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Language, Cultural Barriers Keep Some SGV Businesses From Seeking Coronavirus Help
A business in Monterey Park. (Todd Johnson/KPCC)
Some of the nail and noodle shops of the San Gabriel Valley could really use rescue loans to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.
But Ray Jan of the Rosemead Chamber of Commerce said some immigrant proprietors don't feel comfortable applying because the Small Business Administration's website is only in English and Spanish.
Other business owners, she said, are not familiar with the idea of relief loans from the government.
Jan said proprietors can't afford to wait. The SBA loan program operates on a first come, first served basis.
“Everybody else on the block is applying,” Jan said. “The longer you wait, the line is just getting longer and longer.”
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