Schuylkill to Wolf: Enough!
County joins 2 others in defying governor and easing shutdown on Friday
Six Schuylkill County elected officials, including all three county commissioners, informed Gov. Tom Wolf that next Friday, the county will ease restrictions put into place to curb the spread of the coronavirus, in defiance of the governor’s order to remain closed.
In doing so, Schuylkill joined Lebanon and Dauphin counties in declaring an end to the shutdown without waiting for permission.
“We have heard the pleas of our residents who desire the ability to safely reopen their businesses and safely return to work,” the letter Saturday from the Schuylkill officials said.
It is signed by state Sen. David G. Argall, state Reps. Jerry Knowles and Mike Tobash, and county commissioners George Halcovage Jr., Gary Hess and Barron Hetherington. All but Hess are Republicans.
An earlier letter to Wolf on Thursday by 18 members of Schuylkill County’s Response, Recovery and Renewal team, asked for the county to move to the yellow phase of the state’s three-phase approach to reopening, pointing to Schuylkill’s low population density and relatively few coronavirus cases.
“This letter serves to inform you of our intention to move from the Red Phase to the Yellow Phase of your COVID-19 Phased Reopening Plan, effective May 15, 2020,” the letter from the six Schuylkill County officials read. “Schuylkill County has met the requirement of your original Stay-atHome Order, which was to
flatten the curve of the COVID-19 outbreak and allow hospitals the time to gear up for COVID-19 patients being admitted to the ICU and in need of ventilators.”
Though the counties are the first to declare that they will break from state officials, the wave of rebellion includes announcements from sheriffs in Cumberland and Perry counties who said they would not cite businesses that defy the shutdown order.
It comes as Wolf allowed 24 counties to move from red to yellow, with another 13 counties in western Pennsylvania set to join that group next Friday. The move sparked cries of protest from people in counties that will remain under more severe restrictions.
Wolf’s spokeswoman said Saturday night that the governor is aware of the statements and is hopeful that everyone will act in the best interest of public health. She said Wolf believes it is important to save as many lives as possible and understands the pandemic has placed pressure on people and businesses.
Reopening too soon would extend the pandemic’s economic hardship, spokeswoman Lyndsay Kensinger said.
“Because we have banded together, Pennsylvania continues to weather this storm. Prematurely opening up counties, however, will result in deaths, and not just the loss of jobs,” she said.
According to the state Health Department, 437 people in Schuylkill County have tested positive for coronavirus and 13 have died.
One measure the state uses to determine when an area is ready to ease restrictions is the number of new cases per 100,000 residents over a 14-day period. Counties where the number falls below 50 are ready to move into the yellow phase.
Schuylkill County has a rate of more than 82 new cases per 100,000 residents over the last 14 days. It is also in the plan’s seven-county Southeast Region, which includes the state’s hardest hit areas such as Bucks, Delaware and Philadelphia counties. The 14-day number for all seven counties is 188 new cases per 100,000 people.
Although the yellow phase guidelines lift the state’s stay-at-home order and allow manufacturing and retail businesses not deemed life-sustaining in Wolf’s March 19 shutdown order to resume, daily life may not significantly change for many.
The guidelines call for remote work to continue where possible, restaurants and bars may serve food only by pickup or delivery, large gatherings will be prohibited and schools and businesses such as gyms, spas, salons, casinos and theaters will remain closed.
The Schuylkill County officials’ letter said the county’s residents have heeded the instructions and local health care facilities have the ability to effectively treat coronavirus patients. It added that businesses will be required to follow guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on hand-washing, social distancing and mask wearing, the letter noted.
In a harshly worded letter posted on the Dauphin County website Friday and addressed to the “people of Pennsylvania,” Board of Commissioners Chairman Jeff Haste cited relatively small numbers of coronavirus infections in the county, open hospital beds and unused ventilators as he called for the state to reopen.
“I trust and have faith in the great people and businesses of Pennsylvania to operate in a manner that protects those of our population in harm’s way and allows our residents to go back to work, enjoy their communities and have a quality of life. I, however, have no faith in Gov. Wolf and Secretary Levine’s ability to do the right thing,” Haste wrote, calling Wolf a dictator.
Dauphin County, with the state capital, Harrisburg, has had 797 cases of coronavirus and 36 deaths, according to the state Health Department. It has 99 new cases per 100,000 residents over the last 14-days.
Haste’s letter did not specifically call for Dauphin County to skip ahead to the yellow phase, but later on Friday, his Republican counterpart on the board of commissioners tweeted a “breaking news” announcement that the county would move to the yellow phase on Friday.
Elected officials in Lebanon County, including the two Republican majority commissioners, sent a letter Friday to Wolf announcing they would move the county into the yellow phase without waiting for clearance from the state.
Lebanon County, which borders Dauphin, had 806 coronavirus cases and 16 deaths. It has had 136 new cases per 100,000 residents over the last 14 days.
In addition to county commissioners William E. Ames and Robert J. Phillips, the letter was signed by state Sen. Dave Arnold, state Reps. Russ Diamond, Frank Ryan and Sue Helm, District Attorney Pier Hess Graf, Coroner Dr. Jeffrey Yocum and Sheriff Bruce Klingler, the Lebanon Daily News reported.
It said Lebanon County has achieved the goals of minimizing coronavirus infections while hospitals increased their capacity to care for victims. The letter said the county will require businesses to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention such as hand-washing, social distancing and masks until the county is given clearance to move to the green phase.