Gov. Wolf explains his veto of bill that would jumpstart economy stalled by COVID-19
Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday he will begin to reopen the state’s economy next month slowly and in certain regions where fact-based evidence shows the novel coronavirus is under control.
He said that language was not included in Senate Bill 613 and that’s why he vetoed it a day earlier.
“All of us want to get back to work as soon as possible, but we are restrained by the dictate of this virus,” Wolf said during a Tuesday morning teleconference with the media.
He said he continues to talk with GOP leaders in Harrisburg, but he “didn’t agree they were on the right page.”
The Legislature sent the bill to Wolf’s desk a week ago with language ordering him to return select employees to their jobs within three weeks using federal guidelines. The bill passed the Senate along party lines and did not gain a super majority of votes to override a veto.
Wolf hinted that he would consider the Pittsburgh region to lead the state in the reopening of some businesses because of the low number of new, daily cases in that area.
He said he closed nonessential businesses “county-by-county, and that’s the way we’re going to be reopening.”
His announcement came when the state Health Department said there were 360 new COVID-19 deaths Monday, statewide, and the number of positive cases had reached 34,528.
The increase in deaths did not occur overnight, but was the result of adding “presumptive” deaths to the count, meaning those cases where death certificates showed COVID-19 as an untested contributing factor, state health Secretary Rachel Levine said.
About 1.3% of the state’s population of 12.8 million people has been tested for COVID-19 since early March, state records indicate.
Wolf on Monday extended his stay-home order from April 30 to May 8, the date when some construction companies would be allowed to resume work.
He said Pennsylvania needs to have more testing in place by May 8 and ensure hospitals have the capacity to treat people with the virus before the economy is reopened in a robust fashion.
“We need to be driven by what the virus is doing,” Wolf said.
“We need to have more information on who has COVID-19,” Levine added.
Allegheny County on Tuesday reported 17 new COVID-19 cases and a dozen new deaths, taking its death toll from the virus to 67. The county had 1,059 positive cases on its roster since testing began March 14.
Washington County added three new cases of the virus, taking its total to 86. Greene County saw no increase in cases, with its total standing at 25.