Gov. Wolf Adds Eight Counties to Yellow and 17 to Green on May 29, Remainder to Yellow on June 5 

Harrisburg, PA – Furthering his plan for reopening Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf today announced eight additional counties will move to yellow and 17 to green, effective at 12:01 a.m., May 29. All remaining counties in red are expected to move to yellow by June 5 at 12:01 a.m.

The counties moving to yellow on May 29 include Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lebanon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, and Schuylkill.

The 17 counties moving to green, also on May 29, include Bradford, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Montour, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango and Warren.

Counties that remain in red on May 29 and are expected to move to yellow by June 5 include Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton, Montgomery, and Philadelphia.

“We know not only that we succeeded in slowing case growth, but that our actions, our collective decisions to stay at home and avoid social contact – we know that saved lives,” Gov. Wolf said. “My stay-at-home order did exactly what it was intended to do: It saved lives and it bought us valuable time.”

Gov. Wolf referred to a study by Drexel University that indicates that in Philadelphia alone, 60 days of staying at home resulted in more than 7,000 lives saved and prevented more than 68,000 people from needing hospitalization.

Yellow Metrics
In deciding which counties to move to yellow, the state used risk-based metrics from Carnegie Mellon University combined with contact tracing and testing capability and a sustained reduction in COVID-19 hospitalizations. While the 50 new cases per 100,000 population was considered, it did not weigh any more heavily than other factors.

Over the past two weeks:

• The state has seen sustained reductions in hospitalizations. From May 8 when the first counties moved to yellow to yesterday, the number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized dropped by nearly one thousand – from 2,618 to 1,667.
• The number of COVID patients on ventilators shrank by about a third, from 505 to 347.
• New cases continue to decline: From May 8 to May 15, the state added 6,384 cases and from May 15 to 21, added 4,770.
• The current COVID-19 incidence rate in the state is 83.4 cases per 100,000 people. Two weeks ago, it was 113.6 per 100,000. Most other states are seeing their new case rate continue to increase or remain flat. Pennsylvania is one of just 19 states with new case-rate declines.

Green Metrics
Counties that have been in the yellow phase for the requisite 14 days have been closely monitored for the risk associated with transitioning to the green phase.

In the green phase, we will continue to take precautions, including reducing building capacity, encouraging teleworking, limiting visitation in certain high-risk environments, and preventing large entertainment gatherings.

The guidelines for moving to green are available here, and include specifics for employers, large events, and social gatherings.

Moving Forward
“We continue to increase testing every day and are continuing to build our contact tracing capacity, as well,” Gov. Wolf said. “We are able to do these things, to be successful, to reopen in this manner because of the Pennsylvanians who have made tremendous sacrifices since the virus emerged in our state,” Gov Wolf said. “Thank you.

“I want to remember and honor all of those who we lost and give solace to their family and loved ones. The last two months have been trying and they have tested each of us, and I want to thank and acknowledge all the people of our commonwealth who have been called upon to upend their lives to keep their neighbors, friends and family safe.”

LAMB FIGHTS TO PROTECT NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYED TO MEET COVID-19 CRISIS

 

(PITTSBURGH, PA) – Today, Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17) joined Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) and a bipartisan coalition of Members to introduce the National Guard COVID-19 Earned Benefits Guarantee Act.  The bill directs the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to treat a full-time National Guard COVID-19 activation as not shorter than 90 days, a threshold that ensures servicemembers qualify for certain retirement and educational benefits.  The legislation is in response to recent reporting that most National Guard COVID-19 activations will expire one day short of achieving the 90-day benefit qualifying threshold.  More than 40,000 National Guard members have been deployed across the country since the start of the Coronavirus public health crisis.

“In Pennsylvania, more than 1,100 National Guard members have been deployed to help communities struggling to address this public health crisis, including the COVID-19 outbreak at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County.  We have a responsibility to these servicemembers to provide them with the benefits they have earned and deserve,” said Lamb.

In addition to cosponsoring the National Guard COVID-19 Earned Benefits Guarantee Act, Lamb also joined a bipartisan coalition of Members on two letters advocating for support of the National Guard.  On May 20, more than 80 House members sent a letter to Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper to urge an extension of the Title 32 activation in coordination with state governors and asked for an explanation for the June 24 “hard stop” for the COVID-19 response.  Lamb also joined Representative Jason Crow (CO-6) and a group of bipartisan Members in a letter to the President, Secretary Esper, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Peter T. Gaynor requesting they urgently provide the health care, leave benefits and status certainty to the National Guard

AP-NORC poll: Many in US won’t return to gym or dining out
By JOSH BOAK and EMILY SWANSON Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Much of the country remains unlikely to venture out to bars, restaurants, theaters or gyms anytime soon, despite state and local officials increasingly allowing businesses to reopen. That’s according to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Just 42% of those who went to concerts, movies, theaters or sporting events at least monthly before the coronavirus outbreak say they’d do so in the next few weeks if they could. Only about half of those who regularly went to restaurants, exercised at a gym or traveled would go back if they could. That hesitancy could muffle any recovery from the sharpest and swiftest economic downturn in U.S. history.

More of Pennsylvania emerges from coronavirus shutdowns
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Residents of 12 more Pennsylvania counties are allowed to freely leave their homes, and other parts of the shutdown have been lifted, as Gov. Tom Wolf prepares to announce which counties have made sufficient progress against the new coronavirus to join them. Wolf announced last week that the 12 counties would leave the so-called “red phase” and joining the “yellow” phase on Friday. They join 37 other counties that have already moved to yellow. In addition, Wolf has suggested that he could announce that he’s easing practically all of the state’s pandemic restrictions in some other counties.

Kail to Cancel Events Because of COVID-19

 

CENTER – As the governor prohibits events with more than 25 people even in the yellow phase of reopening, Rep. Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) was forced to cancel three events: Donuts and Discussion events on Friday, May 22, and Friday, June 5, as well as a REAL ID event on Friday, May 29.

 

Washington County moved into the yellow phase of reopening on Friday, May 15. Beaver County won’t move into the yellow phase until Friday, May 22.

 

“Unfortunately, with our counties still barred from gatherings in excess of 25 people, we’re not allowed to host these events. While I hope to hold events later in the summer, Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration haven’t released any information – despite repeated requests – about the metrics a county needs to meet to move to green. At this point, we’re waiting,” Kail said.

 

Residents are encouraged to contact Kail’s office with any state-related questions or concerns they have by calling 724-728-7655. Kail and his staff continue to serve residents throughout the pandemic.

 

“I share in the frustration that many residents are feeling because the governor has so much control over our lives,” Kail added. “The representation they usually have in their state legislators has truly been silenced as the governor is making all the rules without considering input from other elected officials. Our government was designed to have checks and balances to avoid any single person having absolute power, but that’s not how it’s working now.”