Steps being taken to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania are constantly changing and evolving. For the latest information visit--
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As of 8:00 a.m. March 29: On March 28, Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine expanded their stay at home order to now cover Beaver, Centre and Washington counties.
The order now includes these 22 counties: Allegheny, Beaver, Berks, Bucks, Butler, Centre, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Pike, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland and York counties.
12 More Deaths
The Department of Health reported 12 more deaths caused by COVID-19 bringing the statewide total to 34.
As of 12:00 a.m. March 28, there are 533 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 2,751 in 56 counties.
Business Assistance
There are several programs now available through the state and federal government to provide help to businesses and nonprofits impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The most significant so far are--
-- Businesses - COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program. This $50 million is in addition to the $60 million in new funding provided last week to help small businesses impacted by the coronavirus through a new program under the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority’s COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program (CWCA) which began accepting applications this week from businesses with 100 or fewer full-time employees.
-- Businesses/Nonprofits - SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans are also available for up to $2 million in assistance and can provide economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing.
The state Department Of Community & Economic Development regularly updates a special Business Resources webpage with information on business assistance programs.
PennDOT - License/Registration
On March 27, the Department of Transportation announced expiration dates for driver licenses, identification cards, learner’s permits, persons with disability placards, vehicle registrations and safety and emission inspections will be extended for Pennsylvania residents in response to statewide COVID-19 mitigation efforts.
Deadlines on the following products will be extended effective March 27, 2020:
-- Driver licenses, photo ID cards and learner's permits scheduled to expire from March 16, 2020 through April 30, 2020, the expiration date is now extended through May 31, 2020.
-- Vehicle registrations, safety inspections and emissions inspections scheduled to expire from March 16 through April 30, 2020, the expiration date is now extended through May 31, 2020.
-- Persons with Disabilities parking placards scheduled to expire from March 16 through April 30, 2020, the expiration date is now extended through May 31, 2020.
These extensions are in addition to those announced on March 16--
-- Driver licenses, photo ID cards and learner's permits scheduled to expire from March 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020, the expiration date is now extended until April 30, 2020.
-- Vehicle registrations, safety inspections and emissions inspections scheduled to expire from March 16 through March 31, 2020, the expiration date is now extended until April 30, 2020.
-- Persons with Disabilities Parking Placards scheduled to expire from March 16 through March 31, 2020, the expiration date is now extended until April 30, 2020.
Federal Actions
On March 18, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was signed into law which includes new obligations on employers with fewer than 500 employees to pay sick leave for employees and other changes. It becomes effective April 1.
The Department of Labor has recently issued its first set of summaries and guidance on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act which the agency has been tasked with implementing--
On March 27, the Phase 3 Coronavirus Stimulus Package, was signed into law, which includes these provisions, among others--
-- $350 billion to aid small businesses with less than 500 employees through a new special type of SBA 7(a) loan called the “Paycheck Protection Program” to help them make payroll and other expenses.
-- $17 billion to wipe out all principal, interest, and fees on all existing SBA loan products, including 7(a) loans, for six months to provide relief to small businesses negatively affected by COVID-19. Click Here for more detailed information and additional 7(a) details will be released by SBA in the near future.
-- Employee retention credit for employers subject to closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. Specifically, a refundable payroll tax credit for 50 percent of wages paid by employers to employees during the coronavirus crisis will be available to employers whose (1) operations were fully or partially suspended, due to a COVID-19-related shutdown order, or (2) gross receipts declined by more than 50 percent when compared to the same quarter in the prior year.
-- An additional $900 million for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
-- An additional $15.51 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in anticipated increases in participation as a result of coronavirus.
Additional provisions:
-- A technical correction to the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” that now allows businesses to immediately write off costs associated with improving facilities instead of having to depreciate those improvements over the 39-year life of the building.
-- Direct payments of up to $1,200 to taxpayers depending on income ($2,400 for couples filing joint tax return, $500 additional for every child) that phase out after taxpayer reaches $75,000 in adjusted gross income ($150,000 for couples). No checks for anyone earning more than $99,000, $146,500 for head of household filers with one child, and $198,000 for joint filers with no children. The amount will be based on each taxpayer’s 2019 tax return if filed, or in the alternative their 2018 return.
-- Waives the 10-percent penalty for the early withdrawal of retirement funds up to $100,000 specifically for coronavirus-related purposes.
-- Deductions of up to $300 on charitable contributions made this year.
-- A delay in employer payroll tax payments.
-- Changes to allow companies to utilize net operating losses to increase funding.
-- A change to the loss limitation applied to pass-through businesses and sole proprietors to increase funding.
-- A change that allows companies to recover AMT credits
-- A change increasing the amount of business expenses companies can deduct on tax returns.
$500 billion fund for loans to corporations that will be overseen by an inspector general and a congressional panel.
-- Hospitals will receive over $130 billion.
-- State and local governments to receive $150 billion.
-- BBan on stock buybacks for companies receiving government loans during the term of their assistance plus one year.
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