Gov. Tom Wolf said a gradual reopening of the state will begin on May 8. Wolf announced at a press conference Monday afternoon the activation of small steps such as allowing curbside liquor sales and starting construction projects. Meanwhile, social distancing guidelines will continue.
“There is still a statewide stay-at-home order, and that’s going to last until May 8,” Gov. Tom Wolf said.
“Over the past six weeks, Pennsylvanians have come together like never before to halt the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Wolf.“It has not been easy, but it has paid off. Today, we are taking small steps toward a degree of normalcy. We are allowing curbside pickup of phone orders at PLCB stores and auto sales will be allowed to take place online. On May 8, construction will resume statewide.”
However, Wolf made clear that these initial steps will be subject to permanent monitoring on the COVID-19. In the event of a sudden increase in cases, the governor will use under the emergency disaster declaration to resume restrictions to protect public health and safety.
Although he said the number of coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania have stabilized and that the state did not register an overwhelming of the healthcare system, it was necessary to be on alert.
We cannot relax,” he declared. “We’re going to continue to take precautions that limit our physical contact with others, cutting down transmission links while we move toward an opening on May 8.”
Public and private residential and non-residential construction may resume statewide starting Friday, May 8th under state safety guidelines. Those guidelines have yet to be disclosed, but are expected to be released “shortly.”
You can read: Anti-shutdown protesters asked reopening of Pennsylvania
The governor is expected to sign SB 841 today that will authorize qualified PA notaries public to perform online notarizations. This will allow car dealerships to also perform limited online sales. Dealerships may remain open for activities such as repairs and auto parts sales, but in-person car sales or leases are considered non-essential and are still prohibited.
Also, more than 50 state stores in Philadelphia and its suburbs are now offering curbside pickup for customers who call ahead and place an order. Under the curbside pickup program, each store will take orders by phone from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. – or until the store reaches the maximum number of orders it can fill that day – Monday through Saturday.
Monday afternoon anti-shutdown protesters gathered outside the state Capitol in Harrisburg on Monday for a rally to “reopen” Pennsylvania.
Noticias Newswire
