The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners made a wise decision recently when they decided to move funds from its economic development grant fund to a new program to help local businesses hammered by the COVID-19 virus outbreak.

Applications for the $1,000 Umatilla County Small Business Emergency Grant are out and the county will accept them until April 21.

The program is designed to furnish relief to local businesses and, while $1,000 may not seem significant when compared to the massive Federal stimulus package already filtering out to states, the fact is the county money will make a huge difference locally.

Most of all, though, the county leadership deserves credit for making the decision. In uncertain, volatile times — and the COVID-19 virus outbreak certainly qualifies — it would be easy for elected leaders to guard funds or to lose sight what really matters.

And what really matters now is we do all we can to stay safe and healthy and look forward to the day when we can all get back to the kind of “normal” we experienced just a few short months ago. That will mean, when the time is right, local businesses opening their doors.

That time isn’t here now. Frankly, we still face a long, hard road ahead regarding the COVID-19 virus. But when the crisis is over — and it will be eventually — our economy will need a kick start. The federal stimulus package — most notably the paycheck protection program — will obviously make a big difference. Yet, a program like the one developed by Umatilla County will also be crucial for the future of area businesses.

Eligibility requirements for the program are simple: A business must employ 25 people or less, be able to show direct impact from the pandemic, and provide documentation of applying for financial assistance from another source.

We encourage local merchants to check out this program and, if needed, to apply for it. Once the nation turns the corner on the COVID-19 outbreak, our ability to get businesses — both large and small — back up and operating will be crucial.

The county leaders who sponsored this program made the right decision at a time when they could just as easily focus on other matters. That should be good news to voters, and it should be even better news for area businesses that look to open their doors when the COVID-19 virus crisis fades.