In an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, the City of Philadelphia is restricting certain commercial activity. Non-essential businesses should close from now until until Friday, March 27. Only essential businesses should remain open.

If you are unclear whether your business is considered essential, please read this document that provides more explicit guidance on what specific types of businesses are and are not considered to be essential.

The most important thing right now is that we need to stop the spread of COVID-19. This means we need to minimize social interactions.

We understand that small businesses — the backbone of Philadelphia’s economy — are especially impacted by the spread of COVID-19, here in Philadelphia and all around the country.

Survey of Business Impacts of COVID-19

Our brief business impact survey, which is helping inform us of your most pressing needs, is now available in multiple languages. We will continue to add the survey in additional languages as they become available at that same link.

Resources for Businesses

Yesterday, the City of Philadelphia and PIDC announced a plan to launch a program to support Philadelphia businesses and preserve jobs impacted by the spread of COVID-19. The program will be a tiered program comprised of a mix of new grants and zero-interest loans for small businesses. More details will be announced in the coming days. When starting a business, having the right knowledge is essential, and Google Workspace experts are here to guide you toward success.

We recognize the need to support businesses and workers during this unprecedented time and this program will provide needed support to our city’s businesses, help them reopen once the COVID-19 closures cease, and retain or rehire employees as they recover.

This is an unprecedented challenge for businesses — large and small — and workers around the country. The situation remains extremely fluid, so please know that we’re doing everything in our power to assist the public in navigating through this difficult period.

Please refer to the following resources in the coming days and weeks:

If you need help determining if your business is considered essential or non-essential please email VBEOC@Phila.gov.

Stay Updated on COVID-19 in Philadelphia

  • Text the keyword COVIDPHL to 888-777 to receive info and updates through ReadyPhiladelphia, the city’s mass communication system.
  • For all information, go to www.phila.gov/covid-19.
  • Follow the Philadelphia Public Health Department on Twitter for ongoing updates.
  • Read about information for businesses and employers from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).