Loan program ends, hard-hit businesses hope for 2nd chance

virus-outbreak-small-business-relief-waiting-again

FILE - In this May 6, 2020 file photo, a woman walks past a closed barber shop in Cleveland. Small businesses are in limbo again as the coronavirus outbreak rages and the government’s $659 billion relief program draws to a close. Companies still struggling with sharply reduced revenue are wondering if Congress will give them a second chance at the Paycheck Protection Program, which ends Friday, Aug. 7, after giving out 5.1 million loans worth $523 billion. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

virus-outbreak-small-business-relief-waiting-again

NEW YORK (AP) — Small businesses are in limbo again as the coronavirus outbreak rages and the government’s $659 billion relief program draws to a close. Companies still struggling with sharply reduced revenue are wondering if Congress will give them a second chance at the Paycheck Protection Program, which ends Saturday after giving out 5.1 million loans worth $523 billion. While the program that began April 3 has gotten mixed reviews, business owners still need help as the virus continues to spread across the country. Lawmakers are negotiating on new coronavirus relief legislation that would allow the hardest hit businesses to receive a second PPP loan.