After its sudden shutdown of certain sectors Monday, Quebec's government announced the return of a program to help certain businesses, including bars, movie theatres, performance halls, and sports and recreation centres.
The closure order, given with just a few hours' notice on Monday, aims to slow the surge in COVID-19 cases in the province.
The Assistance to Businesses in Regions on Maximum Alert (AERAM) program is therefore coming back. Eligible businesses will be able to resubmit their requests for financial assistance in order to get loan forgiveness under a branch of the program called Emergency Assistance to Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises or the Temporary Concerted Action Program for Businesses.
The program may provide up to $15,000 per month to cover eligible fixed costs. The companies concerned that have already gotten financial assistance under one of these programs will be able to take advantage of a streamlined procedure in order to reactivate their file.
The province will also extend the moratorium on repaying capital and interest related to financial assistance granted under the emergency assistance program to March 31, 2022, it said.
The reopening of AERAM will be in addition to the various emergency programs already put in place, especially the federal government's.
As of Monday, the province reported 4,571 new cases of COVID-19, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 20, 2021.
