Editor’s note: This content is being provided for free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. Please support local journalism by subscribing to the Bucks County Courier Times at buckscountycouriertimes.com/subscribenow or at The Intelligencer at theintell.com/subscribenow.

______________________

Southeastern Pennsylvania will likely be among the last areas of the state to reopen under a plan set to relax business restrictions starting May 8, Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday.

"What’s good for Tioga County is not good for Montgomery County," Wolf said in a conference call with reporters a day after announcing more details on his proposal to restart the economy after a seven-week shutdown.

Wolf’s three-phase approach phases Red, Yellow and Green has a multi-faceted list of requirements counties will need to meet in order to reopen, among them increased testing and less than 50 cases per 100,000 people.

Wolf’s plan received mostly favorable reviews from state and local officials.

"I commend the governor for sharing details of a plan that will put some Pennsylvanians back to work in a safe manner, and a long-term plan for Pennsylvania to move forward with a focus on safety," said state Rep. Kathleen Tomlinson, R-18, Bensalem.

"Some of the businesses that can open in the near future includes public and private construction, and online vehicle sales; opening up these businesses, and providing details of his plan is a step in the right of direction. I am ready to work with the governor, and my colleagues in the House on a plan that will get Pennsylvania back on track economically while making sure everyone stays as safe as possible."

Bucks County commissioners on Thursday said they needed more specifics, but praised the plan for its flexibility, logic and cautiousness.

"We’re not going to make everyone happy all the time," said Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo, a Republican, adding that he was leaning toward being "very, very careful" about what’s opened, and when.

"I think the worst thing that can happen is we start opening up our businesses too soon and this virus comes back and we’re forced to go back to the very beginning," he said.

Three-phase approach

Right now, every county in Pennsylvania is considered red, Wolf said Wednesday. Yellow would allow for some retail businesses to reopen.

The yellow phase, which requires a county to average no more than 50 cases per 100,000 people over a two-week period, still would prohibit sit-down dining at restaurants and social gatherings.

The final, green phase will lift the remaining parts of the stay-at-home orders, but residents would still have to follow federal health guidelines like wearing masks and social distancing.

While Wolf did not have a specific benchmark set for moving a county from yellow to green, the 50 cases per 100,000 people metric is the first concrete goal the state has announced since the start of the outbreak in early March.

"The governor's three-phased road map gives us a safe, strategic and layered plan to reopen our economy and bring us hope that there is light at the end of the dark tunnel," said state Rep. Tina Davis, D-141, Bristol Township. "I am so proud of my community for the resolve that they have shown in the face of some of the worst adversity we have seen in quite some time. We will get through this together."

Wolf also said that construction work will be allowed to resume, with some limitations, on May 1, a week earlier than planned.

First counties to reopen

A review of state coronavirus data and 2018 census population estimates shows about 30 counties would meet the broad per capita benchmark. Bucks and Montgomery counties are not among them.

While McKean County’s seven cases per 100,000 people might make it a likely candidate to reopen, Wolf said repeatedly the virus sets the timeline.

"The challenge is that Pennsylvania is not the same all over the state," he said.

"Right now the cases are concentrated in the southeast and the northeast, and as you move farther west, the density of cases declines," Wolf added.

Bucks County has an average of more than 200 cases per 100,000 people over the last 14 days. Montgomery County has a per capita average of more than 280 cases.

The state as whole has a 14-day average of about 112 cases per 100,000 residents.

Testing rates, the ability to investigate and trace new cases, and other metrics using a model developed in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University also will help decide when counties move out of each phase.

"As I’ve said before, we will not just be flipping a switch and going from closed to open, and ultimately the virus is going to set the timeline, not us," Wolf said.

Wolf said Thursday that his administration will be seeking county input before making calls to reopen. But he also cautioned the state will reserve the right to put in place additional restrictions if there is a flare up of positive cases.

"We will continue to work with everyone we can to get opinions, criticism and to make sure what we’re doing is right," he said.

"We can’t get ahead of this virus. If we make a mistake and open a place up and it turns out to be a hotspot for whatever reason, that was a mistake."

Increased push

Wolf’s plan comes amid growing unrest on both the state and federal levels about the impacts of a long-term shutdown.

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Allentown and a member of President Trump’s bipartisan "Opening Up America Again Congressional Group," released his own framework Thursday for restarting Pennsylvania’s economy.

While it too is a three-phase plan, Toomey’s would allow for increased economic activity throughout the state based on the fact that hospitals here have not been overwhelmed with cases. It also calls for flexibility to account for "isolated statistical anomalies" on a county level.

"No one plan will account for all the variables that we must address to open Pennsylvania in a gradual and safe manner," Toomey said. "I look forward to working with the Wolf administration on addressing these challenges."

Greg Pezza, who runs Itri Wood Fired, an Bristol Borough eatery that made a name for itself with specialty cocktails and tomato pies, said he understands and supports the governor’s order, though it leaves his restaurant closed to sit-down customers.

"This could all be for naught, if people aren't going to remain healthy," said Pezza. "We could open and have a great month of business, and then the virus could come back again."

But, he also hopes local, county and state officials will be "flexible" to help restaurants and other businesses reopen, when it, eventually, becomes safer.

For example, he and other shop owners on Mill Street have discussed sharing outdoor space for a dining area that allows for social distancing.

"With the laws and ordinances on the books right now, something like that might not be possible," said Pezza. "I get what the governor is doing, but I would also hope that the government understands that there has to be some sort of help down the line."

Reporters Jo Ciavaglia, James McGinnis and Peg Quann contributed to this report.