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States and local governments are responding to the The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s revised guidance issued on Thursday.
The CDC announced that people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need wear masks or physically distance themselves in any setting except where required by federal, state, local, tribal or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including guidance from local businesses and workplaces. 

State has expanded, will keep expanding vaccine eligibility
Pennsylvania expanded coronavirus vaccine eligibility on April 5 and will expand it twice more in the next two weeks. The state is now in Phase 1B of its vaccination program and will move to Phase 1C on April 12 and Phase 2 on April 19. Currently, people eligible in Phase 1A and Phase 1B can be vaccinated. 

State relaxes pandemic restrictions, gathering limits
Gov. Wolf announced earlier this week that the state is relaxing restrictions on restaurants and other businesses and gathering limits it had imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, effective April 4. The state is permitting restaurants to resume bar service and serve alcohol to patrons who don’t buy food, as well as lifting the curfew for removing alcoholic drinks from tables. Additionally, it is increasing the indoor dining capacity to 75 percent for restaurants that are self-certified, which involves agreeing to strictly comply with all public health safety guidelines and orders, and 50 percent for restaurants that aren’t self-certified. Restaurants still must maintain six feet between diners and require patrons to wear masks. They still are encouraged to offer outdoor dining and curbside takeout. The state also is allowing gyms and entertainment facilities, such as movie theaters, casinos and malls, to operate at 75 percent capacity and increasing occupancy limits to 25 percent of maximum occupancy for indoor events and 50 percent of maximum occupancy for outdoor events, as long as workers and attendees can comply with the six-foot physical distancing requirement

Local hospitality businesses can apply for CHIRP grants starting March 12
Area hospitality businesses adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to apply for grants under the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP) as early as March 12. Under the program, the DCED will allocate $145 million to counties based on their populations and the counties will contract with one or more Certified Economic Development Organizations or Community Development Financial Institutions to disburse the money through grants. 

Counties to help hospitality businesses
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development has established a program to provide $145 million in aid to hospitality businesses adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP) will allocate the money to counties based on their populations.
Montgomery County plans to make the $9.4 million it will receive from CHIRP available to hospitality businesses through the MontcoStrong 2021 Pennsylvania Hospitality Industry Recovery Program, which will be administered by the Redevelopment Authority of Montgomery County. Chester County is slated to receive $5.9 million under CHIRP and will distribute the money through a grant program administered by the Chester County Economic Development Council, which is still finalizing the details of it. Delaware County anticipates receiving $6.4 million in CHIRP funds, according to Radnor Township

Campaign to support restaurants launched in Bucks County, Chesco, Delco, Montco
The Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, Philadelphia-based advertising agency Neff, and Main Line Chamber of Commerce member Today Media/Main Line Today are joining with Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties to launch a two-month campaign to support local restaurants. Hope for Hospitality will run from Feb. 1 through March 31 and will give diners a chance to win a $25 American Express gift card by purchasing a meal from a restaurant in any of the four counties and sharing their experience on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. 

Vaccination pre-registration forms available online
Chester and Delaware county residents can pre-register for the novel coronavirus vaccine by completing a form found on the Chester County Health Department’s COVID-19 web page. Montgomery County residents can pre-register on their county’s website. All three counties are administering the Moderna vaccine. The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday moved people over 65 and from 16-64 with certain medical conditions into Phase 1A of its vaccine roll out, which Chester County pointed out is likely to exacerbate vaccine shortages.

New round of PPP loans available again next week
Community financial institutions will be able to again make loans under the Paycheck Protection Program starting next week, according to the Journal of Accountancy. The Journal said the Small Business Administration has committed “to make at least the first two days of the PPP application window open exclusively to applications from community financial institutions that serve minority- and women-owned businesses.” The PPP received $284.45 billion in additional funding from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which was signed by President Trump last month. 

Fellow Members of the Main Line Chamber –
A year ago today, we had no idea what we were in for in 2020 despite the global pandemic that was already in its gestation phase. In the past nine months, we have learned much – about ourselves, our families, friends and co-workers.