Standing in front of a stockpile of protective medical gowns at Owens & Minor, the president thanked the workers for their tireless efforts to get medical  supplies to where they are needed in the fight against the COVID-19 virus.

A little over two years ago, Katrina Marshall took a big gamble. She had been working at Artistic Toys & Promotions in Allentown for about 12 years and loved her job. Starting out as a receptionist she was promoted to a number of roles within the company and became a vital part of the process of selling custom promotional stuffed animals to corporations and organizations around the country.

“We have not seen numbers like this since the 1930s and it took three years to get there,” said Kamran Afshar, director of the Kamran Afshar Data Analytics Center at DeSales University in Upper Saucon Township, which produces the index. “It is a frightening situation to be in.

“We’ll bounce off the bottom, maybe through Q4 (fourth quarter 2020) into the first quarter of 2021. Next year we’ll start to see the recovery coming,” he said.

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.

As businesses open throughout the Lehigh Valley, legal and human resources experts are urging businesses to avoid liability issues by understanding the ever-evolving rules, especially as regions open in various phases without liability protections in place.

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.

While warning business owners not to reopen against state orders, the Berks County Commissioners warned business owners not to reopen against state orders, but called on Gov. Tom Wolf to allow business that can safely do so to resume operations.

City Center Investment Corp., which has been behind much of the redevelopment efforts downtown, has unveiled plans for a new project that will include 250 apartments, retail space and live/work lofts.

Demolition work is beginning at the former Allentown State Hospital on Hanover Avenue in East Allentown.