Gov. Tom Wolf outlines his plan for reopening the economy during COVID-19 pandemic
Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday he will begin to reopen retail stores and other select businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic in certain regions of Pennsylvania that have “truly a minimal” number of cases.
Those regions would need to have 50 cases of the virus per 100,000 people over two weeks to move into a slow, progressive reopening phase based on science-driven data.
“We’re trying to be prudent,” Wolf said during a 7 p.m. online briefing.
Wolf did not set a date for lifting his statewide stay-home order, and those who will be returning to work will be required to wear a mask and practice social distancing on the job. Residents also were urged to continue to stay home and wear masks in public.
“We will not be flicking a switch,” Wolf said, adding that he wants to make sure the case-count is under control before reopening the entire economy.
He announced Monday that he would allow all construction work in the state to resume May 8.
Restaurants will still be limited to takeout service, and schools and gyms were to remain closed.
Wolf said the future is uncertain and that closures might return if the virus makes a strong comeback.
State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said her department will step up contact tracing of those who were exposed to the novel coronavirus.
While the Pittsburgh region was making progress in slowing the spread of the virus, southeastern and northeastern Pennsylvania remained hot spots Wednesday.
Wolf said counties in the north-central and northwestern regions of the state would be studied first for a May 8 rollout because they have the lowest density of the virus. He said it was not yet known if barbershops and beauty salons would be in the next phase of business reopenings.
“We need to make sure we have adequate testing,” Levine said.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania’s agriculture secretary said earlier Wednesday that the food supply is secure as the state continues to see deaths from COVID-19.
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said one of the biggest challenges in the industry involved repackaging large shipments of milk and eggs destined for schools and businesses into sizes sold to consumers.
“We have been pushing the boundaries,” Redding said during an afternoon briefing with the media.
He said milk and eggs have gone to waste, while meat packers with COVID-19 outbreaks have had to struggle to keep employees.
The pandemic has resulted in 50% of food being consumed outside of the home to 100% being eaten at home.
“Everything we have known has been turned on its head,” Redding said.
“There’s sufficient food. The system is resilient and responding to where we consume food.”
His comments came at a time when Pennsylvania saw 58 new COVID-19 deaths, taking the toll to 1,622, the state health department said.
Washington County, where two people have died from the virus, added one positive case to its total of 87, and Greene County remained at 25.
“As we see the number of new COVID-19 cases continuously change across the state that does not mean we can stop practicing social distancing,” Levine said.
“We must continue to stay home to protect ourselves, our families and our community. If you must go out, please make as few trips as possible and wear a mask to protect not only yourself, but others. We need all Pennsylvanians to continue to heed these efforts to protect our vulnerable Pennsylvanians, our health care workers and front line responders.”
Allegheny County registered 74 deaths, up seven from Tuesday. The number of positive cases of the novel coronavirus in Allegheny reached 1,088, an increase of 29 from the previous day.
Restriction for areas that will be begin to power up in Pennsylvania
- Telework must continue where feasible
- Businesses with in-person operations must follow safety orders
- Child care opens with worker and building safety orders in place
- Congregate care and prison restrictions remain in place
- Schools remain closed for in-person instruction
- Stay-at-Home Restrictions Lifted in Favor of Aggressive Mitigation
- Large gatherings of more than 25 prohibited
- In-person retail allowable, curbside and delivery preferred
- Indoor recreation, health and wellness facilities (such as gyms, spas), and all entertainment (such as casinos, theaters) remain closed
- Restaurants and bars limited to carry-out and delivery only