All US states have begun reopening businesses to various degrees and will continue to do so in the coming weeks and months. COVID-19 has impacted every business differently. Some were able to shift to a remote work model, while others adjusted operations or closed their doors entirely. Small businesses of all shapes and sizes will need help reopening. Here's how you you can help.

Understand what to expect in your city or county

First and foremost, we hope you're staying up-to-date with local information in your city, county, and state. This includes understanding local reopening procedures, guidelines, and recommendations. This will help you understand if you can go out and visit that shop, retail store, or restaurant, and in what capacity.

If you're interested in receiving Skip's free daily email that summarizes all things coronavirus-related, including the most important information you should know about, you can sign up here.

See how your local businesses are doing

Over the last couple months, millions of businesses have struggled to stay in business - and there have been a few go-to options for businesses:

Tens of thousands of businesses - from sole proprietors to local restaurants and shops - launched GoFundMe campaigns to ask people to support their closed businesses. Many of these same businesses also applied for PPP or EIDL loans from the federal government. Around 50,000 small businesses were using our EIDL loan tracker to check their relative progress toward their loan, too.

Beginning on June 1st, we will be launching local business pages on Skip to support local businesses. Thousands of small businesses that you know and love will be able to be listed on Skip so you can see their current reopening status, as well as show your support.

While there are many great online resources to check on your local businesses - from Google to Yelp - at Skip, we want to share more details on what businesses are doing to reopen safely. All of the businesses we are featuring are ones you can rest assured are committed to your safety and making responsible choices. You'll be able to vote for your favorites to be shared in our weekly emails! We are excited to give small businesses around the country a platform to restore consumer confidence.

Wear a mask!

There's no doubt if you've been outside at all from shelter-in-place you've seen the new measures all businesses have been taking - from circles on the ground 6 feet apart, to rules on occupancy, to hand washing dispensers, to face mask requirements.

As businesses reopen, nearly all businesses will have some form of face mask requirement.  Masks are the most effective way to stop COVID spread and allow safe reopening. If you don't have a mask yet or want to add to your mask collection, we'll send you a free one when you start a free 15 day trial of Skip Plus. Check it out and get your face mask. Masks are limited so if interested, we recommend signing up soon.