Zumbrota’s small business leaders talk Covid recovery with Rep. Angie Craig

(ABC 6 News) – Like every small town, Zumbrota’s economy took a hit during the pandemic. Monday, business leaders there got a chance to talk to their U.S. representative about how they made it through 2020 and what they still need.

Rep. Angie Craig (D- MN) visited Zumbrota to get feedback from small businesses on government programs they used to stay afloat during the pandemic like the paycheck protection program.

Some business leaders got emotional discussing how the funds saved their business.

Business leaders said they helped save each other when things got rough. They even filled out applications together to save their downtown.

"A lot of good has been done from the programs we put in place. Like PPP and Shuttered Venues. We do also have to stay on top of this. We’re seeing the economy come back. The only thing that could stop this is the continued public health crisis," Craig said.

Many of Zumbrota’s business leaders said they are afraid of what this fall will bring amid the rise of the Delta variant.

The city of Zumbrota got just under $400,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act. City administrators said they have not yet decided how to use it.