Apr 20, 2020 3 min read

Gov. Tom Wolf began to slowly reopen the COVID-19-stalled economy Monday at a time when the number of positive new cases of the virus began to drop statewide and in Allegheny County.

Wolf set a May 8 date to begin easing back to a normal life, and he said some state liquor stores reopened Monday for curbside sales only and that car dealerships could immediately begin to sell vehicles online.

“We still do not have a vaccine, an antibody or a cure,” he said. “Life is going to be different after this.”

Limited construction work will resume May 8 with strict social-distancing practices, Wolf said.

He said the state would monitor how curbside sales worked at liquor stores to determine if that method can be applied to other businesses. The reopening of nonessential businesses will take place regionally and depend on the availability of more COVID-19 tests, he said.

The number of new positive cases dropped to 948 Monday, the first time the count fell below 1,000 since March 31, state records indicate.

Allegheny County reported a single-digit rise in COVID-19 cases Monday for the first time in nearly a month.

The county registered seven new cases overnight, taking its total to 1,042, and experienced five new deaths from the virus, Allegheny’s health department said. The death toll from the novel coronavirus reached 55 in that county since reporting began more than a month ago.

“We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones, and our thoughts go out to all those who have been impacted,” the department stated.

Allegheny registered 58 positive cases of the virus March 25 when the number of new cases began to climb by double digits every day, court reports show.

Washington County, where two people have died from the virus, added one new case Monday, taking its total to 83. Greene County’s cases also increased by one, taking its count to 25. No one has yet to die from the virus in Greene.

“This pandemic has not been easy on any of us,” Wolf said. “We will get through this.”

Wolf’s stay-home order that was set to expire April 30 will be extended to May 8.

He said the ban on large gatherings must remain in place because “COVID-19 is still very, very much of a threat to all of us.”

The reopening of businesses will take place region-by-region, business-by-business, the governor said.

“We’ve given up so much, but it has paid off. The numbers have leveled off,” Wolf said.

However, he cautioned that Pennsylvania needs to build a capacity to do more COVID-19 testing “to declare victory.”

He said he expects some people will refuse to return to their jobs “because they are afraid for their life.”

Mark Baer of Budd Baer Inc. of Washington said it was good news to hear that Wolf agreed to allow dealers to sell cars again.

“It’s a new world,” Baer said. “We went from being nailed to the ground to having a little bit of room.”

The dealership move is part of Senate Bill 841, which Wolf signed into law. It also allows municipalities to hold remote public meetings and taxing districts to waive late fees until the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the state health department has been updating its website to add more data regarding COVID-19 cases, including a map where they are broken down by zip code.