May 8 is the target date to begin the reopening process in Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday afternoon.
“We’ll do it by region,” he said. “That means if we reopen in Cameron County, for example, that does not mean we are open in Philadelphia.”
And the areas where reopening does occur still will have to abide by social distancing and other precautions, the governor said.
“Life is going to be different on the other side of this,” he said.
He explained that there will not be a mass reopening of the state on May 8. “We’re going to take the same measured approach as we did in imposing” the orders to close the state, Wolf said.
“It will still rely on Pennsylvanians making reasonable, intelligent choices,” he added.
When asked about criticism from the legislature, and calls to rescind the “stay at home” order, the governor replied, “I think everyone wants to get through this as fast as possible. If I could snap my fingers and be back to as we were in January I would do it.
“If we do this too quickly, it won’t work. These are the realities,” he said. “As much as we might dream of a magic wand, it doesn’t exist.”
Wolf said a lot of factors will go in to the decision to reopen, including availability of testing and adequate personal protective equipment.
“We still do not have a vaccine,” the governor said. “We still don’t have an antibody test. Without continuing to take precautions, we’re going to see a relapse.”
Wolf announced that limited construction will be permitted to begin as of May 8, “with strict guidelines for social distancing.” The state is also considering allowing more businesses to open for curbside service.
“We will put forth guidance and recommendations” for employers, health care workers and others in the coming days, he said.
Large gatherings will not be permitted, and visitation restrictions will continue for vulnerable populations like nursing homes and jails.
“The steps we are taking today are not a sign we should abandon social distancing,” Wolf said. “COVID-19 is still a threat.”
Pennsylvania has come a long way, he said. “We’ve given up a lot.”
And it hasn’t been in vain. “We’ve prevented the patient surges we were so concerned about,” the governor said. Yet he acknowledged, “We have done this at a cost.”
Wolf said he understood the virtual halt to the economy has led to tremendous hardship.
He announced three actions including online sales of vehicles, which will be enabled by the signing of SB 841, restart of construction projects statewide starting May 8, and curbside pickup of wine and spirits at select Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board locations.
“Over the past six weeks, Pennsylvanians have come together like never before to halt the spread of COVID-19,” said Wolf. “It has not been easy, but it has paid off. Today, we are taking small steps toward a degree of normalcy. We are allowing curbside pickup of phone orders at PLCB stores and auto sales will be allowed to take place online. On May 8, construction will resume statewide.
“I want to caution that we will not be resuming operations as they were in February. We’re going to continue to take precautions that limit our physical contact with others, and we will closely monitor this to see if it can be done safely.”
These limited steps forward will be closely observed in the coming days and weeks to ensure that they do not result in a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, in which case the governor will use his authority under the emergency disaster declaration to resume restrictions to protect public health and safety.
Dr. Rachel Levine, state health secretary, said that as of Monday, there were 948 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 33,232. Of that, 1,652 are in health care workers. Hospitals reported 3,057 people hospitalized for COVID-19, and 645 of those needing a ventilator.
“Across our health care system, approximately 42 percent of hospital beds, 36 percent of intensive care unit beds and nearly 70 percent of our ventilators are still available,” she said.
Levine reported Pennsylvania’s death toll at 1,204.
