Reopening Supporters Holding Doylestown Demonstration

DOYLESTOWN, PA — Local residents and businesses in support of reopening the state and lifting the coronavirus shutdown measures are planning a demonstration in Doylestown Wednesday.

The demonstration, which organizers say will be peaceful, will be held at 10 a.m. on E. Court Street. It is not clear now many are expected to attend; an online event page shows 57 RSVPs. Patch has reached out to organizers for more information.

The demonstration will express "our desire to REOPEN BUCKS! Our Commissioners have asked Governor Wolf and Dr. Levine for answers -- we NEED them to do MORE!," the event page reads.

Similar demonstrations have been cropping up nationwide, as frustration among business owners mounts amid the pandemic. Last month, demonstrators took to the streets in Harrisburg to demand a speedier path to reopening.

All of Pennsylvania's non-essential businesses were closed March 19 by governor's order. So far, 24 counties have been moved to the "yellow" phase of mitigation measures, while 13 more will do so this Friday.

But there currently is no timeline for the reopening of Bucks County, where there have been more than 4,000 cases of the virus.

County leaders over the weekend met with representatives from the governor's office and Health Secretary Rachel Levine in a push to have the coronavirus-related distancing measured relaxed soon.

During the meeting, the commissioners and county health and safety officials argued that Bucks County should be moved into the yellow reopening phase of Wolf's statewide plan before his most recent stay-at-home order expires on June 4.

Meanwhile, Doylestown Borough Mayor Ron Strouse, in an open letter to the community Tuesday, said "we all want to reopen our community to economic and social activity. A successful reopening depends on containing the virus."

Several counties announced plans over the past few days to buck the governor's reopening plan and open independently of his phased timeline. The governor responded during a Monday news conference, saying there would be consequences for counties who take that path.