Gov. Tom Wolf announced that 12 more counties – including Bucks County – will move to the green phase of reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, June 26. Other counties include Berks, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Susquehanna.
Philadelphia County met the criteria and will move to the state’s green phase on June 26; however, local officials will maintain some additional restrictions until July 3. The Wolf Administration has supported specific county requests for more restrictions throughout the phased reopening process.
“When these 12 counties move on June 26, we will have nearly every county in green,” Wolf said. “It’s a testament to the many residents and businesses that have sacrificed over the past three months to stay home and adhere to the guidance the state has provided to protect lives and livelihoods. As we begin to reopen, I urge everyone to stay alert and continue to follow social distancing to maintain the momentum of mitigation we have in place.”
The data dashboard of county cases and criteria for reopening consideration can be found here.
Wolf’s Process to Reopen Pennsylvania outlines restrictions for counties in yellow or green. Effective today, there are 54 counties in green and 13 in yellow.
As counties reopen, Pennsylvania continues to see a steady decline in cases, a positive indicator that its phased, measured reopening plan is working to balance public health with economic recovery.
The CDC’s analysis of propriety state case data puts Pennsylvania among only three states with a 42-day steady decline in cases. The other two states are Hawaii and Montana.
According to analysis by the New York Times, new COVID-19 cases are declining in less than half of all U.S. states and territories.
“By participating in small actions recommended by the CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, we can continue to break transmission links even while we resume our daily activities,” Wolf said. “Things like washing hands, bringing our own water to sports practice and, of course, wearing masks.”
According to peer-reviewed studies in the New England Journal of Medicine and a recent study from Cambridge and Greenwich universities, mask-wearing prevents people from unknowingly giving COVID-19 to others and can be critical as we prepare for a possible resurgence of the virus in the fall.
As of June 19, 13 counties, including Bucks County, are in the yellow phase. Some restrictions on work and social interaction are eased in the yellow phase while others, such as closures of schools, gyms and other indoor recreation centers, hair and nail salons, as well as limitations around large gatherings, remain in place.
The purpose of this phase is to begin to power back up the economy while keeping a close eye on the public health data to ensure the spread of disease remains contained to the greatest extent possible.
After a county transitions to the yellow phase, it is closely monitored for increased risk, such as significant outbreaks. If overall risk remains mitigated for 14 days, the county will transition to the green phase.
The green phase eases most restrictions by lifting the stay-at-home and business closure orders to allow the economy to strategically reopen while continuing to prioritize public health. Some restrictions, such as mask-wearing, do remain in place. It’s important to monitor public health indicators and adjust orders and restrictions as necessary to ensure the spread of disease remains at a minimum.
The state continues to use risk-based metrics from Carnegie Mellon University and the Department of Health and Pennsylvania Emergency Management data dashboard available here.
The state continues to increase testing and ramp up contact-tracing efforts. As of June 18, there are a total of 518 contact tracers, and a total of 4,161 contacts being monitored.
The Department of Health received a total of 89,350 test results in the past seven days, an average of 12,764 a day. The 30-day average of test results received is more than 13,934.
There were 2,763 total cases added to investigations for the week of June 12 through 18.
The latest business guidance, including outdoor recreation guidance, can be found here.
