By BARBARA GREEN
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The spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) across the United States has lead to the shutdown of businesses, schools and entire communities who have been ordered to “shelter in place.”
While many offices had altered their hours and operations more than two weeks ago, Thursday’s closure of restaurants for dining in, gyms and other similar businesses has put a massive financial burden on the owners, employees and the communities.
Within Bowie the business development entities are doing all they can to assist and encourage small and large businesses to keep calm and carry on. In local media the Bowie Economic Development Corporation, Bowie Chamber of Commerce and Bowie Community Development Board put together a list of food businesses that would continue or institute drive-through, call-ahead or delivery services. That list of firms has since been shared across social media outlets.
Janis Crawley, executive director for the Bowie Economic Development Corporation, said all three offices are pulling together to help local firms “think outside the box,” to keep their business viable during this pandemic.
“We have sent out resources about small business loans and programs, along with other resources that could assist them. We have not had a board meeting yet, so we have no formal plan in place right now, we just want to keep people informed on what the state and federal government is doing,” said Crawley.

Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News. See how large manufacturers are developing strategies to cope with the crisis.