PERRY COUNTY, Pa. — Some Perry County officials think the county should be among those reopening today, and the fact that it is not has them rankled.Senator John DiSanto (Dauphin/Perry), Rep. Mark Keller, and Perry County Commissioners Brian Allen, Gary Eby, and Brenda Watson today responded to Governor Wolf’s failure to include Perry County in the latest announcement of additional counties scheduled to reopen.
With 34 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, Perry County meets the objective criteria for reopening that the governor had laid out when he set up his Red-Yellow-Green plan. They say it’s 'absolutely absurd' that Pittsburgh and surrounding areas, with significantly higher cases of COVID-19, would now be slated for moving to the Yellow Phase prior to Perry County.
The officials sent a letter to the governor yesterday, explaining why they believe Perry County should have been included with the first round of openings beginning today. Some counties that do not meet the objective criteria have now had their stay-at-home orders lifted, while Perry County has consistently met this benchmark yet remains disadvantaged, according to a release issued this afternoon.
"The governor and his advisors, whomever they may be and whatever credentials they might have, should immediately take another look at the data and come to the reasonable conclusion that Perry County can safely reopen. Otherwise, this process will continue to be met with frustration and suspicion by the citizens of Perry County and all of Pennsylvania," say the officials.
SOURCE: Perry County Press Release
