Landlords brace for fallout, search for solutions with retailers battered by COVID-19 shutdown

New Jersey shopping centers that once buzzed with a steady hum of activity have been quiet since late March, with most retail businesses shut down to contain the spread of COVID-19. Retail landlords are now scrambling to figure out how to deal with tenants who say they can’t pay rent because their revenue streams have stopped cold — even though property owners still have their own financial obligations.