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More liquor stores reopening
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced on Wednesday that 77 Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores in counties designated in the yellow phase of COVID-19 mitigation efforts will resume limited in-store public access beginning Friday, a news release said.
The 77 stores resuming limited in-store public access include seven in Lycoming County, four in Bradford County, two in Clinton County, one in Montour County, four in Northumberland County, one in Sullivan County, three in Tioga County and two in Union County.
The following mitigation efforts will be in place as these stores resume limited in-store public access:
• Stores will limit the number of customers in a store at any time.
• The first hour each store is open each day will be reserved for customers at high risk for COVID-19, including those 65 years of age and older.
• Customers and employees will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing, guided by signage throughout the stores.
• Signage will also direct customers to follow one-way patterns to avoid cross-traffic and encourage them to refrain from touching products unless they intend to buy them.
• Store employees will perform enhanced and frequent cleaning and disinfecting, and store hours will be modified to ensure appropriate time for cleaning and restocking.
• All sales are final, and no returns will be accepted until further notice.
Prior to opening to the public, each location was professionally sanitized, and Plexiglas was installed at registers to provide a physical barrier between employees and customers at checkout, the news release said. All Fine Wine & Good Spirits employees are being provided masks, gloves and frequent opportunities to wash hands.
Stores reopening to limited public access will continue offering curbside pickup to the best of their ability, as they operate with limited staff. Statewide curbside pickup sales from April 20 through May 5 total nearly 381,000 orders for $29.1 million, including sales tax, according to preliminary, unaudited figures.
Farms eligible for SBA disaster loans
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue recently applauded the announcement that agricultural producers, for the first time, are eligible for the Small Business Administration (SBA)'s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance programs.
"America's farmers, ranchers, and producers need the same help that other American businesses need during this unprecedented time," said Perdue, according to a news release. "This significant new authority signed by President Trump will make a tremendous difference for America's agricultural community."
SBA's EIDL portal had been closed since April 15. However, the Agency reopened the portal Monday, in a limited capacity, as a result of funding authorized by Congress through the Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act. The legislation, which was signed into law by the President one week ago, provided additional critical funding for farmers and ranchers affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In order to help facilitate this important change to EIDL Loan and EIDL Advance assistance eligibility, SBA is re-opening the Loan and Advance application portal to agricultural enterprises only, the news release said. For agricultural producers that submitted an EIDL loan application through the streamlined application portal prior to the legislative change, SBA will move forward and process these applications without the need for re-applying. All other EIDL loan applications that were submitted prior to April 15 will be processed on a first-in, first-out basis.
For more information, please visit: www.sba.gov/Disaster.