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Gov. Wolf preparing to give green light to counties during COVID-19 pandemic

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Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday he is considering moving some Pennsylvania counties into his COVID-19 green phase, which would give them permission to reopen as normal.

Wolf didn’t specify which counties he might move from the yellow caution phase to green.

“There might even be counties moving from yellow to green,” Wolf said during a Thursday afternoon teleconference with reporters.

He is supposed to make the announcement today when other counties that are in red zones might be moved to yellow under his color-coded reopening plan.

Wolf also said he will in early June extend his disaster declaration for another 90 days, giving him the power to order the closure of schools and nonessential businesses and require people to stay at home to slow the spread of the virus.

“I will renew it. That’s my intention,” he said.

The virus since early March has killed 4,871 people after another 102 deaths were announced Thursday. And the number of positive cases of the novel coronavirus continued to rise statewide that day.

There were 980 new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 65,392 in all 67 counties in the state, state Health Secretary Rachel Levine said.

“We must continue to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, which includes our seniors, those with underlying health issues, our health-care workers and our first responders,” Levine said.

Washington and Greene counties, which moved into the yellow phase a week ago, have seen their positive cases level off in recent days at 130 and 27, respectively. Allegheny County’s death toll increased by one to 148.

In another move Thursday, Wolf said he signed a bill allowing hotel and restaurant bars to sell cocktails to go to help them increase their profits, effective immediately.

The drinks must be sold in containers with secure lids in quantities between four and 64 ounces, limiting sales to 11 p.m.

Wolf said a day earlier that he didn’t necessarily think it was a good idea, but that he would sign the bill because it had overwhelming support in the Legislature.

He also said he would disapprove any measure in Harrisburg to strip his authority to declare disasters.

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