LANCASTER, Pa. —
The weekend gave a preview of what gradual reopening will look like in Pennsylvania, after two dozen counties moved from the Red to Yellow Phases on Friday.
“It`s been very busy. I think being the weekend of Mother`s Day probably added to that,” said Jill Foys, executive director of the Northwest Commission, an economic development organization based in Oil City.
In the state’s northwest and north-central regions, customers cautiously headed out to newly reopened stores, still clad in masks. With 13 more counties set to move to Yellow Phase on May 15, both customers and businesses are preparing to operate in the “new normal.” Employers are installing protective materials like plexiglass barriers, and procuring PPE.
“Many employers who have been working have already been taking temperatures, for example,” said Jessica Brooks, CEO and executive director of the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health.
All phases—red, yellow and green—still require people and businesses to follow health guidelines. In the Yellow Phase, gatherings of more than 25 people are still prohibited, and schools, gyms and spas remain closed.
Restaurants in the Yellow Phase are still limited to offering takeout, curbside pickup or delivery. Though they will be allowed to have dine-in service in the Green Phase, they may be required to seat fewer guests farther apart.
Such restrictions could continue to bring economic pain, small business groups said.
“Can small businesses afford to bring their staff back and only make revenue of 25 percent?” Foys said.
Yet 25 percent revenue is more than none, and several counties are impatient to reopen.
Over the weekend, Lebanon, Franklin, Dauphin and Lancaster Counties announced plans to shift into the Yellow Phase May 15, in violation of Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders.
Officials from Cumberland, Perry and Lancaster Counties also want to reopen ahead of the state’s schedule, some with their own reopening plans.
More than a dozen Republican officials in Lancaster County signed a letter to the governor stating they did not feel included in the state’s process of reopening, and would move forward on their own.
“This collaborative approach is far different than that of the Governor, who has not demonstrated an interest in or ability to coordinate with those outside of his administration,” wrote State Sen. Ryan Aument (R-36).
Gov. Tom Wolf (D) responded to the counties’ announcements at a press conference on Friday, saying opening up the whole state too early could endanger more lives.
“The frustration has to be directed at the real enemy here, it's the virus, it`s not the regulations,” Gov. Wolf said. “Anything we do to bring people together, whether it`s employees or customers or both, we`re making it easier for that virus to actually attack and infect people and we`re jeopardizing their health.
The eastern part of Pennsylvania is expected to remain in the Red Phase the longest. The governor extended the stay-at-home order in Red Phase counties through June 4.