As Pa. Begins its Slow Recovery from COVID-19, Small Businesses Must Be a Top Priority

By State Senators

RYAN P. AUMENT,

CAMERA BARTOLOTTA,

KRISTIN PHILLIPS-HILL AND JUDY WARD

As restaurants, bars, gyms, entertainment venues and other small employers look forward to higher capacity limits and fewer restrictions starting April 4, there is a sense of optimism that the worst of this year-long COVID-19 nightmare may finally be behind us.

However, reality tells us these and other small businesses will take years – not just weeks or months – to fully recover from the extraordinary struggles of the past year.

Many of these businesses had to take out loans just to cover payroll and keep...