How life will be different in counties in yellow phase
When southwestern Pennsylvanians wake up on Friday, the nightmare of shelter-in-place orders and sweeping business closures will be a cautionary memory.
Gov. Tom Wolf last week promised to bump counties including Allegheny, Butler, Washington and 10 others into the “yellow phase” of his reopening plan on May 15, which eases social gathering guidelines and permits some businesses, including in-person retail, to reopen.
The yellow phase is something of a twilight zone, neither fully closed nor open.
On Friday, it’ll be OK to go outside if people continue to practice social distancing. It’ll be OK to gather for weddings or funerals if there are fewer than 25 people. It’ll be OK to go shopping, although stores may have reduced hours and occupancy. And it’ll be OK to go to work if employers follow building safety protocols, although county and state leaders insist that those who can work from home continue to do so.
Many Pennsylvania residents had already decided to ignore the state’s stay-athome order, which is supposed to remain in effect until June 4 for counties in the red phase. And pressure has been mounting from various groups demanding to reopen earlier, including protests and legal action against the state.
“We need to stay open. We need to keep our residents safe. We need our economy to thrive,” said Matt Smith, president of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, in a video conference. “We can have all three by working together.”
Friday doesn’t represent a return to normalcy as much as a step toward a new status quo. Businesses will be required to follow extensive guidelines regarding sanitizing, social distancing and occupancy limits, and the state’s guidelines recommend meeting with customers by appointment where possible.
Necessary services are adapting and snapping back into place. As parents return to work, child care programs are resuming inperson operations with precautions including face masks for employees and older children. In Allegheny County, Port Authority has announced that local and coverage bus routes will return to service frequency on Sunday with safety protocols still intact. (The light rail and commuter routes won’t increase in frequency immediately, but the agency will monitor usage and increase as necessary.)
Schools, indoor recreation, health and wellness facilities, and entertainment facilities are excluded from reopening. Such businesses include gyms, salons and theaters. Indoor malls will also remain closed, although stores with external entrances may open as well as pharmacy or health care tenants with either interior or external entrances.
Restaurants and bars will continue curbside pickup and takeout, but dine-in is still suspended.
Senior centers and nursing homes will remain closed to visitors. Church services will remain online, although the Catholic dioceses of Pittsburgh and Greensburg announced they will allow funeral Masses and weddings limited to 25 people to take place and churches will open designated areas for private prayer.
The Wolf administration published a document on May 11 clarifying which businesses should open or remain closed. Restrictions could be re-imposed if COVID-19 diagnoses escalate dramatically.
“We don’t know how the move to yellow will impact our cases, but the Health Department is prepared to respond to whatever may happen,” said Dr. Debra Bogen, director of the Allegheny County Health Department. “Most importantly, we need to keep up the good work . ... If you have symptoms, call your primary care physician or the department’s COVID-19 hotline.”