Pennsylvania’s unclear waiver process created significant confusion and has caused permanent harm to many businesses, write Charlotte Keith and Angela Couloumbis for Spotlight PA.

Cameron Peters, the owner of Cameron Peters Floral Design in Phoenixville, was among those affected by the much-criticized process.

In March, she closed the doors of her flower shop, fearing she might be doing it for good.

“I was locking the door on my dreams,” she said.

When the waiver process was launched, she e-mailed the Department of Community and Economic Development, confused at what that meant for her.

After not receiving an answer, she submitted a waiver application but was soon denied. However, just a month later, she noticed other flower shops doing deliveries. She checked with the governor’s office once again and found out she never actually needed a waiver.

“To this day, there’s no doubt that businesses were harmed because they were shut down and shouldn’t have been,” said Guy Ciarrocchi, CEO of the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry. “There’s no doubt that there are people who will lose their jobs because their employer was shut down and may not need to have been.”

Read more about the waiver process from Spotlight PA here.

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