Borough Message to Narberth Businesses

Neighbors,
On March 12, 2020 Governor Wolf declared a state of emergency and urged all non-essential retail to close in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. The goal is to protect the most vulnerable and at-risk community members. This measure will provide healthcare agencies time to manage an influx of critical care patients. Narberth followed with the declaration of a State of Emergency on March 14th, 2020. We share the Governor's sense of urgency to protect our community by social distancing. All non-essential stores were asked by your elected leadership to heed the recommendation and close. On March 15th, 2020, Governor Wolf extended his order to force food establishments to close all dining and operate via take-out only.  He also ordered all bars to close in our area.

An advisory from the CDC, also released on March 15th, suggests that communities prohibit gatherings of 50 people or more. Governors across many states are now implementing that guidance. 

Narberth business owners and their employees are our neighbors, friends and invaluable community members. We seek to underscore our recognition and support to those individuals and their businesses economically impacted by COVID-19. The decision to close was not easy. We deeply appreciate the care which was taken to ensure our Borough is in front of efforts to mitigate this pandemic.

In addition to those steps, we are also asking landlords of household rental properties for a moratorium on any pending evictions. We request commercial landlords to acknowledge the devastating economic impact COVID-19 will have and collaborate ​with their business tenants as long-term partners. Working together we can support the public health and public safety during this unprecedented emergency.

Narberth Borough Council will be meeting Wednesday evening.  Amongst topics of discussion, we will begin actively pursuing county, state and federal economic recovery packages to support our community. Additionally, the council will explore options for local business tax relief in an effort to ease the devastating economic impact of COVID-19.

Our small businesses and their employees are vital members of our community and we affirm our unwavering support and advocacy for our Narberth businesses.

Sincerely,

Aaron Muderick, President
Andrea Deutsch, Mayor