HARRISBURG, Pa. — During his daily press briefing Friday, Governor Tom Wolf announced that 12 more counties will move from the "yellow" to "green" phase of COVID-19 mitigation.
The counties are:
- Adams
- Beaver
- Carbon
- Columbia
- Cumberland
- Juniata
- Mifflin
- Northumberland
- Union
- Wayne
- Wyoming
- York
As of Friday, all of Pennsylvania's 67 counties have moved out of the "red" phase, Wolf administration said Friday.
“As of one minute after midnight this morning, every county in Pennsylvania has moved out of the red phase,” Wolf said. “And, at 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 12, 12 more counties will move from the yellow into the green phase.”
The final 10 counties that moved out of red and into yellow today include Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton, Montgomery and Philadelphia.
There are 33 counties currently in yellow and 34 in green.
Gov. Wolf’s Process to Reopen Pennsylvania outlines any remaining restrictions for counties that are either yellow or green.
Yellow Phase
As of June 5, these 33 counties are in the yellow phase: Adams, Beaver, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Franklin, Huntingdon, Indiana, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming and York.
Outdoor dining begins in the yellow phase today. Guidance is available here.
As regions or counties move into the yellow phase, some restrictions on work and social interaction ease while others, such as closures of schools, gyms, and other indoor recreation centers, hair and nail salons, as well as limitations around large gatherings, remain in place.
The purpose of this phase is to begin to power back up the economy while keeping a close eye on the public health data to ensure the spread of disease remains contained to the greatest extent possible.
Work and Congregate Setting Restrictions
- Telework Must Continue Where Feasible.
- Businesses with In-Person Operations Must Follow Business and Building Safety Orders.
- Child Care May Open Complying with Guidance.
- Congregate Care and Prison Restrictions in Place.
- Schools may provide in-person instruction only in accordance with Department of Education guidance.
Social Restrictions
- Stay-at-Home Order Lifted for Aggressive Mitigation.
- Large Gatherings of More than 25 Prohibited.
- In-Person Retail Allowable, Curbside and Delivery Preferable.
- Indoor Recreation, Health and Wellness Facilities and Personal Care Services (such as gyms, spas, hair salons, nail salons and other entities that provide massage therapy), and all Entertainment (such as casinos, theaters) Remain Closed.
- Restaurants and Bars May Open Outdoor Dining, in Addition to Carry-Out and Delivery (effective 6/5/2020).
Green Phase
As of June 5, these 34 counties are in the green phase: Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Fayette, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Montour, Potter, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango, Warren, Washington and Westmoreland.
After a county transitions to the yellow phase, the state is closely monitoring for increased risk, such as significant outbreaks. If overall risk remains mitigated for 14 days, the county will transition to the green phase.
The green phase eases most restrictions by continuing the suspension of the stay-at-home and business closure orders to allow the economy to strategically reopen while continuing to prioritize public health.
While this phase will facilitate a return to a “new normal,” it is equally important to continue to monitor public health indicators and adjust orders and restrictions as necessary to ensure the spread of disease remains at a minimum.
Work and Congregate Settings Restrictions
- Continued Telework Strongly Encouraged.
- Businesses with In-Person Operations Must Follow Updated Business and Building Safety Requirements.
- All Businesses Operating at 50% Occupancy in the Yellow Phase May Increase to 75% Occupancy.
- Child Care May Open Complying with Guidance.
- Congregate Care Restrictions in Place.
- Prison and Hospital Restrictions Determined by Individual Facilities.
- Schools Subject to CDC and Commonwealth Guidance.
Social Restrictions
- Large Gatherings of More Than 250 Prohibited.
- Restaurants and Bars Open at 50% Occupancy.
- Personal Care Services (including hair salons and barbershops) Open at 50% Occupancy and by Appointment Only.
- Indoor Recreation, Health and Wellness Facilities, and Personal Care Services (such as gyms and spas) Open at 50% Occupancy with Appointments Strongly Encouraged.
- All Entertainment (such as casinos, theaters, and shopping malls) Open at 50% Occupancy.
- Construction Activity May Return to Full Capacity with Continued Implementation of Protocols.
The state continues to use risk-based metrics from Carnegie Mellon University, with additional criteria including contact tracing and testing capability, a sustained reduction in COVID-19 hospitalizations, and infection rates, to make decisions on county moves.
After a county transitions to the yellow phase, the commonwealth will closely monitor for increased risk, such as significant outbreaks. If overall risk remains mitigated for fourteen days, we will transition the county to the green phase.
The state continues to increase testing and ramp up contact-tracing efforts. Earlier this week, the Administration announced that the Department of Health has surpassed its testing goal for May, more drive-up and walk-up testing sites are opening, and the state now has nearly 400 people conducting contact tracing.
As all counties are now in some stage of reopening, the governor today thanked Pennsylvanians for their hard work to get to sustained case reductions.
“As we continue to bring down the number of new COVID-19 cases and increase our testing rate, our new plan of action is transitioning to identify, isolate, and eliminate,” Wolf said. “Thank you all for continuing to do your part.”
Cumberland County's Board of Commissioners said it will announce measures for a safe reopening process of county government operations next week.
“Our mission is to ensure that the procedures we put in place for county government will continue to keep our residents and employees safe during the green phase,” Cumberland County Commissioner Gary Eichelberger said in a press release. “The reopening procedures, and final schedule for the opening of all county offices to the public, will be announced next week.”