Richardson November 8, 2021

By patti@sbacil.org | November 15, 2021

SBAC President Elliot Richardson urges policymakers to adopt an economic strategy focused on local businesses and communities in his Daily Herald Business Ledger Column. READ HERE Supporters Fifth Third Bank Saul Ewing Arnstein Lehr Inland Bank Ntiva Daily Herald Tandem HR Interprenet Signature Bank Lexitas Empower Korey Richardson Open One Solutions Freeborn and Peters A…

The Small Business Package

By mrevis@sbacil.org | November 1, 2021

Many small and local businesses have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Illinois unemployment rate remains high. Illinois politicians can partner with the small business community to enact policies that will help small businesses through this pandemic, reduce unemployment in our state, grow the Illinois workforce and generate revenue. There has never been a…

SBAC Action Call: Time For Policymakers To Deliver a Small Business Package

By mrevis@sbacil.org | November 1, 2021

SBAC Action Call: Time For Policymakers To Deliver a Small Business Package Many small and local businesses closed during the pandemic while others continue fighting to keep their doors open. The small business community has galvanized around a package of policy proposals. These policies will provide crucial support to small businesses and local communities. They…

Scroll To Top