MAINE, USA — A lot of small businesses are cutting back on operations due to the coronavirus. The Small Business Administration or SBA is now offering several kinds of loans to help business owners get through this difficult time.
But for some small businesses in Maine, the process hasn't been easy. The owners of The Maine Bagel in Scarborough said the website keeps crashing, making it hard to apply.
The owner said they are afraid the process could take more than a month to complete, which they said isn't timely.
"The uncertainty of whether or not we'll be able to make rent coming up, payroll, we're trying to employ people, trying to get people employed and it's pretty daunting," said owner Nick Lancaster.
NEWS CENTER Maine went to the U.S. Small Business Administration's website and got an error message that read:
"The portal will not be available during this planned maintenance period."
We reached out to the SBA which said the agency is looking into it.
The President and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce said he isn't surprised people are having a tough time, because he said the system is being crowded.
He said anyone seeking an SBA loan should go to a financial lender.
"Go to your bank, go to your credit union, those who are geared up to help you maneuver through the process. They're there to be part of the solution," said President and CEO Dana Connors.
Other businesses such as The Holy Donut said they haven't had difficulties getting onto the website and applying.
At NEWS CENTER Maine, we're focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus