Wolf says he has plan to reopen economy post-COVID-19 as cases rise
Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday offered some broad strokes but few specifics of a plan for the recovery of Pennsylvania’s economy once the outbreak of COVID-19 is curbed.
His remarks came a day after the Democrat said he intends to veto a bill pushed by the state Legislature’s GOP caucuses that would override Wolf’s order that closed businesses deemed non-essential since last month.
“Every single American – I know every single Pennsylvanian – is eager to get back to work, or eager to reopen. I’m included in that,” Wolf said. “We are working as hard as we can to make sure we reopen as quickly as possible. Again, what we don’t want to do is reopen and then be hit by this virus in a way that overwhelms our health care system.”
Citizens who want an immediate return to normal commerce intend to demonstrate at the Capitol in Harrisburg on Monday. That rally is part of a wave of protests being held in other states, including Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky. President Donald Trump appeared to tweet in support of those efforts on Friday.
“LIBERATE MICHIGAN,” read one posting from the president. A similar sentiment regarding Virginia followed.
Wolf said he favors caution, saying Pennsylvania was making “good progress.”
“Let’s continue to make this good progress in keeping people safe,” he added. “Then, when the time is right, we’re going to reopen, and liberate every single Pennsylvanian.”
State Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said the total number of positive cases reported in Pennsylvania to date climbed by 1,706 to 29,441 – one of the largest daily increases so far. The figures include active infections and patients who’ve recovered.
The state issued an order on Wednesday that customers must wear masks at the businesses that do remain open, starting Sunday night. Levine said the state doesn’t intend to enforce the order using police.
“What we’re asking is that if someone comes without a mask, that (businesses) kindly ask them to go home and get a mask,” Levine said. “But we’re not going to have law enforcement present to enforce this throughout the commonwealth.”
In Washington County, two new cases brought the total to 75 on Friday. A Donora man who died on April 10 is still the sole fatality. The count in Greene held steady at 24.
Westmoreland had another nine, bringing the count to 249. Deaths remained at 13, the same number reported the day before.
The pandemic capsized the state’s economy, plus much of the country’s. The state Department of Labor & Industry reported there were more than 152,000 new unemployment claims this week alone. There have been 1.46 million claims since business closures and other precautions began.
Nationwide, more than 20 million people filed claims.
Wolf didn’t give a timeline, but offered general standards for how the state will go about reopening businesses and other public places. He said officials would make their decisions by region based on evidence and data. He expects to elaborate on the details next week.
He said he hopes the Legislature, whose two chambers are dominated by Republicans, will work with him.
At another point, Wolf said better social services, including child care and the state unemployment system, will be necessary for that process. He pointed to lower-wage workers who took personal risks to do their jobs during the outbreak as he called for those employees to receive a living wage.
“Countless workers who deliver food, stock shelves, who work a register have always, always been essential to our economy,” Wolf said. “But never has that been more clear than now how essential they are to our way of life.”