The problems mount for Pen-nsylvania
Welcome to Pen-nsylvania. Yes, if you are feeling penned in, you are not alone.
In fact, the entire state now shares that sentiment as life amid a pandemic evolves.
The rest of Pennsylvania now will get a taste of what life has been like for us in the Philadelphia suburbs the past couple of weeks. Gov. Tom Wolf Wednesday expanded his stay-at-home order – first issued for the suburban Philadelphia counties – to the entire state.
All but essential travel is now banned. All “non-life-sustaining” business has now been halted, although the debate over just what constitutes “life-sustaining” rages on. Schools across the state have been closed, and will remain shuttered indefinitely.
For more than a week, the governor seemingly has been adding a few counties to his edict each day in a frantic attempt to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus – and the COVID-19 illness that accompanies it.
It didn’t work. The numbers continued to swell. As of Thursday the state Department of Health was reporting another
1,211 confirmed positive cases of coronavirus. That brings the state total to more than 7,00. The outbreak has claimed 90 lives. Here in Delaware County, the toll is nearly 500 infections and
9 deaths, with two new fatalities reported Wednesday.
So Wolf added 34 counties to his existing stay-at-home order, meaning that residents of all 67 of Pennsylvania’s counties are now asked to stay put unless they have a legitimate reason to go out.
The governor in essence is pleading with the state’s 12.8 million residents to comply.
“Some of you might think that a month is too long to go without seeing your friends or family. But if we don’t do everything we can to slow the spread of COVID-19, there are some people who you will never see again,” Wolf said at a video news conference.
The move puts Pennsylvania residents in the same boat as their counterparts in neighboring states such as New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and Ohio, all of whom already have enacted similar statewide bans.
Wolf’s updated order effect at 8 p.m. Wednesday and will last through at least April 30.
Much – but not all – of the country is under similar orders. Florida, where Gov. Ron DiSantis has resisted such a ban and has refused to close the beaches and limit social gathering, saying he would await guidance from President Trump, joined the ranks yesterday.
Trump has declined to institute a national shutdown, saying such decisions should remain in the hands of individual states.
So what can you do? Pretty much the same as earlier in the week.
You can leave the house for doctor’s visits or obtaining medical supplies, as well as essentials such as groceries.
You’re not entirely locked in the house. You can engage in outdoor activity, such as walking, hiking or running, so long as strict social distancing – keeping 6 feet between yourself and others – is practiced.
You can also travel to care for the elderly, minors, dependents, persons with disabilities, or other vulnerable persons.
Wolf has taken some heat for in effect shutting the state down, starting here in the Philly suburbs and now cascading across the state.
He made the right call. But it might not be his biggest challenge.
Eventually Wolf and the Legislature are going to have to face another grim reality: The state is going broke.
Needless to say the COVID-19 that has shuttered most businesses and thrown thousands of Keystone State residents out of work, has wreaked havoc with the state budget.
How bad is it?
The state Department of Revenue Wednesday reported on the March revenue numbers. They didn’t paint a rosy picture. Revenue was off 6.2 percent. The state collected just $4.4 billion, about $294.6 million less than expected.
And it gets worse. According to Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell, this dip was only partly related to the coronavirus outbreak. He expects things to get worse.
“We expect the pandemic will have a greater impact on revenues in the coming months,” Hassell said.
Wolf’s initial order shutting down thousands of businesses in the eastern part of the state was issued March 19 – more than half way through the month.
The state already has pushed back the April 15 deadline for filing income tax returns to July 15, matching the move made by the federal government.
That move will put the expected $2.1 billion in state revenue on hold until July. State law mandates Wolf and the Legislature have a balanced spending plan in place by midnight July 1.
Brace yourself, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.