LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — From red to yellow: Lancaster County will begin to allow some businesses to reopen with or without Governor Wolf's approval. It's moving from the red to yellow phase as soon as this Friday.
"We're talking about lives and livelihoods here," said Commissioner Josh Parsons.
Parsons is one of two county commissioners who showed their support of the move in a letter sent to the capitol. In all, 13 elected leaders voiced their support.
The letter states the county's health care system has successfully handled the COVID-19 crisis with an ample supply of beds and ventilators.
"I think people are reaching the same conclusion- that this cannot continue," added Parsons.
The decision to move forward was not met without opposition. Commissioner Craig Lehman's signature is nowhere to be found.
"I wasn't even aware of the letter until Sunday morning," said Lehman.
Even if he had known about the letter, Commissioner Lehman told FOX43 he would not have signed.
Lehman understands some of Lancaster County's businesses are hurting, but he stands firm on his belief that the county needs more contract tracing and increased COVID-19 testing before they should reopen.
"Jumping the gun and picking a date that has no public health basis is problematic," explained Lehman. "You make the case that you're ready to reopen, public confidence is on the rise, and then, you begin to reopen when it's responsible to do so, and I believe that date is not May 15th, but it is sometime before June 4th."
Lancaster City Mayor Danene Sorace also expressed her disapproval on Facebook.
She posed several questions, including:
- Does the County have a plan to increase testing county wide?
- Has the County implemented county-wide contact tracing?
- Does the County have an early warning system in place so that we can continue to ensure our health care systems do not become overwhelmed in the future?
- Does the County have sufficient PPE ready for distribution to our businesses?
- Does the County have a fund up and running to offset costs related to retrofitting facilities?
Mayor Sorace then answered each with a simple "No".
Mayor Sorace also wrote how the decision to re-open could be confusing to some businesses. She wrote, "By encouraging businesses to re-open on Friday, May 15th, businesses will be caught between local elected leaders and the Governor. If you are a business that is regulated in any way by the State, there may be potential legal ramifications of acting in contradiction to Governor’s order. Any such actions are at your own risk. The City does not condone or support any actions in contradiction of the Governor’s order."
Governor Wolf extended his stay-at-home order until June 4. Wolf chimed in on the debate to reopen counties earlier on Twitter. One tweet reads, "I won't sit back and watch residents who live in counties under stay at home orders get sick because local leaders cannot see the risks of #covid19 and push to reopen prematurely."
In a separate tweet, the Governor wrote, "If your county reopens prematurely and you don’t feel comfortable returning to work, rest assured that the commonwealth will allow you to continue to receive unemployment compensation, even if your employer reopens."
The Governor also announced consequences for counties that choose to do so.
"There has to be a middle course. We have been addressing the health aspects, but we have to address the economic devastation too," said Parsons.
Lancaster County District Heather Adams has said her office will not prosecute any citations related to the Governor's stay-at-home order. Adams spoke with municipal police chiefs and advised them as such, according to a release sent out to news media. It also said county police will continue to tell residents and businesses to follow CDC's guidelines.
Finally, the county may be moving to yellow, but Commissioner Parsons says that does not give restaurants or bars the go ahead to resume dine-in services.