Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Walsh has relied on his vast network of contacts across Boston to gather information, process the fast-moving crisis, and gut-check his decisions, according to interviews with the mayor and more than a dozen civic, political, and business leaders.

Business owners say they have been stymied by a litany of hurdles, including a last-minute change to terms of the Paycheck Protection Program. Some company owners worry the bungled rollout of loan money will be too little and too late for them to survive.