In the last three months, the dynamics of economic development began to decline, due to the influence of the pandemic. The world was not ready for the big challenge of nature. The article describes the state of small and medium-sized businesses, the state of the economy, the market and the market environment of the countries most affected by the spread of the coronavirus, and also describes the support measures taken by the state for these enterprises. The article presents a model of economic growth for small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the context of the new coronavirus infection. © 2020 The Authors, published by EDP Sciences.