It’s been a tough month for small businesses across the country and Manitoba is no exception. Many small businesses have laid off staff and some have said the COVID-19 crisis threatens to close their doors permanently. “Obviously, this is not going to be done by mid-April,” Melina Elliott of Winnipeg-based company Body Measures told Global News. “We are looking at June or later and if that’s the case there is no way we will survive.” To help avoid that, the federal government recently announced small businesses could apply for a $40,000 interest-free loan where $10,000 would be forgiven if certain conditions are met. [ Sign up for our Health IQ newsletter for the latest coronavirus updates ] Elliott and her business partner opened Body