It's Official: Southeastern PA Turning Green, Gov. Signs Order

HARRISBURG, PA — It's official: southeastern Pennsylvania is going into the green phase of coronavirus mitigation on Friday.

Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine on Thursday signed amended green phase orders for the 12 counties moving to green at 12:01 a.m.

The counties include Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Susquehanna.

That means on Friday, there will be 66 counties in green and one county in yellow.

Philadelphia County met the criteria and will move to the state’s green phase Friday but local officials will maintain some additional restrictions until July 3.

Wolf has called the green phase a return to a “new normal.” But he notes, "it is equally important to continue to monitor public health indicators and adjust orders and restrictions as necessary to ensure the spread of disease remains at a minimum. It is also imperative that people wear masks when leaving home and in settings where social distancing is not feasible."

In the green phase, restaurants and bars can reopen their interior dining areas at 50 percent capacity, with these restrictions in place.

Personal care services, including hair salons and barbershops, are permitted to reopen in the green phase, but they must operate by appointment only. Gyms and spas can reopen, but appointments or reservations are also strongly encouraged there too.

Businesses allowed to operate at 50 percent occupancy in the yellow phase can increase to 75 percent occupancy.

Gatherings of up to 250 people are allowed in the green phase. But anything bigger than that is prohibited, including concerts, festivals, fairs, sporting events, and theater performances. Churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and other places of congregate worship are specifically excluded from the limitations, the governor's office said.

Youth sports can resume in the green phase. Visitations to prisons and hospitals can resume in the green phase, under the discretion of the facility.

Finding Our Way Forward: See more stories about Pennsylvania's coronavirus recovery