On July 15th, 2020 Governor Tom Wolf announced new statewide restrictions to help fight against the COVID-19 surge in cases that Pennsylvania has been seeing. Earlier this month, it was announced that Allegheny and Philadelphia Counties had local guidelines that other counties did not have to follow, including not allowing alcohol to be served at restaurants and bars, but they were still allowed to sell it as take-out. 

Effective July 16th the following restrictions were put into a place statewide from Governor Tom Wolf:

• Indoor dining will be reduced to 25% capacity.

• Bars will only be open for sit-down meals and alcoholic beverages can only be served with food, bar service is prohibited.

• Telework is now mandated wherever it is feasible to. If telework is not possible, all COVID-19 policies and CDC guidelines must be followed.

• Indoor gatherings are only allowed to be 25 people or less.

• Outdoor gatherings are only permitted to be 250 people or less.

• All nightclubs are prohibited from operating.

View the Pennsylvania COVID-19 dashboard here.

View Governor Wolf’s statewide response here.

“During the past week, we have seen an unsettling climb in new COVID-19 cases,” Gov. Wolf said. “When we hit our peak on April 9, we had nearly two thousand new cases that day with other days’ cases hovering around 1,000,” (Governor.PA.Gov).

Because of this surge, Dr. Levine and Governor Wolf signed new orders for mitigation efforts to help flatten the curve of cases in Pennsylvania.

Bars and restaurants are allowed to still offer take-out, delivery, and dine-in if they follow the guidance from the order. This guidance includes, bar service prohibiting, only sit-down service (at a table or booth) is allowed. Take-out sales of alcoholic beverages is still permitted. Alcohol can only be served at the restaurant or bar when a meal is also being served to that party. Outdoor seating is still available. Masks are still required upon entering, masks must be worn by staff, and social distancing guidelines must still be followed. Indoor dining is limited to 25% of the occupancy of that restaurant.

Nightclubs are not permitted to operate under this new restriction.

Other events and gatherings must adhere to the following restrictions. Indoor events and gatherings must be 25 people or less. Outdoor gatherings must be 250 people or less. This maximum for indoor and outdoor gatherings includes staff.

All businesses are required to utilize teleworking capabilities. If teleworking is not possible, then the business safety order, worker safety order, and masking order must be followed.

Gyms and fitness facilities are allowed to continue operations, however it is suggested to prioritize outdoor activities. Social distancing requirements, masking requirements, and gathering limitations must be followed. 

Businesses not following these guidelines could be subject to fines, business closure, or other measures (Governor.PA.Gov).

Local playgrounds, community pools, and outdoor activities are still open. 

At True Fit Marketing we are committed to staying informed on the latest news that affects businesses. If you need help with any messaging, social media, or marketing during this time, please reach out. We love talking with and meeting new people!

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) came into effect after the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) was signed into law on March 27th, 2020. 

On May 26th, 2020 the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 was introduced in the House of Representatives. On June 5th, 2020, after being signed by the President, this became Public Law No: 116-142 (Congress.gov).

The Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 establishes a, “minimum maturity of five years for a paycheck protection loan with a remaining balance after forgiveness” (Congress.gov). 

It also extended the covered period for which the loan recipient can use their funds. This extension went from eight weeks to 24 weeks when the funds can be used for specific expenses, while the recipient may remain eligible for forgiveness of the loan.  

Additionally, the bill also raises the non-payroll portion of, “a forgivable covered loan amount from the current 25% up to 40%” (Congress.gov).

According to the National Law Review, this bill also addresses rehiring employees. Some employees are unwilling to go back to work for various reasons and some are unable due to certain laws in different states. 

The borrower’s loan forgiveness amount will not be reduced if;

Borrower made a good faith, written offer to rehire such employee (or, if applicable, restore the reduced hours of such employee) during the covered period.

Offer was for the same salary or wages and same number of hours as earned by such employee in the last pay period prior to the separation or reduction in hours.

Offer was rejected by such employee.

Borrower has maintained records documenting the offer and its rejection.

Borrower informed the applicable state unemployment insurance office of such employee’s rejected offer of reemployment within 30 days of the employee’s rejection of the offer (Natlawreview.com).

The 75% of the PPP was to be used for covering payroll costs. However, with the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, in order to have the PPP forgiven, the minimum has been decreased to 60% of PPP funds needing to be allocated for payroll costs.

The last day that a PPP loan can be made is June 30th, 2020 (Natlawreview.com).

We are doing our best to stay on top of the latest news as it affects businesses. We know this is a tough time for many businesses and people. Please reach out to us if you need help with marketing, advertising, or reopening plans for your business:

Governor Wolf announced today, June 8th, that Pennsylvania is allocating $225 million in grants to small businesses. 

The funding was created with state lawmakers and allocated from the recently enacted state budget. The budget is $2.6 billion in federal stimulus funds. The state reserved the $225 million for small businesses. The grant money comes from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. 

Businesses will be able to use the money for operating costs from being closed, transitioning to reopening, and technical assistance for relaunching businesses.

The funds will be available for three different programs:

$100 million for the Main Street Business Revitalization Program for small businesses that experienced loss as a result of the governor’s March 19, 2020 order relating to the closure of all non-life-sustaining businesses and have or will incur costs to adapt to new business operations related to COVID-19;

$100 million for the Historically Disadvantaged Business Revitalization Program for small businesses that experienced loss as a result of the business closure order, have or will incur costs to adapt to new business operations related to COVID-19, and in which socially and economically disadvantaged individuals own at least a 51 percent interest and also control management and daily business operations.

$25 million for the Loan Payment Deferment and Loss Reserve Program, which will allow the CDFIs the opportunity to offer forbearance and payment relief for existing portfolio businesses that are struggling due to the impact of COVID, as well as shore up the financial position of the CDFIs that are experiencing significant increased defaults in their existing loan portfolios. (https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-announces-225-million-grant-program-for-small-businesses-impacted-by-covid-19/)

For more information about Pennsylvania’s grants, please read the press release here.

For help with reopening plans for your business, contact us to see how we can help:

On Friday, June 5th, the following 16 counties will move from Phase Yellow to Phase Green: Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Clinton, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Lycoming, Mercer, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland.

They join the previous 17 counties that moved from Phase Yellow to Phase Green on Friday, May 29th: Bradford, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Montour, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango, and Warren.

Also on Friday, May 29th, these following eight counties moved from Phase Red to Phase Yellow: Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lebanon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, and Schuylkill.

Any remaining counties in Pennsylvania in Phase Red will move to Phase Yellow on June 5th.

Additionally, any restaurants in Phase Yellow counties will be able to serve customers in outdoor seating areas, following strict CDC requirements and social distancing.

The guidelines for Phase Green are:

-Businesses operating at 50% capacity can increase to 75%.

-If a business was not permitted to open in Phase Yellow (see our Guidelines from Phase Yellow blog for which business those are) can now open to 50% capacity.

-CDC and PA Department of Health guidelines must be followed.

-Where possible, Telework should continue.

-Consider accommodations for those who are considered the vulnerable population. 

-Construction is open to full capacity with safety measures still in place.

As you are working on re-opening plans or working to move from Phase Yellow to Phase Green and need help communicating with your customers, please reach out to us and let us know how we can help your business.