Chesco Lawmakers Want To Move County To 'Yellow' Phase

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — State legislators in Chester County are working to get Gov. Wolf to move the county to the "yellow" phase of reopening, citing the declining economy and the county's significantly lower coronavirus statistics as compared to the rest of the reigon.

As it stands, the state's plan has Chester County's fate seemingly tied to that of neighboring Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks, Berks, Lancaster, and Schuylkill counties. The state wants the whole regionto average of 50 new cases per day over 14 days per 100,000 residents, or a total of 415 cases total in that period, a benchmark which places like Montgomery County are quite far from.

The proposal to Gov. Wolf was put forth by State Sen. Tom Killion (R-9), State Rep. Tim Hennessey (R-26), and State Rep. Steve Barrar (R-160).

“If we do not act now, the economic damage, already severe, will only worsen," the trio wrote in a statement. "Small and large businesses that have furloughed employees will make those layoffs permanent. Factories will close – further eroding our industrial and manufacturing base and workforce, Some small businesses are already on the verge of closing their doors forever."

Chester County has seen about 700 new cases over the last two weeks. It's still off the state benchmark of 415 over that period, but it's far closer than its neighboring counties. And lawmakers are arguing that the number of these cases in long term care facilities in Chester County indicates a lower level of risk to the general population.

"We recommend that the Pennsylvania Department of Health redirect state resources to long-term care facilities to ensure the health and safety of our elderly, who are our most vulnerable population," the group continued.

They did not clarify what resources they wanted redirected or what exactly that would look like. Last week, the state began universal testing of all patients and staff in nursing homes.

But perhaps the larger concern is the degree to which Chester County's status is tied to that of counties in is bloc that are far worse off. In Montgomery County, Commissioner Val Arkoosh previously expressed optimism that the state would be adaptive in this situation.

"They might treat all of these counties together, they might allow some flexibility with in that," she said in April, noting that in addition to the raw numbers, the state will also consider things like hospital capacity, contact tracing ability, and the availability of personal protective equipment when deciding if a single county may reopen on its own.

The less restrictive "yellow" phase is one of three phases, green, yellow, and red, which Gov. Wolf established to guide the reopening process across the state. Dozens of counties have already moved or are scheduled to move into the yellow phase in Pennsylvania, but they're concentrated in the west and central parts of the state, and largely in areas that are far less densely populated.