It’s official: Centre County will partially reopen next week. Here’s what it means
After meeting key metrics for COVID-19 mitigation, Centre County will partially reopen next week, but local officials say a total reopening could take the rest of the year.
Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday that 24 counties in Pennsylvania will see some relief from the state’s strict efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus — including the statewide stay-at-home order and closure of all nonessential businesses. A target goal for reopening, outlined by the state, is fewer than 50 new confirmed cases per 100,000 over a two-week period.
“Working together, we Pennsylvanians have flattened the curve,” Wolf said Friday.
Additional reopening criteria includes having enough testing for individuals with symptoms and target populations, robust case investigation, contact tracing and assurance that high-risk facilities have safeguards in place.
Bradford, Cameron, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Union, Venango and Warren counties are also included in the partial reopening.
Columbia County was not included in the list as it is still experiencing a rising number of coronavirus cases.
What does reopening look like in the yellow phase?
Wolf said these counties will operate under new guidelines, but businesses are instructed to “proceed with caution.”
The yellow phase permits gatherings of up to 25 people, but social distancing guidelines are still required; remote work must continue if possible.
Restaurants and bars will still be limited to carry-out or delivery only, but some child care facilities will be permitted to open.
“Every human-to-human contact is a chance for the virus to spread, so more contacts mean a higher likelihood of an outbreak,” Wolf said. “If we see an outbreak occur in one of the communities that has been moved to yellow, we will need to take swift action, and revert to the red category until the new case count falls again. So, Pennsylvanians living in a county that has been moved to the yellow category should continue to strongly consider the impact of their actions.”
Pennsylvania schools and universities are to remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, and visitations to prisons and nursing homes will remain in effect.
“Your actions will guide our future,” Wolf said.
People are still encouraged to wear masks while in public, and stores are to not permit entry to those not wearing masks.
How will Centre County move forward with partial reopening?
Over the past two weeks, Centre County has seen 23 new COVID-19 cases. Although the county is permitted to reopen partially, the board of commissioners said combating the virus will take several months and come with long-term effects.
Ultimately, counties aim to move into the green phase, where most restrictions are lifted, but with the primary election in June and eventual return of Penn State students, Commissioner Michael Pipe said Centre County could see a spike in cases if social distancing guidelines are not followed.
“One of the things to keep in mind is that just because we, as a community, could get to the yellow phase, we could easily return to the red phase,” Pipe said. “And likewise, if we would eventually get to the green phase, there could be a possibility we could get back to the yellow phase.”
The commissioners expressed concerns with effects on public health, business closures and extended unemployment. Pipe said the county is considering ways to employ furloughed employees as contact tracers, thus creating jobs while working to mitigate the spread of the virus.
“As we’ve all seen, the mitigating efforts and the social distancing are important to slow the virus, which means we’re not going to have as many businesses open and effectively, not as many workers,” Pipe said. “But then, the public health improves, and then, we can start to relax some of those things.”
With local contact tracing programs and residents abiding by the stay-at-home order, Pipe said he is optimistic the county will move into the green phase.
“This is going to take several months, if not over a year, to confront this virus here in the county, across the state and across the county,” Pipe said.
What does this mean for businesses?
Businesses like hair and nail salons, gyms and movie theaters will not open in phase yellow.
Adjusting to the “new normal,” the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County encourages entrepreneurs to brainstorm ways to implement social distancing and sanitation efforts to show that their establishment is safe for customers.
“At this time, we all want hope and a plan to move forward,” CBICC CEO and President Vern Squier said in a statement. “We are committed to making those things a reality, as we know we have the privilege and responsibility to our CBICC members and the broader community.”
In-person retail stores will be permitted to open, but curbside pickup and delivery options are preferred in phase yellow.
The Nittany Mall outlined its cleaning procedures and precautions stores will implement once functioning.
“The public health and safety of our patrons, merchants, employees and communities are a top priority,” Namdar Realty Group wrote in a statement. “Our teams have been monitoring the situation closely and will be taking precautionary measures at all our properties to allow a safe reopening.”
Employees and vendors will be required to screen their body temperature upon entering work and will be equipped with personal protective equipment. Housekeeping personnel will clean highly trafficked areas and disinfect facilities based on CDC guidelines.
The coronavirus has infected more than 45,000 residents and killed nearly 2,300 according to the department of health.
Wolf said there is no date when an area could move to a green designation, but some business restrictions have been lifted. Golf courses, marinas, guided fishing trips and privately owned campgrounds statewide reopened Friday, along with all construction.
Counties designated “yellow” will be permitted to partially reopen May 8.
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 1:47 PM.
