State police said this week they will defer to the discretion of local law enforcement in prosecuting businesses that don’t comply with the Wolf administration’s order to cease in-person work that isn’t considered “life-sustaining” by state officials.

Businesses have until Monday to pay back a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan of $2 million or more to avoid a federal investigation for potentially taking more public funds than they needed to keep the company afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, federal policymakers announced late Wednesday.

Numerous liability concerns will surround businesses that re-open over the next few weeks, but businesses also should be aware of issues for those who continue to work from home, including wage-and-hour rules.

Recipients of a less than $2 million loan via the Paycheck Protection Program automatically meet financial qualifications to receive their loan based on economic need, the Small Business Administration said in a Wednesday guideline update. 

WellSpan Health’s executive leadership will be taking pay cuts to help fund a program for the York-based system’s employees hit hardest by the pandemic.

Carlisle-based The Giant Company announced it will award $500,000 in grants to 110 small businesses across the state to support Pennsylvania’s food supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friday's disclosure amounts to only a portion of what was requested in an April 30 subpoena from lawmakers, which included all interdepartmental memos relating to the March 19 closure of non-life-sustaining operations and the waiver process allowing certain industries to continue in-person functions.

Pennsylvania business owners could lose their state licensing credentials and eligibility for liability insurance if they do not comply with the governor’s mandated three-phase reopening process, according to a statement from Gov. Tom Wolf Monday.

Even though some county district attorneys have said they will not prosecute business that open in defiance of Gov. Tom Wolfs shut down order, Pennsylvania State Police will continue to issue warnings and citations, officials say.

Women-owned businesses are a significant force in the U.S. economy. A nationwide study released April 23 suggested many women owned businesses may not be getting their fair share of Paycheck Protection Program funding, and some have had to apply to more than one lender to be successful.

Wolf’s moratorium extends an April ruling from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that barred landlords and lenders from removing people from their residences due to inability to meet rent and mortgage payments through May 11. The governor’s executive order extends the same coverage through July 10.

A new initiative from the Wolf administration to expand COVID-19 testing and contact tracing could help Pennsylvania’s safely reopen its economy and recover from the crisis caused by the virus.

Regional urgent care provider Patient First is offering telehealth appointments for its patients in Pennsylvania, and drive-up COVID-19 testing at a number of its locations in the state.

Springettsbury Township, York County-based K2 Kinetics is working with Apple to design new equipment that will help accelerate the manufacture of COVID-19 test kits for hospitals across the country.

An executive order signed by Gov. Tom Wolf offers health care providers immunity against medical malpractice suits related to treatment of COVID-19. The immunity is granted to any individual licensed, registered or certified to practice health care in the state.