A year into the pandemic, with the outlook for SMBs in New Jersey seeming slightly better based on recent economic data, Piermont Bank founder and CEO Wendy Cai-Lee explores how to leverage your bank to help stabilize your business, finance your growth and move forward. And how your bank can play a more active role in helping navigate the financing landscape.

As the state begins to recover from the COVID-19 economic downturn, the industries hit hardest by the pandemic a year ago seem to be rebounding most quickly. Sectors such leisure and hospitality, and construction have boomed in recent months, posting some of the largest job gains this spring.

The notion of such a requirement has become politically and culturally polarizing, with GOP-led states like Texas and Florida moving to ban them outright. Several Republican-led efforts in New Jersey would do the same.

The move follows decisions made in March and April by Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University, respectively, and a similar requirement for patrons hoping to gain access to performances at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

Totaling $70,000, the direct payments are part of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York’s COVID-19 Small Business Recovery Grant program.

“I think without question we’ll be able to open up further ... But I think we’ll do it step by step,” the governor said, although he did not indicate which restrictions would loosen next.

The New Brunswick drugmaker's first-quarter income grew from nearly $5.8 billion in 2020 to $6.2 billion in 2021.

Spouses of “essential workers” who contracted and died from the virus will be entitled to expanded assistance under a measure Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law.

The state logged 1,948 new positives, while also hitting past 53% of its goal to fully vaccinate 4.7 million adults by June 30, with just over 2.5 million fully inoculated.

Eligible businesses - restaurants, food stands, food trucks, food carts, caterers and bars, among others - can receive capital equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss with up to $10 million per enterprise and no more than $5 million allotted per physical location.

Officials say current rail levels are somewhere between 20% and 25% of what they were before the pandemic, while bus passengers are at 50% and light rail ridership is at 55%.

Expanding eligibility is a key step in the governor's goal to fully vaccinate 4.7 million residents by June 30, a threshold he argues is vital to building widespread resistance against the virus. As of April 18, the state put 6 million shots in people's arms, with nearly 2.5 million people fully vaccinated.