Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf Cautiously Offers State Plan to Relax Social Distancing by Region

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Image via pacast.com.

On Friday, Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf said a plan will be initiated in the next several weeks that would ease social distancing orders by region, but said the situation remains “tenuous” pointing to the nearly 30,000 cases of COVID-19 in the state, writes Anna Orso and Justine McDaniel for The Philadelphia Inquirer.  

“Moving to reopen large swaths of our economy now,” he said, “is only going to prolong this crisis.”

They will continue to rely on data before any regional re-openings and no re-openings will happen until testing capabilities stabilize and healthcare facilities have enough personal protective equipment to meet demand, Wolf said.

A surveillance program must also be in place so the state can contain any future outbreaks.

“There isn’t going to be one big day,” he said.

New federal guidelines suggest states meet benchmarks before the first phase of re-opening.

Benchmarks include a downward trajectory of cases within a two-week period, caring for hospital patients without “crisis care” and a “robust” testing program for healthcare workers.

State testing has plateaued and officials are having trouble getting the reagents and chemicals needed to meet testing demand.

Wolf also proposed a recovery “framework” of progressive steps to help with the recovery.

Read more about Gov. Wolf’s plan here. 

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