#ReOpen Carbon County

Last update: 1/11/2020 @ 11:00 AM

New Fund Helps Pocono Hospitality & Restaurant Workers Established in response to new PA COVID-19 restrictions

Where can I apply for relief funds?
You can visit PoconoUnitedWay.org/covid-19 to apply to receive relief funds. The application will open on December 15, 2020 at 10:30 am.

What will I receive?
Eligible recipients will receive funds in the form of a $250 gift card or direct payment. Gift cards can be used as cash anywhere major credit cards are accepted. Cards will be provided by email or text message.

When will I be notified if I will receive a gift card?
If you have applied for the Hospitality and Restaurant Worker Relief Fund, you will receive an e-mail with information about whether it was approved or denied. Due to the volume of applications, we will not accept phone calls or emails requesting information about individual applications.

When do applications open?
Applications open December 15, 2020 at 10:30 am. Eligible applicants will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are depleted.

Who is eligible?
All applicants must be 18 years or older and meet income guidelines.

	1 Adult	2 Adults	1 Adult, 1 Child	2 Adults, 1 Child
Maximum Annual Income	$39,100	$54,200	$57,700	$72,800
Each Additional Child, Add:	–	–	$5,300	$5,300

Individuals who are currently employed or who have been employed in the last 60 days by a restaurant or hospitality business in the Pocono Mountains (employer located in Wayne, Pike, Monroe or Carbon County, PA are eligible to apply.

Individuals who reside in Wayne, Pike, Monroe or Carbon County, PA and who are currently employed or who have been employed in the last 60 days by a restaurant or hospitality business in Pennsylvania are eligible to apply.

What do I need to apply?
Eligibility criteria includes proof of employment at a restaurant or hospitality business (paystub, etc.), 2019 tax return, and a short description of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the applicant financially.

Can I apply if I am paid in cash?
All applicants must provide a paystub from within the last 60 days demonstrating their employment at a hospitality or restaurant business in the Pocono Mountains (Wayne, Pike, Monroe or Carbon County, PA). If a paystub is not provided the application will not be processed.

How can I use the funds?
Recipient may use the gift card as cash anywhere that major credit cards are accepted and should use funds to address immediate basic needs of themselves or their dependents, including rent, transportation, medical expenses or food.

Can I apply more than once?
Individuals will only be eligible to receive a gift card once every 365 days. Gift cards will not be awarded to the same individual twice within a 365 (one year) period.

Who can I contact if I need more help?
Hospitality and restaurant workers and their families may explore additional resources and options available by calling 211 or visiting 211.org for more information. Individual 211 agencies cannot apply for the fund on your behalf, you can only apply using the online application.

Where can I donate?
Visit PoconoUnitedWay.org/covid-19 to donate to the Hospitality and Restaurant Worker Relief Fund.

We’ve Been Here All Along...

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Purposefully connect businesses (The Power of Partnerships)
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...and now more than ever, we are here for you.
Click here to see what we've been up to!

Governor Tom Wolf's PA COVID-19 Update

Look for the Sign

Our restaurants are working hard to keep workers and customers safe. And they are finding new ways to keep our hunger for good food and community satisfied. Restaurants are reimagining their indoor and outdoor dining experiences. Taking takeout and delivery to the next level and adapting to new business models. Restaurants are continuing to serve us while adopting new practices around masks, social distancing, and digital menus.

And now there is another way restaurants are rallying to fight COVID.

When you see the Open & Certified Pennsylvania sign on a restaurant’s door, window, website, or social media channels it means they are a certified COVID compliant business. Being a certified business means they are taking every precaution, following all health guidelines, and keeping safety a top priority.

Search our listing of certified COVID compliant businesses to find restaurants near you. Businesses included in this directory have self-certified their commitment to mitigating the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing protocols, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting guidelines set forth by the CDC and state public health and safety requirements, the wearing of face coverings, and limiting their indoor and outdoor capacity.

Open & Certified PA Business Directory

Become an Open & Certified Pennsylvania Restaurant.

Certify My Restaurant

Related Information

Self-Certify Your Restaurant Self-Certify Your Business (FAQs)PA Department of Health Safety Order

Open & Certified PA Business Directory COVID-19 Safety Procedures for Businesses Flyer COVID-19 Business Guidance

PENNSYLVANIA STATE GOVERNMENT RESOURCES - CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON COVID 19 IN PENNSYLVANIA

Business Matters weekly episodes featuring Lehigh Valley Experts

ReOpen Carbon County | Back to Business
Process to Reopen Pennsylvania

A Message from the CCEDC:

We at the Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corp. are excited to move safely with you, our fellow Carbon County residents & business owners, into the green phase on Friday, June 12, 2020. In an effort to move forward safely, we have partnered with the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Pocono Chamber of Commerce and other partners throughout the area to help provide information, resources and tips to a safe reopening of Carbon County. We are looking forward to getting back to business together!

If you plan on re-opening safely, please let us know so we can update our community via the CCEDC COVID19 Support Local page. You can email us at info@carboncountychamber.org Please include the following information: Company Name, Contact Person, Address, Website, Phone, Hours of Operation, and Offerings/Special Announcements.

WHAT IS OPEN ? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT!

Jim Thorpe Businesses Phase Openings

Helpful Links

Pocono Promise

Pocono businesses, join the CCEDC and sign the Pocono Promise today!

From restaurants and bed and breakfasts to waterparks and wineries, businesses of all shapes and sizes are struggling to survive amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau is committed to supporting our businesses through these unprecedented times and encouraging them to sign the Pocono Promise.

By pledging to keep the Pocono Promise, businesses voluntarily vow to follow certain guidelines that protect employees and customers once it is time to reopen. Those guidelines include aggressive cleaning protocols, health surveys for staff before starting their shift, special training, and using personal protective equipment when possible. In return, businesses ask employees and customers to follow certain guidelines as well, which include following social distancing protocols and staying home/visiting another time if feeling sick.

“The more businesses that adopt this promise, the more solidarity we demonstrate to our residents and our visitors,” said Chris Barrett, President/CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau. “Together we’ll attest that the Pocono Mountains is doing everything possible to overcome this crisis in the safest and best way possible.”