Allegheny County, Western PA Can Begin To Reopen: Wolf

WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA - Forty-seven days into a stay-at-home edict, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday that most of western Pennsylvania will move from "red" to "yellow" next week in his phased reopening of counties amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Thirteen counties - Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Somerset and Washington and Westmoreland - will see some relaxing of the restrictions that have been in place for nearly two months beginning May 15.

Wolf reminded residents and business owners that yellow means caution and that everyone needs to continue to be mindful of how their actions could impact their families, friends and community.

“Every contact between two people is a new link in the chain of potential transmission,” Wolf said. “And if the new case count begins to climb in one area, restrictions will need to be imposed to prevent local medical facilities from becoming overwhelmed. So, Pennsylvanians should continue to make good choices.”

MORE: Coronavirus: What To Expect In PA's Yellow Reopening Phase

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto thanked Wolf for recognizing all that the greater Pittsburgh community has done to mitigate the spread of the pandemic and allowing the region to take the initial steps to reopening the city and its economy.

"But we are far from beating this," he said. "Pittsburgh residents, workers and visitors need to keep focusing on social distancing, not leaving home if they are sick, wearing masks, washing hands and generally being smart about fighting this still-spreading disease."

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said he was delighted by the governor's announcement.

"This decision is a reflection of the great work that the residents of Allegheny County and our neighboring counties have done following the advice of our medical experts," he said. “This is also good news for so many in our community who have been impacted economically because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re thrilled for the businesses and residents who will return to work, but also recognize that there are many more that will still be without."

The only western Pennsylvania county to remain red is Beaver, presumably because it's home to the Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center. At least 60 people there have succumbed to COVID-19 there, and U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb has called for a federal investigation of the facility.

Coronavirus mitigation measures, which include non-essential business closures, were put in place in mid-March. A statewide stay-at-home order has been in effect since April 1. Since the virus arrived in Pennsylvania, it has infected 54,238 and killed 3,616 statewide.

Last week, Wolf announced that 24 counties would be moving from the "yellow" phase of mitigation to the "red" phase this Friday. On that same day, the next batch of counties to have some mitigation measures lifted will be named, he confirmed during the news conference.

The first counties that moved from red to yellow Friday were Bradford, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Union, Venango and Warren.

No Pennsylvania counties are in the green phase, where most restrictions are lifted. A timeline for when that may happen has not yet been provided.

To determine each region's eligibility to reopen, officials said they are assessing target goals related to infection rates, testing capabilities, hospital capacity and other factors. MORE: Here Are The Metrics That Will Guide PA's Reopening