Parts of Pennsylvania To Begin Re-Opening In Early May

Pennsylvania’s Governor Tom Wolf will announce that 40 counties are entering the “yellow phase” of the state’s re-opening plan on Friday (May 1). The announcement will be made during the governor's Friday afternoon press conference.

This is expected to primarily include the Northeast and North Central portions of the state “in stages” over the month of May, according to 6ABC.

This is NOT expected to include the counties in the Southeast portion of the state such as Philadelphia and Bucks Counties.

In the state’s “yellow phase” guidelines, some highlights include:

• Stay at home restrictions are lifted in favor of aggressive mitigation
• Large gatherings are prohibited
• In-person retail is allowed, but curbside/delivery is preferred
• Businesses with in-person operations must follow safety orders
• Telework must continue where feasible
• Child care will be open with safety orders (for the safety of the building and the workers)
• Restaurants and bars will remains limited to carry out and delivery
• All indoor recreation, health and wellness facilities (such as gyms) and all entertainment is to remain closed

All 67 counts in the state of Pennsylvania are currently in the “red phase” of the state’s plan for mitigating COVID-19, essentially meaning that only life-sustaining businesses are open and a full stay at home order has been enacted.

In previous comments to the press, Governor Wolf has said that we should be patient in our area regarding the re-opening of our economy. Earlier this week the governor said that "the southeastern part of the state will be among the last places to reopen."