Centre County commissioners change course, now support earlier entry into ‘green phase’
After asking to keep Centre County in the “yellow phase” until after the primary election, the board of commissioners intends to request approval to move into the “green phase” on May 29, as Gov. Tom Wolf’s office originally planned.
Commissioners Michael Pipe and Mark Higgins announced Sunday afternoon that they reconsidered their decision to keep the county in the yellow phase, which they made to prevent a potential “super-spreader event” at the June 2 primary election.
On Tuesday, the board plans to consider an action item to request Wolf allow the county to move into the “green phase” of reopening.
“My concern and reason for asking for a delay was based on the safety of our poll workers, in-person voters and the spread of COVID-19 on primary Election Day, June 2 — just four days after moving to the ‘green phase,’” Pipe wrote on Facebook.
After speaking with state officials, Pipe said they have been assured of residents’ and poll workers’ safety with the measures that are in place for Election Day, including personal protective equipment for poll workers, voting locations moved out of personal care facilities and the reduction of high contact surfaces.
Pipe and Higgins also said they heard from residents and business owners about moving into the least-restrictive reopening phase.
“As we move into the ‘green phase,’ we must remain vigilant. In just three months, we have lost 100,000 Americans to COVID-19 and, according to the CDC, we still have month(s) to go until there is a vaccine,” Pipe wrote. “However, we must learn to live with it. Let us continue to look out for each other, follow CDC recommendations, and DOH guidance for the ‘green phase.’”
Commissioner Steve Dershem, state Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, and state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, publicly criticized the initial decision to delay Centre County’s reopening.
“I cannot say, strongly enough, how disappointed I am with this decision by the commissioner(s),” Corman said Friday. “I guess when we’re living on a government salary, a couple weeks doesn’t matter. When you’re operating a smaller business such as salons or gyms ... week-to-week is important, and now they’ve been told they have to wait.”
Wolf acknowledged Friday he was prepared to move Centre County to green but deferred to the commissioners. Corman said he did not blame Wolf for heeding the pair’s request, but he strongly disagreed with the pair’s thinking — and could not persuade them to change their minds Friday.
Since the statewide shutdown was implemented in March, Dershem has voiced a desire to reopen Centre County as soon as possible, citing concerns for local businesses and workers.
Forty-nine counties are currently in the yellow phase of Wolf’s three-phase reopening plan, while 18 remain in red.
On Friday, Wolf announced that 17 of those counties in yellow will move to green on May 29: Bradford, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Montour, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango and Warren.
Eight of the red counties will move to yellow on May 29: Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lebanon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike and Schuylkill. The remaining red counties are expected to move to yellow on June 5: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton, Montgomery and Philadelphia.
The green phase eases most restrictions and allows businesses that were previously closed — such as gyms and salons — to reopen. But both businesses and individuals are still required to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Health.
As of noon Sunday, Centre County has 146 total cases of the coronavirus.
This story was originally published May 24, 2020 at 5:00 PM.
