BATON ROUGE – Companies in the capital city have been hit hard by the spread of coronavirus, but state leaders say they've created a new help helpdesk to assist business owners.

On Friday Governor John Bel Edwards and Secretary Don Pierson of Louisiana Economic Development officially announced the creation of an LED help desk that provides email and hotline support for businesses impacted by the virus.

Now, members of the public who have questions about businesses that have been affected by the pandemic can email LED@la.gov or call (833) 457-0531 for answers.

Businesses seeking federal financial assistance would not contact the email or phone number listed above. Instead, they would reach out to the U.S. Small Business Administration at SBA.gov/disaster to apply for aid or call (800) 659-2955.