Story at a glance
- Data from small business owners suggest a majority support government-backed mask mandates.
- Many owners are concerned about losing patronage due to mask mandates, with 41 percent reporting experiencing confrontations regarding facial covering policies.
- President Biden recently announced a sweeping mask mandate for all federal employees as the country combats the delta variant.
Given the continued outbreaks of delta-fueled COVID-19 infections, the anticipated reopenings of various economic sectors and public spaces have largely been dashed, forcing some small business owners to make critical decisions to keep their businesses afloat.
New data suggests that about 33 percent, or 1 in 3 small business owners, say that having their employees vaccinated against COVID-19 is a “top priority.”
Collected by Clarify Capital, responses from more than 230 small business owners were gathered regarding a variety of concerns surrounding their businesses’ well-being amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of the chief concerns business owners reported were protecting both customers and employees from contracting COVID-19 infections while at the business, operating amid the emergence of new variants, affording personal protective equipment (PPE) for customers and battling potential dual outbreaks of COVID-19 and the flu.
When polled on solutions that would be the most helpful, a majority of 78 percent of respondents said that more financial aid to pay for PPE equipment and protective measures would safeguard employees and clientele.
Mask mandates were the second most popular solution, with 66 percent of respondents saying government-enforced mandates will make it easier for businesses to impose them as well.
To this point, 77 percent of small businesses reported having some form of mask mandate in place.
Thirty-eight percent of this demographic simultaneously reported fearing a loss of patronage due to imposing masks while on site.
This concern manifested for 41 percent of respondents, who reported being small business owners who endured confrontations with customers over noncompliance with the mask mandates.
Providing financial aid for small businesses whose operations stood to suffer immensely from the COVID-19 lockdowns was an integral part of the first economic stimulus packages. Known as the Payment Protection Program (PPP), select small businesses were eligible for reimbursements to pay employees to stay on in a bid to prevent mass layoffs.
Funding for PPP formally ran out in May 2021. It was issued two times during the pandemic, with some borrowers eligible for loan forgiveness as the pandemic continues to threaten a full economic recovery.
Both private and public sectors have increasingly turned to mandating masks and vaccinations to keep industries operable. On Thursday, President Biden issued an encompassing mask mandate for all federal employees, while major companies like Microsoft and Vanguard have either ordered or incentivized their employees to get vaccinated.
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