Bucks Commissioners Urge Continued Distancing

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Bucks County commissioners on Thursday urged residents to continue social distancing, even as calls from some quarters to ease coronavirus-related restrictions began to mount.

"We feel like there has been a little bit of a plateau in terms of the cases that we have been seeing, so we are seeing a glimmer of hope," Commissioner Bob Harvie said during a virtual news conference streamed live on the county’s Facebook page. "We’re only probably at halftime right now. It’s not the end of the game … . So let’s all be very conscious of the fact that we have to keep social distancing."

Seven new deaths from coronavirus were reported in Bucks County on Thursday. Of those, six were of people ranging from ages 70-94 and five were people who lived at long-term care facilities.

Get the latest updates on coronavirus in Bucks County by signing up for Patch news alerts.

The seventh was a 51-year-old man with underlying health conditions, county officials said. In all, 67 people in Bucks County have died with coronavirus.

There were 96 new cases of the virus reported in Bucks on Thursday. That's up from recent days, but county Health Director Dr. David Damsker said 70 of them were from long-term care facilities, where testing has increased recently.

Since the outbreak began, 1,546 cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Bucks County.

The commissioners spoke on a day whenPennsylvania's Republican-led state Senate voted to ease some of the state's coronavirus-related shutdown measures. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to veto the bill, which also passed the House.

Bucks Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo, a Republican member of the state House before taking office in January, was urging patience, however.

"Staying home and not going out unless you absolutely have to … is the most important thing we can do right now," said DiGirolamo, the lone Republican on the three-member board of commissioners.

It also was announced Thursday that thousands of people plan to demonstrate in Harrisburg on Monday, calling for an end to business closures and other state-mandated restrictions — which health experts say have been vital in flattening the curve of the deadly virus.

"I don’t think people are getting complacent," Damsker said in response to a reporter’s question Thursday. "I think people are getting used to the idea of social distancing and wearing masks in public. I think people are taking it very seriously, more so than a month ago, and I think we want to continue to encourage those things."

As of Thursday, 122 Bucks County coronavirus patients were hospitalized, with 24 of them in critical condition and on ventilators. Three hundred seventeen are confirmed to have recovered.

Commissioners also expressed empathy for the hardships that the shutdown has caused. Chairwoman Diane Ellis-Marseglia noted that her mother has lived at Neshaminy Manor nursing home for several years and that they haven't been able to communicate during the shutdown.

"I can’t console my mother, and I know that it is probably difficult for many of you who can't speak to your loved one," she said. "They are feeling anxiety and you can’t be there to console them. I’m sorry you have to go through that … but I know in my heart that my mother is being cared for, as are your loved ones."

>>>Full coverage of coronavirus in Pennsylvania