Forecasts of economic development in the context of coronavirus infection contain frightening statements about the difficulties of functioning of entire industries, bankruptcy of enterprises and a long way out of the current crisis. There is a widespread point of view that small businesses will face the greatest difficulties in overcoming the crisis after a pandemic. In this regard, the purpose of this work is to analyze entrepreneurial activity in the context of a pandemic to develop recommendations for government and government bodies aimed at improving the situation in the business community. The article, based on a sociological survey of the heads of small enterprises in the Vologda region, operating in a pandemic, presents an analysis of the state of business in the context of the coronavirus, the availability of state support measures in this period. The key problems associated with limiting the receipt of this support in the Vologda Oblast were identified. In conclusion, the authors proposed directions for improving a number of anti-crisis measures. The results obtained in the course of the study contribute to the development and systematization of the theoretical basis of the problem under consideration. The practical significance of the work is associated with the possibility of using the obtained research results by researchers, graduate students, undergraduates, bachelors dealing with the problems of entrepreneurial activity development.