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Manitoba businesses will be eligible to access an interest-free, potentially forgivable loan of up to $6,000, said Premier Brian Pallister Wednesday.

The program, called the Manitoba Gap Protection Program, will be available to small and medium businesses, and will be funded up to $120 million.

Pallister stressed the program is meant to help businesses that don’t qualify for federal funding.

Up to 20,000 local businesses may qualify.

“The province will advance each eligible business the non-interest bearing forgivable MGPP loan of $6,000, for a total of up to $120 million. The loan will be forgiven on Dec. 31, 2020, if the recipient attests at that time the business has not received any major non-repayable COVID-19 federal supports,” reads a statement from the province.

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“If the applicant has received benefits under a federal COVID program, then the loan will be added to the recipient’s 2020 tax bill.”

To be eligible for the MGPP funding, a business must:

have been operational on March 20, 2020, the date the Manitoba government declared a provincewide state of emergency under The Emergency Measures Act because of COVID-19;

have temporarily ceased or curtailed operations as a result of a COVID-19 public health order and have been harmed by the health order;

be registered and in good standing with the Manitoba Business and Corporate Registry;

have not qualified for federal government COVID-19 grant support; and

have an email address and a bank account.

Pallister says the $120 million is not a hard gap — Brittany Greenslade (@BrittAtGlobal) April 22, 2020

On Tuesday, the premier announced that a $37 million surplus at the Workers Compensation Board would go back to business owners in the form of a premium rebate in May.

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The number of cases in Manitoba stood at 255 on Tuesday. Six people have died. Seven people were in hospital, with four in ICU, 150 people are recovered and there are 99 active cases.

While no timeline is being given yet… Pallister says Manitoba may could exceptions to relax some gathering restriction sizes when it comes to funerals, weddings etc. in the future. — Brittany Greenslade (@BrittAtGlobal) April 22, 2020

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.

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Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.