HARRISBURG, Pa. — In a press briefing Monday, Governor Tom Wolf announced three actions that will be enabled by the signing of SB 841: online sales of vehicles, the statewide restart of construction projects on May 8, and curbside pickup of wine and spirits at select Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board locations.
“Over the past six weeks, Pennsylvanians have come together like never before to halt the spread of COVID-19,” said Wolf. “It has not been easy, but it has paid off. Today, we are taking small steps toward a degree of normalcy. We are allowing curbside pickup of phone orders at PLCB stores and auto sales will be allowed to take place online. On May 8, construction will resume statewide.
“I want to caution that we will not be resuming operations as they were in February. We’re going to continue to take precautions that limit our physical contact with others, and we will closely monitor this to see if it can be done safely.”
These limited steps forward will be closely observed in the coming days and weeks to ensure that they do not result in a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, Wolf said.
If there is a rapid increase, Wolf said, he will use his authority under the emergency disaster declaration to resume restrictions to protect public health and safety.
Online Vehicle Sales
Wolf said he was signing Senate Bill 841, which approves qualified Pennsylvania notaries public to perform remote online notarizations that will allow auto dealerships to conducted limited car sales and leasing operations through online sales, as a notary is required to complete the transaction.
Auto dealerships may continue to remain open for certain activities, such as repairs to passenger and commercial vehicles and sales of auto parts, but in-person car sales or leases are still considered non-life sustaining and remain prohibited at this time.
Construction Resumes May 8
Public and private residential and non-residential construction may resume statewide starting Friday, May 8, in accordance with safety guidance that will be issued by the administration shortly, Wolf said.
Construction projects already deemed life-sustaining may continue while adhering to social distancing, personnel limits and other guidance as announced by the administration.
PLCB limited curbside pickup
On Monday, the PLCB began accepting orders by phone for curbside pickup at 176 locations. Phone orders can be placed between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., or until reaching a store’s maximum order capacity each day.
Curbside pickups will be scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. within a few days of order placement. Callers will be guided through each store’s unique inventory. There is a limit of six bottles per order, and credit cards are the only accepted form of payment. At pickup, customers will be required to present identification before the order is delivered.
The PLCB website lists the stores offering curbside pickup. PLCB anticipates expanding the service at more locations in the future. The PLCB website, FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com, is also increasing order capacity.
Curbside sales at Fine Wine and Good Spirits Shoppes will serve as a guide to determine whether certain other non-life-sustaining businesses may be able to resume limited operations through curbside pickup, which is currently only permitted for life-sustaining businesses that offer food and pharmaceuticals, according to Wolf.
The Wolf Administration will monitor the implementation of curbside pickup including the safety of the supply chain to determine if broader curbside pick up can be done safely and effectively to provide goods and services, while still limiting the amount of person to person contact not just at retail locations but throughout the supply chain.
For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, Pennsylvanians should visit https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/.