Page 6 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2020 Families asked to pick up student medication F amilies that have medication currently located in schools will be contacted individually by the school nurse. Nurses began calling families directly on Monday, March 16 to make arrangements for families who prefer to pick up their student’s medication. If your contact information has changed or if you have any questions, please call the City of Everett Nurse Supervisor at 857-888-0723. Chamber of Commerce tries to keep business owners upbeat By Christopher Roberson “especially in the restaurant and hospitality sectors.” A lthough her Broadway office is closed, Cheryl Smith, executive director of the Everett Chamber of Commerce, has urged small business owners to remain optimistic even as COVID-19 wreaks havoc around them. “We are all in this together, we want to assure you that we take the health and well-being of our community, members and associates very seriously,” Smith said in a recent letter to member businesses. “We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and will follow guidance from public health officials and government agencies, so we can continue to support our members and community as needed.” Smith said applications for Economic Impact Disaster Loans are now available through the Small Business Administration at www. sba.gov/disaster. She also said the Baker-Polito Administration has created a $10 Million Small Business Recovery Loan Fund and implemented tax relief measures “This tax relief includes postponing the collection of regular sales tax, meals tax and room occupancy taxes that would be due in March, April and May so that they will instead be due on June 20,” said Smith. In addition, state lawmakers passed emergency legislation to waive the one-week waiting period for anyone filing an unemployment claim related to COVID-19. Business impact William Nogueira, owner of Sal’s Pizza, said the virus has brought his business to a “dead stop.” “We are taking it one day at a time,” he said. “Hopefully, our president and elected officials will guide us through this tough time to get us back on track and not ruin our economy.” In a March 18 Facebook post, Michael Oxton, Rob Burns and Michael O’Mara, cofounders of Night Shift Brewing, said they will forfeit their salaries in an effort to keep their business alive. “To better protect the health and safety of our community and give Night Shift the best shot at coming out of this intact, we made some incredibly tough decisions,” they said. Although Oxton, Burns and O’Mara have vowed not to implement any employee layoffs, they have created a furlough program for each department. “This decision to impact staff livelihood is the hardest we’ve ever had to make and one that comes as a last resort,” they said. “As a unified team, we will bear hardship together and hopefully ensure a stronger future for the entire Night Shift family. When this finally passes, we will raise a glass in celebration.” Anne Stewart, owner of Stewart’s Pub, also took to Facebook to share her thoughts about Governor Charlie Baker’s order to suspend dining-in at restaurants and bars. “We are devastated by this news,” she said. “I am a small family-operated business and depend on my patrons and community. My employees and my patrons are like family.” So far, so good for early morning seniors at Stop & Shop By Christopher Roberson T hus far, the 90-minute shopping window that Stop & Shop has reserved for senior citizens has been going well since taking effect on March 19. “While the first day was busier than anticipated, we are now seeing that shoppers are staggering the days they visit the store to ensure a less crowded environment,” said Stop & Shop spokesperson Maria Fruci. “It’s important for our customers to remember that this is not a one-day event. Community members ages 60 and over can shop from 6 to 7:30 a.m. any day of the week.” She said some of Stop & Shop’s competitors only offer senior shopping times on certain days; however, the company wants to ensure that every measure is being taken to shield seniors from the spread of COVID-19. “We felt it was important to better enable customers to practice social distancing,” said Fruci. She also said younger customers have not interfered STOP & SHOP | SEE PAGE 7
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