< Previous28 | TALK MAGAZINE • SPRING 2020 into the hands of doctors for feedback. Longer term, Dion is working with Oat Foundry, an engineering and design firm found- ed by six Drexel graduates, to develop a respirator — a mask with an air filter that provides much more protection — that is washable and reusable. If the designs are successful, they would be made available to knitting mills for large-scale productions — and could provide one example of how the COVID-19 disaster spurs industrial innovation. The Fabric Discovery Center at 3101 Market St. can produce several hundred masks a day, Dion said. Its prototype is still in the planning stages. “The immediate need for personal protection equipment is our priority right now,” he said. Protecting health-care workers from COVID-19 is crucial because as cases surge, staffing is also expected to be stretched thin. Health-care workers accounted for about 10% of Philadelphia’s 252 cases as of Tuesday. COLLEGE NEWS continued from page 5 It’s up to us to right the ship and to help struggling entrepreneurs in our community. Many restaurants are offering delivery and take- out services – buy a meal or two from them or purchase a gift card for later use. Many barbers/ hairstylists have no income for at least the next two weeks – send them a thank you card letting them know you appreciate and support them along with the tip that you would have given them for your next service. We need to create our own economic stimulus in our community. We cannot afford to wait on the government to bail us out, because they’ve already given us a bunch of promissory notes that amount to nothing more than a handful of gimme’s and a mouthful of much obliges. Let’s help stabilize our community by being proactive with your social distancing/behavior, infusing dollars into our local business communi- ty and helping to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community by doing the things that the health officials suggest – washing hands for 20 seconds at a time throughout the day, covering your mouth when you cough and STAYING HOME IF YOU ARE SICK! As we look at what is taking place around the world, we must recognize that things are much different than they were one month ago, two weeks ago, or even three days ago. But we must realize that being inconvenienced for a short period of time, far outweighs the alternative. It’s time to stop shucking, jiving and high-fiv- ing and think about what we can do to start thriving today, tomorrow and in the very near future. Opinion: Crippling Impact of Coronavirus on Black Businesses continued from page 9 TALK ACROSS PA continued from page 7 CLARION chomped down on pizza and sang “Happy Birthday,” then broke open a six-pack of red velvet cupcakes. My husband is working outdoors. He’s smart, exercising social distancing and just practicing his “pay attention” instincts cultivated from Cub Scouts and the U.S. Marine Corps. My dog is confused by my extended weekday presence in the hosue — by the prescription computer eyeglasses I’m wearing — and by the police radio scanner that rudely interrupts his snoring. My living room is my newsroom — but that’s not a new thing for me. Over the past couple of decades, I’ve had reasons to work from home. I am constantly updating our newspaper’s content with the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic precautions in our county, but I am also constantly allowing my spirit to be boosted with uplifting, calming assurance from my Savior. My living room over here on Pine Street in Princeton is my newsroom, but it’s also my wor- ship center. The benefit of working from home is cranking up a video of a friend’s Wednesday night livestream church service over in Owens- ville. I also watched a video from my pastor John Spencer in Princeton detail how we can worship Sunday and see a sermon from pastor Mike Marsh — and empowering us to remember in these times, the Church has left the building! I’m sure your churches are doing the same. I’m watching a lot of their words of inspiration. Your churches are my churches. Because we are one Church. 2 Timothy 1:7 (The Passion Translation) — For God will never give you the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty power, love, and self-control. The Apostle Paul wrote those words to Timo- thy, but the verse before it says this: I’m writing to encourage you to fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you when I laid my hands upon you. WHAT TO DO NOW While federal, state, and local lawmakers mull over additional aid, Mills recommends that small business owners: • Apply for the Small Business Administration loans. In addition to the disaster loans, which only apply to businesses in states that have declared emergency status, some state govern- ments are offering aid packages. • Explore private sector programs and fintech products. Facebook said it would offer $100 million in grants to small businesses. And fintech companies such as Kabbage and Fundbox, which specialize in loans to small businesses, are also considering ways to sup- port the sector. • Renegotiate terms of contracts and debt. Owners should ask landlords for more time to pay their rent, for example. They should also ask banks to temporarily defer interest payments on outstanding debt. Concerned consumers can help by buying gift cards from their local businesses, a small gesture that can help Main Street shops stay afloat. “That’s an excellent way to get money into these businesses,” Mills says. Large companies and government agencies can provide relief simply by paying outstanding bills—now. As economic concerns mount, large companies tend to delay payments to suppliers to conserve cash. Mills recommends that organiza- tions reject that tactic when it applies to small businesses and pay as soon as possible to support not only the vendor, but the American economy. “They should pay all of their invoices now and pay anything they can forward,” says Mills. “The Apples of the world should take it as part of their civic responsibility.” Mills emphasized that acting quickly, with both small individual steps and large government-led actions, is critical. “Small businesses are the very fabric of our communities, all across the country,” Mills said. “Days matter at this critical time. If we lose these small businesses, our communities are going to look very different when all is said and done, and it will take a long time to bring back the businesses we will have lost.” How Small Businesses Can Survive the Coronavirus Outbreak continued from page 27Talk Magazine is Pennsylvania’s only statewide publication produced by African-Americans and our mission is to bring timely, informative, and educational articles on events and issues that effect and influence Pennsylvanian’s everyday lives. Talk Magazine is obtained through subscription only. 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