HUNKER DOWN!
DELCO OFFICIALS URGE PUBLIC TO STAY AT HOME AS PANDEMIC RAGES
Delaware County Councilwoman Elaine Paul Schaefer made an impassioned plea during Wednesday night’s meeting, saying no containment during the
COVID-19 pandemic equals death.
“Making the decision to go back, open up our society and continue the spread without being in a position to stop it once it starts equals more deaths, an increase in deaths,” she said during the virtual session that was streamed on Facebook. “And, that’s the decision that our governor is faced with, that we’re faced with and that every single person who’s respecting the stay-at-home order is respecting because no one wants to see that happen. These are our neighbors, our relatives, our fellow Delaware County residents.”
On March 19, Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all non-life sustaining businesses in Delaware County close and a stay-at-home order went into effect five days later all as methods to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. On May 1, he announced that
24 counties in northwestern and north-central regions of the state would reopen May 8.
The issue arose after Carl Balis of Glenolden posed the question, “I know you as council members don’t have the authority to reopen, but can you use your voice to get through to Wolf through our state reps and senators?”
Schaefer explained she and council like many in the community have mixed emotions.
“That conflict that we all feel is part of what makes this so difficult,” she said. “We all want to open up society. We all want to get to back to work. All of us do. We see what’s ahead of us with this economic downturn.
“However, we all also understand and respect the public health aspects of this and if we open up before we have gotten down to a certain level of containment, the spread will continue and the spread will continue exponentially,” she said. “What that means - the spread continuing - the more spread, the more deaths. There’s really no other way to put it.”
She recognized Balis’ perspective.
“I would say that we share in that frustration,” Schaefer said. “We’re all business owners too. We all want our kids to get back to school. We all want normalcy. But going back to early is not going to get us back to normalcy, it’s going to get us into a situation where we have sacrificed our neighbors - their lives, not their conveniences - their lives so that we can get back quicker.”
She said she backs Wolf and has the community’s safety in mind.
“I have to say I support the governor and his public health staff in making the decision that saving lives is more important and we need to wait until we are in a position where when we go back, we can contain the spread,” Schaefer said. “That’s the secret - containing the spread. I completely share the impatience, every day but I’m also conflicted like everyone else. I want to keep everyone safe.”
On Wednesday, Delaware County had a reported 4,430 positive coronavirus cases and 326 deaths associated with COVID-19. The first case to appear in the county, and one of the first two in the state, presented March 6.
Delaware County Councilman Kevin Madden reemphasized that it is a governor-mandated shutdown and county council has no control over when Wolf lifts that mandate.
“What we can do as a community,” he said, “is do our best, our very best to make the case for making our community safer, and that’s in our daily actions. It’s in taking this enemy that we face seriously, not allowing ourselves to be used by the virus to continue ... We can fight like hell to stop the spread of the virus and get to where we meet the governor’s targets.”
Madden said all of council was continuing to fight to get the testing and other mitigation resources needed here in Delaware County.
“We all want to reopen as quickly as possible but it’s got to be when it’s safe to do so,” he said.
Relatedly, Schaefer said that as of 8 p.m. Wednesday, the county had received 975 applications for the $1.75 million Delco Strong Small Business Support Program. Garnering funds from the Delaware County Redevelopment Authority and the Delaware Valley Regional Economic Development Fund, businesses of 50 or fewer employees are eligible for a $7,500 grant to cover the costs of rent, utilities and inventory.
Although online applications are no longer being accepted, paper applications are being accepted at the Delaware County Courthouse at 201 W. Front St. in Media today from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
She said the number of applications was “astounding and really underscores the need. Our small businesses have been incredibly hard hit. Our small businesses are going to be harder hit than the rest of the state because we’re probably going to be one of the last regions and counties that ... go into the yellow stage in the governor’s plan.”
Schaefer also noted that council is committed to a second round of funding, although the details are still being solidified.