Mar 29, 2020 3 min read

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, like the rest of the world, is facing an ominous beast: the novel coronavirus.

“We’re seeing more than 500 new cases diagnosed each day. And we’re seeing this virus begin to rear its ugly head in every corner of our commonwealth,” he said. “Pennsylvanians need to know that this virus is in their communities and we need to protect ourselves and others from spreading it.”

The pandemic has health-care professionals across the country under siege like never before, forcing a dire call for reinforcements and supplies such as beds, testing kits, ventilators and masks.

Pennsylvania is striving to answer that call with a number of initiatives expounded upon during a news briefing Saturday from Harrisburg.

“We need more people to handle the surge of COVID-19 cases,” the Democratic governor said, while accompanied by Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine. “We need to buy time and materials, and we need all the hands we can get. Our focus is on healing the sick.”

In that vein, Wolf said the state is adding workers and supplies through a number of initiatives. He said it is “temporarily lifting certain regulations” to allow retired health-care workers to work, professionals who have allowed their licenses to lapse but are in good standing, and to include medical students, pharmacists and others. The state also is allowing out-of-state practitioners to practice in Pennsylvania, has expanded telemedicine, and has started a portal to purchase supplies.

Wolf said the state has received 119 applications from these professionals.

The addition of recent medical school graduates should be a boost, the governor said, by providing a wider range of care.

“The state is doing everything it can to increase its health-care capacity,” he added.

Levine said the state has been ramping up its testing and that Pennsylvania is in the middle of the cap, per capita, in COVID-19 testing.

A reporter asked the governor whether he would implement restrictions on traffic coming from neighboring New York, into the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. As of now, he said no.

Another inquired about what the federal stimulus package would mean to Pennsylvania, to which Wolf replied: “We’re still trying to figure out what is coming to Pennsylvania and when.” Wolf said he won’t know the status of the state budget until after the stimulus details are known.

He and Levine expressed expressed confidence in how all of this will play out – provided Pennsylvanians do their due diligence.

“The best way to thank doctors and nurses is by staying home,” Wolf said. “You can be the missing link to breaking the chain, lowering the death rate and the effect on our economy.