The Commonwealth Foundation released poll results Thursday showing that the majority of Pennsylvanians are in favor of allowing businesses to safely resume operations, which seems to be on track with what area residents are currently feeling.
The poll was conducted of 500 registered voters (35% Democrat, 33% Republican, and 31% Independent), and overseen by The Polling Company Inc. The survey was conducted during the week of May 16-20, a time when some counties were operating in the yellow phase and many were still completely shut down.
At that time, 74% surveyed supported re-opening, with many voters ranking jobs and the economy as the top priority, above healthcare.
The release of these results comes on the heels of Tuesday’s passage of a resolution to end Gov. Tom Wolf’s emergency declaration by the state Legislature, which received bipartisan support.
The survey also found that 57% of participants were more likely to support lifting business restrictions after learning that 1.9 million Pennsylvanians lost jobs during the shutdown and 60% were supportive of lifting restrictions upon hearing that more than 60% of small businesses are at risk of permanent closure.
“Pennsylvanians are frustrated at Gov. Wolf’s lack of transparency and believe his policies have treated many unfairly,” said Commonwealth Foundation Vice President Jennifer Stefano. “This poll reflects the fact that a large majority of people want their local business to be given the opportunity to operate safely before they close forever.”
This definitely rings true for constituents who have reached out to U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., with complaints about the shutdown and also the failure of the unemployment system.
“Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District encompasses more than 25% of the commonwealth, yet had less than 1% of the total COVID-19 cases. Many communities expressed frustration because businesses were shut down, the state’s unemployment compensation program was not functional, and there were only one or two cases in a particular county,” Thompson said via email. “The intention of the stay-at-home order was to ensure public health and keep our hospital systems from overcrowding. Once that appeared to be under control, a more targeted approach should have been applied to counties with low infection rates. There is a direct correlation between economic health and mental health, and our counties have suffered enough.”
The City of Bradford residents and business owners, like others across the state, are trying to find a way to keep businesses afloat that are weighed down by the revenue lost during weeks of shutdown.
“The biggest concerns that I am hearing from business owners have been the amount of revenue that has been lost over the last three months and the frustrations of being able to resume operations, but at a reduced capacity due to how many customers can shop or dine at the same time,” Bradford City Mayor James McDonald said. “It is fantastic that state representatives like Marty Causer are in Harrisburg fighting to get the last of the restrictions lifted so that businesses across the state can get back on track and operating like they were before the Covid-19 pandemic came down on us in March.”
Thompson said he recognizes the struggle and sees things moving in a positive direction.
“We have not experienced a pandemic like this in our lifetimes. This has been hard on everyone and there are definitely people, particularly more vulnerable populations, that are going to be slower to get back out there,” he said. “Luckily we have learned a lot in the past few months and I hear from many constituents that they want areas of the commonwealth back open and operational. They are confident with the right sanitary and hygiene measures businesses can protect workers and customers and begin to return to a sense of normality.”
The main concerns in Foster Township involve business owners who are looking for a better idea of how to proceed properly with regard to Coronavirus restrictions and guidelines.
“The headache is figuring out what restrictions we are under. No one really knows. I have personally called the Department of Health, the CDC and up to the Department of Agriculture. No one wants to answer,” said Foster Township Supervisor George Hocker.
Reaching out for clarification is the logical step, but Hocker’s efforts to do so have met with repeated failure.
“I have called clear to Harrisburg,” Hocker said. “When you ask these departments what is recommended, what is the law and what will affect my food license, the response is ‘I can not answer that question.’ They say I am asking for legal advice, and they can not give it.”
Hocker explained that, as a business owner in the township himself, he also hears from residents who visit his restaurant and are frustrated with the way restrictions and guidelines are changing, often too quickly to understand what they should be doing.
“The residents are not in favor of what is going on,” Hocker said.
Meanwhile, for the township, deciding how to keep citizens safe and businesses in compliance is a struggle. Hocker explained that the township is unsure how to proceed in regard to enforcement of the recommendations set forth by the governor.
“One thing the township is facing is that our governor puts out that the police department, local health department and the state police department are supposed to enforce this. I called PA State Police at their new barracks in Lewis Run to see if they knew the new guidance. They aren’t being briefed by the state,” he said. “The governor puts mandates out in the evening and never briefs anyone below him; he does not send guidance out to go by. He throws out recommendations, but I can’t, by law, enforce a recommendation.
“That puts our township in a liability issue. I can’t ask the police department to enforce something that we don’t know if it is enforceable because the department is not being briefed.”
