COVID-19 BATTLE

Gov. Wolf asks the state Supreme Court to intervene in the fight over reopening.

Gov. Tom Wolf asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Friday to intervene in his dispute with legislative Republicans who are trying to end pandemic restrictions he imposed in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Republican majorities in the House and Senate, with a few Democrats in support, voted this week to end the state’s emergency disaster declaration that Mr. Wolf, a Democrat, has used to shut down “nonlife-sustaining” businesses, ban large gatherings and order people to stay at home.

Mr. Wolf asked the state’s high court to uphold the shutdown.

Also Friday, the state announced it was moving more counties from the yellow to the green reopening phase, but that did not include Erie County, which has seen a continuing rise in COVID-19 cases.

In addition, the state reported 49 new deaths, five of them in Western Pennsylvania.

Mr. Wolf said his gradual reopening plan is working, pointing to a downward trend in the number of new virus infections in Pennsylvania even as cases rise in nearly half of the U.S.

“Pennsylvania’s measured, phased process to reopen is successful because of its cautious approach that includes factors relying on science, the advice of health experts and that asks everyone to do something as simple as wearing a mask when inside or around others outside the home,” Mr. Wolf said in a news release. “We will continue to move forward cautiously.”

Contending the emergency has passed and continued pandemic restrictions are unwarranted in the face of record-high unemployment, Senate Republicans went to court this week to compel Mr. Wolf to abide by a resolution they said would end the shutdown. Their suit asked a state appellate court to force Mr. Wolf to issue an executive order ending the disaster emergency.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Health reported 686 new cases of COVID-19 statewide.

It’s the 32nd consecutive day that the state reported fewer than 1,000 new cases. The new total for the state is 77,999 cases. The highest increase in cases in Western Pennsylvania was in Erie County, with 31.

The Allegheny County Health Department on Friday reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths. Of the new deaths, the five in Western Pennsylvania were in Beaver (1), Cambria (1), Erie (2) and Jefferson (1).

With the new data, Allegheny County said it has had 2,065 positive cases since March 14. Of them, 1,933 are confirmed and 132 are probable. Allegheny has had a total 173 deaths — 161 confirmed and 12 probable.