© Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com/Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com/The Express-Times, E... The Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall, officially closed their door to the public the evening of March 18, 2020 due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

An Allentown landlord says he is taking responsibility for letters threatening to evict tenants during the coronavirus pandemic.

The notice, which was posted all over social media, acknowledged that some tenants may be out of work during the Pennsylvania shutdown but continued to say that Hyman Properties would set move-out dates for anyone unable to pay their rent in full by April 6.

Owner Nat Hyman sent apologies to his tenants, saying that his company has to pay its lenders, too. He told lehighvalleylive.com that he did not read the letter before it went out and that the part about eviction “was simply inappropriate.”

© Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com/Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com/The Express-Times, E... The Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall, officially closed their door to the public the evening of March 18, 2020 due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

"I have to take responsibility for it. … Somebody put out a letter. It was wrong and it shouldn’t have been done,” Hyman, a former Allentown mayoral candidate, said on Tuesday morning. The Morning Call and WFMZ also reported on Hyman’s apology.

© Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com/Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com/The Express-Times, E... Customers have been taking advantage of the drive-thru's at many fast food establishments around the Lehigh Valley since the Coronavirus restrictions.

Hyman Properties owns 40 buildings in Pennsylvania, including 15 in Allentown. Hyman said his property management company will work with tenants in good standing to develop payment plans.

Evictions are not possible until at least April 3 anyway while Pennsylvania courts are closed. Pennsylvania lawmakers are drafting a bill that would limit evictions during a state of emergency like the current pandemic.

© Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com/Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com/The Express-Times, E... As the Coronavirus restrictions worsen, customers display social distancing as they patiently wait to enter the Keystone Canna Remedies, a marijuana dispensary, on Stefko Blvd. in Bethlehem on March 20, 2020.

But Hyman said his company still needs to pay its own bills and employees. He said that he and his wife have received death threats over the initial letter.

© Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com/Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com/The Express-Times, Eas... A woman wearing a mask pushes a stroller at the southern end of Main Street. Heavy fog settles in Bethlehem, creating an eerie mood on Friday, March 20, 2020, the morning after Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the shutdown of all \"non-life-supporting\" business in Pennsylvania to stop the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

At this point, he said there is not much more he can do than apologize.

“Of course I regret the whole thing,” Hyman said. “I regret that I was so vilified about it. It’s shocking to me that it went viral the way it did.”

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Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. If there’s anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

© Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com/Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com/The Express-Times, E... Plenty of parking spotted at The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley on March 19, 2020. All non-essential businesses around the Lehigh Valley have closed due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

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