When And How Will PA Reopen After Coronavirus?

HARRISBURG, PA — Nearly 2,000 more coronavirus cases were reported Thursday by Pennsylvania state health officials. The state now has 18,228 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 2,033 people hospitalized. There were 29 new deaths among positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 338.

The latest developments come as Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday ordered all schools closed for the rest of the academic year.

During an afternoon press conference Thursday, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine said that despite the continued uptick in cases, officials believe the state's social distancing measures and mitigation efforts are working.

"Closing schools and businesses is a hard decision," Levine said. "But it's the right thing to do to save lives."

She said there is still "widespread community transmission" of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, particularly in Philadelphia and its suburbs, as well as the Lehigh Valley. "The best way that you can protect yourself, your family, and your community, is please stay home," Levine reiterated.

While officials are still seeing increases and "we are not out of the woods by any means," there is evidence that the curve is flattening in Pennsylvania, as cases are no longer rising exponentially, she said.

Levine acknowledged that residents are eager to get back to work and normalcy. But the timeline for such a reopening remains unknown.

"It's very important to have hope. There will be a time when we will be able to relax the social distancing and mitigation efforts," she said.

While there is currently no specific plan for any easement of the mitigation efforts, residents should not expect "one grand day" when everything reopens at once. That would be "very dangerous," Levine said.

Rather, residents should prepare for a gradual reopening in a "slow, progressive" fashion. It may be done by county or region, she explained.

Levine acknowledged state officials are currently "making plans" for what that reopening strategy would look like, but that the virus determines the timeline for when it occurs.

Pennsylvania's slow reopening strategy may clash with one envisioned by the federal government. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would like to reopen the country with a "big bang"when the number of cases of the new coronavirus hits a downward slope.

On Wednesday,Vice President Mike Pence aired his concerns that parts of Pennsylvania — particularly Philadelphia — are becoming the next hot spots for the virus.

"I spoke today to Governor Tom Wolf and as we begin to see early trend lines in Philadelphia, I assured him that we were going to continue to flow resources and support to that community," Pence said. "But our message to the people of the Philadelphia area is now more than ever, practice the social distancing so that Philadelphia and to some extent, even Pittsburgh, do not have to endure what other communities before them have had to endure."

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