Gov. Wolf orders statewide shutdown of nonessential businesses, bars, restaurants
Gov. Tom Wolf ordered a statewide shutdown during a virtual press conference Monday.
The shutdown takes effect at midnight and will last for two weeks. All non-essential stores will be closed, as will bars and restaurants, except for takeout. Facilities and programs for seniors during the day will also be closed.
Municipal services like trash collection, as well as grocery stores, drug stores and medical facilities will remain open.
“This isn’t a decision I take lightly at all,” Wolf said. “We need to eliminate as many physical contacts as we can to eliminate the spread of COVID-19.”
He acknowledged the next weeks will be “challenging,” but said it wasn’t a reason to be fearful or panic.
“We need to take this disease seriously. Please, stay home,” he said. “The fewer contacts you make the less likely you are to get the disease and the fewer people you can spread it to.”
Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin closed its doors at noon, in advance of the announcement.
“While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 at Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin, we feel this difficult decision is in the best interest of our guests, employees and for the protection of the community. We apologize for the abrupt notice and any inconvenience,” the casino wrote on its Facebook page.
The post was made around the time the casino’s closure started.
Washington County officials had announced at an earlier press conference Monday that The Meadows also expected to close its doors temporarily. The Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh closed over the weekend.
Monday’s virtual press conference came a day after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that organizers cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more for the next eight weeks.
Asked about the run on items like hand santizers and toilet paper causing empty shelves at grocery stores even in areas where there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19, Wolf urged Pennsylvanians to treat the coronavirus outbreak not with panic but “just attention.”
“There is no way that pharmacies or grocery stores are going to be closed,” Wolf said. “There is no reason to change your ordinary routine in terms of shopping. If you go once a week, continue to go once a week, and the supply chain will be able to sustain that.”
State Secretary of Labor & Industry Jerry Oleksiak separately announced Monday that Pennsylvanian workers impacted by COVID-19 may be eligible for unemployment and workers’ compensation benefits.
Pennsylvanians may be eligible for unemployment benefits if their employer temporarily closes, goes out of business or reduces hours because of COVID-19, or if they have been told not to work because their employer feels they might get or pass on the virus.
Those who believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19 in their workplace may be eligible for workers’ compensation by either notifying their employer to file a typical “disease-as-injury” workers’ compensation claim or an “occupational disease” workers’ compensation claim.
The state Department of Health (DOH) announced 13 new positive cases of COVID-19 Monday, including two in Allegheny County, bringing the statewide total to 76 cases, including one in Washington County and five in Allegheny County. The Allegheny County Health Department, though, has reported a total of six confirmed cases.
In a COVID-19 mitigation effort, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board on Monday announced the indefinite closure of all Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores and licensee service centers, effective Tuesday at 9 p.m.
Wolf said Monday that the state is working with the U.S. Small Business Administration to make sure Pennsylvania “gets its share” of SBA loans after the agency said it is offering designated states and territories low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the coronavirus.
Asked about a recording released by the New York Times Monday in which President Donald Trump reportedly told a group of governors that morning that they should not wait for the federal government to fill a growing demand for respirators and other equipment for coronavirus treatment, Wolf said that the state is “doing everything we can” to meet that demand.
“We’ve done our own work in making sure we’ve stockpiled this kind of equipment,” Wolf said. “We’re also going to be asking the federal government for additional help … Obviously, the greater the demand, the more likely it is we’re going to come into some supply programs. This is why these mitigation efforts are so important.”
Wolf said that state parks will remain open but expressed concern for state park employees, suggesting caution.
“Be careful,” Wolf said. “We’re all in this together. Every decision we make that leads us to touch another human being, be close to another human being, is going to be something that could have consequences we don’t want.”