How long will Centre County be under a stay-at-home order? The timeline has been extended
Pennsylvania schools and businesses will remain closed until further notice to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Tom Wolf said during a briefing Monday where he extended stay-at-home orders.
The 26 counties under a stay-at-home order, including Centre County, will be under the order through April 30. Wolf added Carbon, Cumberland, Dauphin and Schuylkill counties to the order.
“Our business and school closures will no longer have a set date to resume normal operations,” Wolf said.
The state has been in communication with county commissioners and health officials to evaluate the number of cases to assess the “situation on the ground” before implementing a stay-at-home order for a specific area.
The state has seen 693 new confirmed cases since Sunday, according to the state Department of Health.
“This virus is now in 59 of our 67 counties, and the number of cases continues to grow each day,” Wolf said.
The only central Pa. county included in the stay-at-home order, Centre County has 24 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Monday, but officials think the decision will help mitigate COVID-19 from spreading throughout the state.
Centre County Commissioner Michael Pipe said local government has been in “constant contact” with the governor’s office. The county’s “higher than average, transient” workforce and community, two interstates and increasing coronavirus cases are factors that could have influenced Wolf’s expansion of the order, Pipe said.
Last week, the county announced that while its offices will continue to operate, residents were told to refrain from visiting government buildings in person. County employees have started working remotely and conducting business online and through the phone.
“The best thing we can do is to stay home during this time and the stay-at-home order is helpful in reminding us of the seriousness of the pandemic,” Pipe said.
Centre County schools have taken steps to address extended school closures by implementing online and hardcopy learning plans while Penn State resumed the spring semester through its virtual learning program.
All nonessential businesses will remain closed indefinitely; however, restaurants are still able to offer takeout and delivery services.
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 2:50 PM.
