All of Pennsylvania poised for reopening
By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
All southwestern Pennsylvania counties are now in the yellow phase of the state’s reopening plan.
During a virtual press conference Friday, Gov. Tom Wolf announced 17 counties will be moving to the green phase of the state’s reopening plan at 12:01 a.m. May 29. However, no Mon Valley counties are on that list.
Additionally, Wolf announced that Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lebanon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike and Schuylkill counties will move to the yellow phase on May 29. He said all counties that are still in the red phase after May 29 will be moved to the yellow phase by June 5.
Locally, Beaver County moved to the yellow phase Friday. Allegheny, Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties have been in the yellow phase since May 15. Wolf and state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine did not give any information about if or when those counties will move to the green phase.
The 17 counties moving to green, which were among the first group to move to the yellow phase, are Bradford, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Montour, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango and Warren.
Counties that have been in the yellow phase for the requisite 14 days have been closely monitored for the risk associated with transitioning to the green phase, Wolf said.
Levine said that in the green phase, the Wolf administration will continue to take precautions, including reducing building capacity, encouraging teleworking, limiting visitation in certain high-risk environments, and preventing large entertainment gatherings.
“We know not only that we succeeded in slowing case growth, but that our actions, our collective decisions to stay at home and avoid social contact — we know that saved lives,” Wolf said. “My stay-at-home order did exactly what it was intended to do: It saved lives and it bought us valuable time.”
Wolf referred to a study by Drexel University that indicates in Philadelphia alone, 60 days of staying at home resulted in more than 7,000 lives saved and prevented more than 68,000 people from needing hospitalization.
Summer camp and recreation guidance
The Wolf Administration on Friday issued “frequently asked questions” to provide guidance to parents, summer camp operators, public bathing places, part-day school-age programs and other entities that provide necessary child care and enrichment and recreational activities for children and youth during the summer months.
“We understand the need to secure child care options as parents and caregivers return to work across the state,” Wolf said. “And for providers of these programs to understand how they may operate.
“We hope that this guidance helps everyone in need of viable options for their children’s care and recreation this summer and eliminates some of the stress and worry associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is affecting our everyday lives.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Health issued the FAQs that include guidance on:
• The types of summer programs for children permitted to operate and additional requirements for summer youth and camp programs operating in counties in yellow and green phases beyond what is required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
• Enrollment restrictions and group sizes for summer programs that are permitted to operate.
• Requirements on staff and youth face coverings.
• Operation of public bathing places, community pools, campgrounds, public playgrounds and organized sports teams during the phased reopening.
Cocktails-to-go bill signed
On Wednesday, Wolf signed House Bill 327, now Act 21 of 2020, allowing the temporary sale of cocktails-to-go from bars, restaurants or hotels with a liquor license.
The law takes effect immediately and applies to bars, restaurants and hotels that have lost 25% of average monthly total sales during the COVID-19 emergency. The beverages must be sold in containers with a secure lid in quantities from 4 to 64 oz. before 11 p.m. An additional seal is required on the straw opening of a lid. Within 60 days, bars and restaurants must use a transaction scan device to verify a consumer’s age if the person appears to be younger than 35 years of age.
The temporary rule expires after the COVID-19 disaster emergency ends and a business reaches 60% capacity.
Cases
There have now been 65,258 cases of coronavirus in the state, including 866 new cases since Thursday.
There were 115 new deaths reported, for a total of 4,984.
Allegheny County now has 1,739 cases, an increase of 21 patients. According to the DOH, there were six new deaths reported and that total is 154. According to the Allegheny County Health Department, there have been two new deaths and the total is 146.
In Fayette County, there were no new cases or new deaths; those totals remain 93 and four respectively.
Washington County reported four new cases, bringing the total to 134, and no new deaths. The number of deaths in the county remains at five.
Westmoreland County reported two new cases, so that total is 436. According to the DOH, there were no new deaths and that total is 38. Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha also reports no new deaths, and his total remains at 32.
Staff writer Kristie Linden contributed to this report.
