Apr 16, 2020 3 min read

Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday that he would veto a bill pushed forward by the GOP to begin reopening the economy that has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wolf also said he was committed to stay the course for the sake of public health with his mitigation orders designed to slow the spread of the virus, and would not begin to reopen nonessential businesses in the coming weeks.

“It’s not the time to declare a victory,” Wolf said, at a time when the state believed it had flattened the curve in the number of new COVID-19 cases.

He has set no specific date for beginning the economic recovery, but added he was not prepared to follow New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s lead Thursday by extending the stay-home order from April 30 into mid-May.

Wolf said part of his plan to slowly reopen nonessential businesses depends on the ability to expand testing for the novel coronavirus.

“This is a problem. We’re not there yet,” he said.

He also said some employers will have issues with getting workers to feel safe enough from the virus to return to their jobs, and that consumers might be hesitant to patronize businesses for the same reason.

“It’s not the time to take our feet off the brakes. We need to keep people safe.”

Senate Bill 613, which passed mostly along party lines Wednesday, would have required Wolf to follow federal guidelines for restoring the economy and put people back to work within three weeks. The bill did not pass with a super majority that would override a veto from the governor.

The spread of COVID-19 appeared to have slowed in Southwestern Pennsylvania, even though the number of cases and deaths statewide continued to increase Thursday.

Washington County added two new cases of the virus, while Greene County’s total increased by one, state Health Department records show.

“We must continue to stay home to protect ourselves, our families, our community, state health Secretary Rachel Levine said.

“If you must go out, please make as few trips as possible and wear a mask to protect not only yourself, but other people as well. We need all Pennsylvanians to continue to heed these efforts to protect our vulnerable Pennsylvanians, our health care workers and front line responders,” she said.

Washington County had 73 cases Thursday, while Greene showed 24. Westmoreland County had 240 cases, an increase of three from Wednesday. Westmoreland experienced two more deaths, taking its total to 13.

Pennsylvania added 60 new deaths statewide, taking its total number of victims to 707. The state also added 1,245 new positive cases, taking the total across Pennsylvania to 27,735.

Meanwhile, a bus driver for the Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority has tested positive for COVID-19, the authority announced Thursday.

The driver on the Local 3 route hasn’t worked since April 6, said Ashley Seman, the authority’s executive director. She said the authority is operating under a reduced schedule and urging passengers to wear masks and only take a bus for essential purposes.

During a Thursday afternoon briefing, Levine warned those who are planning to protest in Harrisburg Monday to support reopening the economy will be putting themselves at greater risk of contracting the highly contagious COVID-19.

“If you’re not practicing social distancing you’re putting all of yourselves at risk,” Levine said.

She said the mitigation efforts, which include wearing masks in public and staying home, have been successful.

“We have not had a wave of cases that have overwhelmed our hospitals,” Levine said.