COVID task force issues recommendations for small businesses

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A task force created by Gov. Mike Parson is recommending several steps that could help small businesses in the state recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The task force’s final report was issued Monday. The recommendations include improving childcare availability and affordability; expanding hospitality industry apprenticeships; and promoting and enhancing existing state programs that support small, women-, and minority-owned businesses. Members of the task force met with small business owners in seven Missouri cities and conducted a statewide survey of business owners. The group also worked with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the state’s small businesses.