Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has expanded a stay-at-home order to include the Lehigh Valley, the latest measure to combat the spread of the new coronavirus.

The order applies to Lehigh and Northampton counties, where at least 82 cases of COVID-19 and three deaths were reported as of Wednesday, almost two weeks after the region’s first coronavirus patient was reported.

The governor’s office officially announced the order in a noon news release. It will take effect at 8 p.m. Wednesday and will stay in effect through April 6.

Just got word that Governor Wolf will be issuing a stay at home order for Lehigh County and Northampton County. It will begin at 8 P.M. tonight.



This means the entire 131st District is now under stay at home order. I will keep you posted as I know more. — Rep. Justin Simmons (@RepSimmons) March 25, 2020

Wolf has already given the stay-at-home order to Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Monroe and Montgomery counties. One was already in effect in Philadelphia. Erie County was added on Tuesday.

Decisions about a stay-at-home order are made in conjunction with the governor’s office, Pennsylvania Department of Health and local leadership, according to Health Secretary Rachel Levine. An order is issued when there is evidence of “community spread” – when a patient has no other known or obvious source of exposure to the virus – and when there is sufficient concern about increases in cases.

In the Lehigh Valley’s case, Levine said there was concern about the rise and spread of coronavirus cases and particularly with the number of deaths in Northampton County – three of Pennsylvania’s 11 deaths have been reported here, the most anywhere in the state so far.

Under the Pennsylvania stay-at-home order, residents are asked only to leave their houses for essential travel or other specific activities, such as:

Ensuring the health and safety of family members and pets, like by obtaining medicine, visiting doctors and getting supplies to work from home.

Traveling to care for relatives or pets in another household, for volunteer efforts or to aid the elderly, minors, dependents or other vulnerable people.

Going to work at a life-sustaining business

Getting to and from educational institutions for distance-learning materials, meals or related services.

Traveling home from outside the county, or for non-residents to return home.

Any travel required by law enforcement or court order.

Outdoor activities such as walking, running or hiking are still OK as long as proper social distancing is observed, the order says.

Grocery stores, pharmacies and other “life-sustaining” businesses will remain open. Also exempt from the order are health care providers, food banks, law enforcement, the federal government, religious institutions and news media.

Lehigh County, in a news release, says it is looking for help from the community for residents who lack shelter or basic amenities and seeks donations of hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies. The county said it is setting up portable toilets for those who need them, along with access to shelters so homeless individuals who become sick can stay safely isolated or otherwise protected.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure said the order, which is more stringent than the current status, has one goal and that’s to “bend the curve” in the increasing outbreak. The goal is to limit the current spike and draw out infections over a longer timeline to keep health care workers healthy and intensive care beds empty, he said.

“We’re trying to keep the hospitals from being overrun,” he said.

Right now the number of cases is doubling within a short time, he said. It was “very wise” for the governor and secretary to issue the order through April 6, he added. His simple advice to county residents is to stay home unless it would “adversely affect” your health or that of someone with whom you live.

McClure said he’s guided by facts and science, not anecdotes, but driving around the county he said he sees most people staying off the streets and non-life-sustaining businesses complying with the governor’s recent order to close.

It’s not an incredible jump. People on average transact their lives within nine miles of home, he said.

As financial actions both taken and pending by Congress indicate, “we have to do as much as possible for businesses,” McClure said.

But this is a public health emergency that has caused an economic crisis, he said.

“I think Congress recognizes that. … Let’s get the public health emergency under control, then we’ll unleash the great power of our economic engine and we’ll be back on our feet again.”

In the short term, that means staying home.

The county workforce was already deployed in a fashion so a significant percentage is already laboring at home, McClure said. The county has three 24/7 operations — the prison, the Gracedale nursing home and 911 emergency dispatch — along with care for children and the aging that “may as well be, they’re that important,” he said. County employees currently at home could be called on to fill in if the virus hits hard at one of those operations, he said.

“We’re doing our part as of one of the (county’s) larger employers to bend the curve,” he said.

But in the bigger picture, the executive said, one thing is very clear.

“We’re all in this together,” McClure said. “We have to sacrifice now for the greater good.” It may take a few weeks or a few months, but “let’s stay home. … Let’s do it to bend the curve.”

If you may have been exposed or exhibit the symptoms of COVID-19 – fever, cough and shortness of breath – contact your health care provider.

For more information on the coronavirus, consult your state health department at health.pa.gov and the CDC website.

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