Gov. Tom Wolf warns of consequences for Pennsylvania counties planning to reopen earlyWGAL News 8, May 11, 2020
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf issued a warning Monday about the consequences for counties and businesses that plan to reopen in defiance of his shutdown order.
State lawmakers and county leaders in several Susquehanna Valley counties have sent Wolf letters informing him of their intention to move to the yellow phase of his reopening plan, with or without his permission.
Wolf said during a news conference that the state must stay the course in its fight against the coronavirus.
"Over this past weekend, some have decided to surrender to this enemy. These are politicians who were elected to serve their fellow citizens. Others are business owners who have chosen to serve their customers by putting them in harm's way. These folks are choosing to desert in the face of the enemy, in the middle of a war that we Pennsylvanians are winning and that we must win," Wolf said.
Wolf said reopening decisions are based on the advice of scientists, medical professionals, and the state’s epidemiologists. Case counts, modeling, geographic location, contact tracing and testing capabilities are taken into account, Wolf said. Each county is considered individually before it is placed in the red, yellow or green phases.
“I cannot allow residents in a red county to get sick because their local officials can’t see the invisible risk of the virus in their community. So, I must and I will impose consequences if a county locally lifts restrictions when it has not yet been given the go-ahead by the state," Wolf said.
The governor outlined the following consequences for counties and businesses that do not remain closed:
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