Pa. coronavirus recovery: Eight more counties go ‘green’

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Pennsylvania’s Department of Health on Thursday reported 77,999 cases of the novel coronavirus, including 6,162 fatalities. As of Thursday, Philadelphia health officials reported 24,228 cases, including 1,440 deaths.

Eight more counties go ‘green’

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf today announced that eight more counties have moved into the green phase of reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

As of today, Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Luzerne, Monroe, Perry, Pike, and Schuylkill have all entered into the least restrictive phase of reopening.

“In Pennsylvania, not only did we flatten the curve, but we are continuing to keep case counts down even as we open our commonwealth,” Gov. Wolf said, in a statement. “We will continue to take a measured, phased approach to reopening that relies on science and health experts.”

As of Friday, 46 counties have entered the green phase of the state’s three-tiered phased reopening plan, with the remaining 21 under yellow conditions, or partial reopening. Under this system, all businesses in ‘green’ counties are able to reopen — with social distancing measures in place — and there are no limits on private social gatherings.

Places like Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties, which are still in the yellow phase continue to have limits in place on certain business operations, with gatherings of more than 25 people forbidden.

While daily case increases in Pennsylvania have declined nearly 75% from an April peak, in a daily briefing, Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh cautioned that other states across the nation were still seeing increases.

“We’re heading in the right direction,” Arkoosh. “But this could easily go the other way.”