Cheap COVID-recovery loans with 24-month repayment holidays are on offer for Mackay and Whitsunday businesses that move off JobKeeper by March 28. More than 350,000 current JobKeeper recipients Australia-wide are expected to be eligible under the expanded SME Loan Guarantee Scheme. Loans will be available from April 1 and must be approved before December 31 this year. The Morrison-McCormack Government will extend the scheme as part of its commitment to support up to $40 billion in lending to small and medium enterprises. Under the existing scheme, the government says more than 35,000 loans worth more than $3 billion have already been provided to help businesses get to the other side of this pandemic.