Gov. Wolf to ease COVID-19 rules in a dozen new counties
Gov. Tom Wolf will ease COVID-19 mitigation efforts in a dozen additional counties next week, while urging residents in his caution zones to continue to practice social distancing in public.
Beaver County, the sole area that remained in a red zone in Western Pennsylvania this week because of an outbreak at a nursing home, will join others in the state Friday in moving to a yellow zone.
Wolf said he “cannot emphasize enough” the importance of staying home as much as possible and wearing a face mask in public in yellow counties to help prevent a surge in new COVID-19 cases.
“This virus has not been eradicated from these counties,” he said.
The virus has sickened at least 60,622 people statewide and contributed to 4,342 adult deaths since early March. More than 4,300 health-care workers have tested positive for the virus, as well as 112,937 residents of long-term care facilities, state Health Secretary Rachel Levine said Friday.
“It’s not the time to stop our efforts, Levine said. “Yellow means caution.”
The other counties moving to a yellow zone are Adams, Carbon, Columbia, Cumberland, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Wayne and York.