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Coronavirus Resources for Windsor Businesses
In partnership with the County of Sonoma Department of Health Services and Economic Development Board (EDB) the Town of Windsor has developed a comprehensive list of local, state and federal resources and benefits for businesses and employees impacted by the coronavirus. Please feel free to reach to Tim Ricard, Town of Windsor Economic Development Manager, for assistance accessing these resources.
Impacted Businesses |
- COVID Testing
- Outdoor Commerce
- CURA Project
- SoCo Launch
- What's Open in Sonoma County
- Grants
- Public Health Agencies
- Business Guidance
- Employer and Employee Benefits
- Business Safety Posters
- CARES Act
Free COVID-19 Testing Available
If you are currently experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus, contact your healthcare provider. If you do not have a healthcare provider, call 2-1-1 to find the nearest health clinic near you. If you have serious symptoms, like difficulty breathing, call 9-1-1.
Testing PREVENTS the spread of COVID-19 with early detection.
Testing identifies higher rates of infection. This helps the county direct immediate care and resources where it is most needed, as quickly as possible. By identifying areas to invest resources and financial support, the county takes important steps towards reopening.
Sonoma County continues to prioritize and increase its testing program. These vital efforts can reduce positivity rates and protect our community during our reopening stage. Actions include:
- Creating a wide-spread community pop-up testing program within target areas
- Outbreak testing at job sites
- Contact tracing testing for close contacts of confirmed cases
- Partnership with the State of California for additional local testing sites conducted by OptumServe and Project Baseline
- At maximum capacity these steps enable the County to reach our daily testing goal of nearly 1000 tests a day.
There are two kinds of tests for COVID-19: viral tests and antibody tests.
- A viral (diagnostic) test tells you if you have a current infection. This test is now widely available.The COVID-19 diagnostic test is safe, and fast. A nasal swab, or oral swab sample may be used.There are two types of diagnostic tests: PCR tests are the most accurate while antigen tests quickly confirm suspected positive cases. Testing sites listed on this page use viral PCR tests.
- An antibody test tells you if you had a previous infection. Find more information about local antibody testing sites.
Free, convenient, and confidential COVID-19 testing is available for all Sonoma County residents, regardless of documentation status. No ID is required.
Everyone is allowed to receive a test, regardless if they are symptomatic or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
There are no out-of-pocket costs for testing, and no driver’s license is required.
Temporary Outdoor Dining & Commerce Permit
To support our local businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic the Town of Windsor is instituting a program to allow restaurants and retailers to have seating and product displays on the sidewalk and in parking areas. The program will be temporary and last through November 1st - presuming no change in the County Health Officer’s orders. Please see the permit application for details and contact Economic Development Manager Tim Ricard at tricard@townofwindsor.com with any questions or to submit an application.
Guidelines for Temporary Tents, Canopies and Membrane Structures for Outdoor Business Operations
The Sonoma CoutGuidelines were developed to establish reasonable prescriptive guidance and supplemental clarification to the general requirements for outdoor dining, bars, pubs, brewpubs, and breweries when such businesses are required to operate outdoors.
The CURA Project is a collaboration among community-based organizations to connect Latinx and Indigenous communities of Sonoma County to COVID-19 testing, healthcare, isolation care, emergency financial assistance, and other needed resources.
Need help connecting to specific resources during the Pandemic?
Do you need help looking for resources in Sonoma County such as free food distribution, free COVID-19 testing, legal aid and other resources? Please fill out this intake form and our resource navigator will get in contact with you. If we do not have information on the resource you are seeking we will try our best to find an organization that can assist you.
SoCo Launch is a new online portal created to help business owners understand at what point they may be able to reopen for consumers and to provide the resources they need to safely and successfully reopen their business in accordance with the latest Public Health Order.
This site was created by the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, with assistance from the Town of Windsor and other economic development organizations, after gathering extensive input from local business sectors and the Department of Public Health. The goal was simple: to develop mitigation strategies to help local businesses reopen as quickly and as safely as possible.
Business Mitigation Measure Checklist
- As you build your business plan to incorporate the necessary protocols to reopen once allowed by local and/or state health orders, review this checklist to ensure you’re meeting or exceeding necessary requirements to reopen.
- To ensure businesses in specific industries have a consistent and easy-to-use outline for suggested approaches in order to quickly and safely reopen their businesses, we’ve created guidelines for local industries to reference as we move through the different phases of reopening.
Business Self-Certification Portal
- We’ve created an online portal for businesses to self-certify, once state and/or local health orders allow them to open, that they are committed to meeting or exceeding requirements of the Business Mitigation Practices put into place by the County of Sonoma to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
As industries continue to follow state guidelines to safely reopen, we want to share with you what is open and in what capacity. On this page you will find a comprehensive list of industries that are open, open with limited access, or closed.
You will also find corresponding health orders listed across the top row, starting with the most current order. All industries must comply with social distancing, hygiene and face covering requirements and any other industry specific requirements contained in state and local health orders and guidance.
For more information on businesses that are open at any capacity, please click the correlating health order in the top row.
- Sonoma County Business Stablization Grant Program- small businesses in Sonoma County with between 1 and 30 employees will be able to apply for between $2,500and $15,000 in Covid-19 relief funding to use towards expenses including payroll, utilities, rent, or mortgage expenses. English Flyer. Spanish Flyer
- Facebook is offering $100 million in cash grants and advertising credits to help small businesses during this time.
- James Beard Foundation started a Food and Beverage Industry Relief Fund to provide micro-grants to independent food and beverage small businesses in need.
- JPMorgan pledged $50 million in aid to small businesses and nonprofits.
- Opportunity Fund, which specializes in money lending to small businesses owned by women, immigrants, and people of color, is collaborating with investors and nonprofits to put together a coronavirus relief fund that will provide grants and low-interest rate loans to business owners in need.
- Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman announced the company is providing $25 million in coronavirus relief for independent restaurant and nightlife businesses in the form of waived advertising fees, and free advertising, products, and services.
- Hello Alice is offering $10,000 Business for All Emergency Grants being distributed immediately to small business owners impacted by Coronavirus, as part of their broader mission to ensure Business for All. In addition to funding, grant recipients will receive ongoing support from the Hello Alice community.
- The State of California is actively working with the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local governments, health facilities, and health care providers across the state to prepare and protect Californians from Coronavirus.
- The Sonoma County Department of Health Services (DHS) continues to work closely with other Bay Area health departments, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the 2019 Coronavirus. The information and requirements pertaining to Coronavirus may change as more is learned about this virus and its transmission. Additional information, status reports, and website links can be accessed on the SoCoEmergency webpage.
Local Employer Phone line (707) 565-4667, available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week
- Wondering if your business or job is considered “essential” under the current State public health directives? Please see the list from the State Public Health Officer.
- Businesses seeking local guidance and best practices on how to operate while protecting their employees and customers should review the Sonoma County Department of Health Service Guidance for Food Facilities which offers great tips social distancing and sanitizing equipment.
- The California Department of Public Health has developed a series of general guidance documents for businesses, health care facilities, non-profits, etc.
- The Center for Disease Control has a webpage devoted to helping businesses plan, prepare, and respond to the coronavirus.
Business Tip- Minimize Crowding
To the extent possible, practice social distancing by interacting with one customer at a time. Develop a procedure to facilitate an orderly line of customer service. Monitor the line to assure that customer needs are being met. Limit person-to-person physical contact to the extent practical.
- OnwardCA is a resource that has been rapidly deployed by a broad coalition of companies, foundations, and humans who want to help. Help you get money or groceries or child care; help you upskill, reskill, or refresh; and help you land a great new job.
- Restaurant Employee Relief Fund was created to help restaurant industry employees experiencing extraordinary hardship in the wake of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. Through this Fund, grants will be made to restaurant industry employees who have been impacted by COVID-19, including a decrease in wages or loss of employment.
- The Labor & Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) wants to keep workers, employers, co-workers, and families safe. What employees are entitled to may be confusing. The LWDA is trying to make it easier and spread awareness through a centralized source of information with regards to topics such as: paid sick leave, disability and unemployment insurance, workplace health and safety guidance and employer assistance. Use the guidance on their website to determine what is best for you, your family and your workplace.
- The California Labor Commissioner’s Office has listed basic information with relation to employee leave options, compensation and salary.
- For information about job protection and employment discrimination, visit the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing website.
- The Employment Development Department (EDD) provides a variety of resources for employers who anticipate a reduction of work hours or potential closure or layoffs as a result of Coronavirus. Employers experiencing a hardship as a result of Coronavirus may also request up to a 60-day extension of time from the EDD to file their state payroll reports and/or deposit state payroll taxes without penalty or interest. For question, employers may call the EDD Taxpayer Assistance Center at (888) 745-3886.
Business Safety Posters- Use one of the posters at the entrance of your business facility to encourage the public to self-check for COVID-19 symptoms and follow safety protocols before entering your facility.
- Town of Windsor Prevent the Spread Poster- English 11x17 (PDF)
- Town of Windsor Prevent the Spread Poster- English 8.5x11 (PDF
- Town of Windsor Prevent the Spread Poster- Spanish 11x17 (PDF)
- Town of Windsor Prevent the Spread Poster- Spanish 8.5x11 (PDF
- Sonoma County Business Safety Guidance Poster - English (PDF)
- Sonoma County Business Safety Guidance Poster - Spanish (PDF)
The programs and initiatives in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act are intended to assist business owners with whatever needs they have right now. These new resources are available for small businesses, as well as certain nonprofits and other employers. Please use the resources below to learn more about how your business can use these programs to access forgivable loans, grants, and other resources.
PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM (PPP)- authorizes up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses to pay their employees during the COVID-19 crisis. The loan amounts will be forgiven as long as:
- The loan proceeds are used to cover payroll costs, and most mortgage interest, rent, and utility costs over the 8 week period after the loan is made; and
- Employee and compensation levels are maintained
Paycheck Protection Application Form
Paycheck Protection Program FAQ
ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTER LOANS & EMERGENCY ECONOMIC INJURY GRANTS- These grants provide an emergency advance of up to $10,000 to small businesses and private non-profits harmed by COVID-19 within three days of applying for an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). The advance does not need to be repaid under any circumstance and may be used to keep employees on payroll, to pay for sick leave, meet increased production costs due to supply chain disruptions or pay business obligations, including debts, rent, and mortgage payments.
For more information about these programs and other business resources in the CARES Act visit:
- Spreadsheet comparison of SBA loans
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Small Business Guide and Checklist
- U.S. Senate Committee: The Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act
Employees of Impacted Businesses |
The Employment Development Department provides a variety of support services to individuals affected by the Coronavirus in California.
- Sick or Quarantined: If you’re unable to work due to having or being exposed to Coronavirus, you can file a Disability Insurance (DI) claim. DI provides short-term benefit payments to eligible works who have full or partial loss of wages due to non-work-related illness.
- Caregiving: If you’re unable to work because you are caring for an ill or quarantined family members with Coronavirus, you can file a Paid Family Leave (PFL) claim. PFL provides up to six weeks of benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages because they need time off work to care for a seriously ill family member.
- Reduced Work Hours: If your employer has reduced your hours or shut down operations due to Coronavirus, you can file an Unemployment Insurance (UI) claim. UI provides partial wage replacement benefit payments to workers who lose their job or have their hours reduced, through no fault of their own.
- Layoff Alternatives: Partial claims are for employees whose employers want to keep them when there is a lack of work. A partial Unemployment Insurance claim can be used for any claimant who works less than their normal full-time hours, and whose employers want to keep them.
About Town of Windsor Economic Development
Developing a healthy and diverse base of local businesses is critical to the success of the Windsor Community. At its heart, economic development is about building a healthy economy in order to have a healthy community. The intent of our Economic Development Program is to strengthen local businesses, expand the Windsor economy, and improve the overall quality of life for residents and community members.