Letter: COVID will kill small businesses without more intervention

Alfonso Quiroz is a Jackson Heights small business advocate and a candidate for City Council in District 25. photo via Quiroz

By Alfonso Quiroz

It’s clear that the death knell is tolling for small business in New York City. With coronavirus cases surging in an increasing number of states, it’s only a matter of time before New York City again witnesses an increase. And that will bring with it tighter restrictions on who stays open, and who is forced to close again.

Sadly, this may be the final obstacle that is too steep to overcome for countless small businesses. This will forever change the landscape of the small businesses in our diverse borough, many founded by immigrants (and employing immigrants now cast onto the unemployment rolls).

Small businesses have encountered significant obstacles, starting with the forced closure amid the pandemic, significant lost revenue, the inability to pay rent and inability to get federal funding. In recent weeks, Comptroller Scott Stringer reported that 85% of minority- and women-owned businesses (M/WBEs) polled across New York City indicated they won’t be able to make it into 2021. 

And, another report by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer unearthed that only 12% of employee-based and non-employer businesses in the city received funding under the federal Paycheck Protection Program, even as states less impacted economically by the pandemic received greater funding. 

This was a lifeline that many small businesses counted on, but now have to make the difficult decision about whether to continue. Even though the city has been phasing in reopenings, business is still down and small businesses are seeking creative ways to survive. 

In my neighborhood, more than 300 businesses and patrons signed a petition urging the city to extend the ability for restaurants to have outdoor dining beyond the fall expiration date. But an extension won’t be enough without the city ensuring that renewal fees are low, and burdensome rules and paperwork are streamlined.

It’s important that any new stimulus package supports small business, and does not smother their opportunities. They need help, not a hurdle.

Alfonso Quiroz is a candidate for city council in District 25.