Close to $1 billion flowed directly to businesses in Kern County this year as part of the Paycheck Protection Program meant to keep small businesses afloat amid the economic fallout of the pandemic, according to federal data released earlier this month.
The massive federal aid program provided more than $500 billion in forgivable loans to commercial enterprises across the nation for losses incurred by the pandemic, with a majority of funds required to be used to keep paying employees.
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