Dear Chamber Member,

Firstly I hope you, your families, friends and colleagues are all well.

The publication by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD of the Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business is welcome and gives some structure, allowing us to work towards increasing our business activities again in the coming coming weeks and months. We must remember that this plan will only progress through each stage if we continue to adhere to the advice of Government which ultimately is designed to protect us, our communities and our families.

On Saturday May 02nd, Government announced additional measures to support business, and we urge you to review these carefully and consider their potential benefit for your business. The measures include a rates waiver, restart grant, ‘warehousing’ of tax liabilities, recovery fund and credit guarantee scheme. While these measures are a welcome addition to previously announced supports, they can only be judged on impact and accessibility. At a minimum the time frames referenced will need to be expanded and the interpretation of ‘impacted’ businesses broadened considerably. Over and above the minimum supports, more specific and deeper measures are required on a sectoral basis particularly regarding tourism, hospitality and retail.  

As of Monday May 04th, the Wage Subsidy Scheme moved into its operational phase and updates have been made to the Guidance/FAQs document in light of this.

These updates and more are posted to our dedicated business supports page *click here*. 

Please share your thoughts on what recovery means for your business with me on email <HERE> or 087 9471858 or with any of the team at Cork Chamber, as we continue to ensure that Government and business work together to improve our resilience.

Take care,