Valley hopes to move from red to yellow
By KRISTIE LINDEN
klinden@yourmvi.com
Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to announce the next round of counties that will move into the yellow phase of reopening today, but state Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Carroll Township) may have spoiled part of the surprise.
Bartolotta posted on her Facebook page Thursday night that Washington and Greene counties will be given yellow status effective May 15. Both counties are part of her district.
In an email, Bartolotta said she “spoke with several commissioners” about the expected announcement.
“We’re looking basically to see where we’re flattening the curve of new cases. As you know, last week I announced the opening of 24 counties, and (Friday) I’m going to make another announcement to make sure we announce the next round of openings,” Wolf said Thursday.
Last week, Wolf announced two dozen counties that will move into the “yellow phase” of reopening today.
Wolf said earlier this week that the southwestern Pennsylvania region was doing well.
“The southwest is doing a good job and the hope is they can move into the yellow phase like the other 24 counties I announced last Friday very quickly,” Wolf said Tuesday.
Thursday night, Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine extended the stay-at-home orders for all counties in red and signed new orders for the counties that moved to yellow this morning.
The extended stay-at-home order remains the same as the original statewide order and will stay in place until June 4 for red counties.
The yellow-phase order provides guidance for those counties entering the reopening phase.
It addresses the limited reopening of businesses, detailing those businesses previously deemed non-life-sustaining as being permitted to reopen if they follow the guidance for safety for staff, customers and facility.
Eviction moratorium extension
Wolf and Attorney General Josh Shapiro jointly announced the eviction moratorium, saying it advances public health efforts to quell the virus outbreak by allowing people to stay at home.
“No one should have to worry about losing their home during this health emergency,” Wolf said. “This executive order takes one more burden off people who are struggling and gives them more time to get back on their feet.”
Wolf noted that renters and homeowners are still required to make monthly payments. But he called on landlords to work with tenants through the crisis.
“If you’re a landlord, we understand you’re going through a tough time, too, but so are your tenants,” Wolf said. “Practice forbearance here. That’s the decent, human thing to do.”
Unemployment claims
Self-employed people, gig workers and others not normally eligible for unemployment compensation were supposed to be able to start filing backdated claims Thursday under a new federal benefits program being administered by the state.
But the rollout was rife with complaints, and some applicants reported glitches that prevented them from completing the process.
The Department of Labor & Industry offered no immediate explanation for the problems reported by some applicants.
Since March 15, more than 174,000 people have applied to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which is being administered by the state’s unemployment compensation office. The state began accepting applications April 18, but wasn’t able to pay benefits while it built out the system.
Work on the system was completed Thursday morning, and the Department of Labor & Industry had said it was fully operational.
A record 1.7 million Pennsylvanians have filed for regular unemployment compensation since mid-March as the pandemic, and the state’s efforts to contain it, caused economic devastation.
Latest numbers
There have now been 52,915 cases of coronavirus in the state, including 1,070 new cases reported Thursday. There were 310 new deaths reported, for a total of 3,416.
Allegheny County now has 1,439 cases, an increase of 45 patients. There were six new deaths reported for a new total of 117.
In Fayette County, there were no new cases reported Thursday and the total remains at 84. There have been four deaths.
Washington County saw one case removed for a new total of 120 patients. The county reported two new deaths for a new total of four fatalities.
Westmoreland County added two new cases for a total 411 and, according to the DOH, there were no more deaths and that total is 29. Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha cited one additional death, and the total he is tracking is now 32.
