May 29, 2020 3 min read

Washington and Greene counties will join most of Southwestern Pennsylvania next week in moving to the green phase of reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning more nonessential businesses can reopen their doors.

Gov. Tom Wolf said the remaining counties in red zones in Eastern Pennsylvania will move to his yellow caution phase on June 5, at the same time the green light goes to the Pittsburgh region.

“We cannot isolated ourselves forever,” Wolf said during an afternoon briefing on the state’s response to the novel coronavirus.

State Health Secretary Rachel Levine changed her “stay home” directive to “stay alert,” reminding Pennsylvania that the threat of COVID-19 is still there.

“It’s important to be alert that COVID-19 has not gone away,” Levine said during the briefing that also was live-streamed.

Wolf and Levine issued a stay-at-home order April 1 less than a month after the first cases of the virus began to appear in the state. The disease was spreading fast at the time, and it has since killed 5,464 Pennsylvanians.

The mitigation efforts were successful in slowing the spread of the virus, resulting in a significant decline in the percentage of people who have tested positive for COVID-19, Wolf said.

“That’s a very important factor that makes us feel comfortable,” he said.

Social distancing strategies will still be encouraged, along with wearing masks in public.

“If we don’t follow these guidelines, we’re taking risks with this virus,” Wolf said.

The other 14 counties moving to green are Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Clinton, Fayette, Fulton, Indiana, Lycoming, Mercer, Somerset, and Westmoreland.

Beaver County, which has had the state’s deadliest virus outbreak at a personal care home, will remain in the yellow caution phase.

The updated order for green counties includes these highlights:

• Large gatherings of more than 250 people are prohibited.
• Restaurants and bars can open at 50% occupancy.
• Personal care services (including hair salons and barbershops) can open at 50% occupancy and by appointment only.
• Indoor recreation, health and wellness facilities, and personal care services (such as gyms and spas) can open at 50% occupancy with appointments strongly encouraged.
• All entertainment (such as casinos, theaters, and shopping malls) open at 50% occupancy.
• Construction activity may return to full capacity with continued implementation of protocols.
• Visitation to prisons and hospitals may resume subject to the discretion of the facility. Visitors who interact with residents and patients must be diligent regarding hygiene. Given the critical importance of limiting COVID-19 exposure in nursing homes, personal care home and long-term care facilities, visitation restrictions will initially remain in place.