As businesses prepare to reopen, Governor Eric Holcomb is promising some help from the state, when it comes to getting personal protective equipment.
“We’re developing the Indiana Small Business PPE Marketplace to provide reliable access to PPE for small businesses that need help to comply with the new safe workplace precautions,” Holcomb announced during his press conference Friday. “Businesses and non-profit entities with fewer than 150 employees and registered to do business in Indiana will be eligible.”
The marketplace is expected to launch next week, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. The goal is to connect the state’s manufacturers that are now making PPE with the businesses that will be required to use it when they reopen.
In a press release Friday, the IEDC encouraged businesses to try to get the equipment on their own, and only use the new marketplace as a backup. Requests will be evaluated based on each work environment’s particular risk profile, as well as the availability of supplies. More details are expected in the coming days.
The governor also announced Friday that the state will distribute the initial $300 million in federal Coronavirus Relief Fund money to counties, cities, and towns, using a population-based formula. That money will reimburse local governments for expenses related to the COVID-19 response.
