VERO BEACH, Fla. — At Minuteman Press in Vero Beach, the presses haven’t stopped, but the Coronavirus has certainly slowed them down.
Lisa Gehin said business dropped off dramatically back in March, and they’re still down 30-40 %.
They make their own masks but learned that Indian River County has started offering free personal protective equipment for small businesses.
“It’s nice the county is offering it to us too so that’s an added expense we don’t have to have out of our pocket, " Gehin said.
Through CARES Act funds, the county has put together more than a thousand PPE kits that include disposable and cloth masks, disinfectant wipes, and hand sanitizer, along with a sign reminding people to avoid the “three C’s”, Closed Spaces, Crowded Places, and Close Contact Settings, to help businesses.
“Hopefully keep them open, help then stay open and keep their staff and customers safe," said Jillian Sparks, IRC marketing coordinator.
Even though Indian River County does not have a mask mandate, the county wanted to be proactive.
“Nobody wants to take a step backwards, " said Sparks.
Janice Ramirez said her business, Mr. Restore, has her employees in other people's homes all the time.
"That’s what we do, restoration after a flood or fire or mold. So having that it just helps a little bit, said Ramirez.
If you’re an interested business owner, you can go to the Intergenerational Recreation Center located at 1590 9th Street SW, in Vero Beach any time between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
For more information, click here or call 772-226-1732.