Which Pa. counties will be next to have some coronavirus restrictions lifted? Lehigh Valley ‘has strong case to go yellow,’ senator says

Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday said he will announce Friday more counties that will move from “red” to “yellow” in his color-coded system of lifting coronavirus restrictions, and — perhaps — the first counties that will move to “green.”

Wolf made the comments to reporters a few hours after the state Department of Health gave a daily update on statewide virus data. The department reported 980 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 65,392.

As of Thursday afternoon, 30 counties — including Lehigh and Northampton — remain in the red phase, with stay-at-home orders in place until June 4.

On Friday, 12 of those will move to the yellow phase, but Lehigh and Northampton will remain in the red.

The 12 will join 37 counties already in the yellow category, and Wolf’s comments Thursday indicated he would add to that total.

Two infectious disease specialists — Dr. Luther V. Rhodes III of Lehigh Valley Health Network and Dr. Jeffrey Jahre of St. Luke’s University Health Network — have said they believe at least some virus restrictions in the Lehigh Valley could be lifted.

“We have a strong case to go to yellow, and I hope we do,” said state Sen. Lisa Boscola, a Northampton County Democrat, referring to Northampton and Lehigh.

Boscola has cited the opinions of Jahre and Rhodes to the Wolf administration as evidence the Lehigh Valley should have some restrictions lifted.

Wolf’s also said he might announce the movement of some counties from yellow to the least-restrictive green phase.

But, Boscola said, if Wolf moves some counties into the green phase while Lehigh and Northampton remain red, that would be unfair and wrong. Residents of red counties will go to green counties to conduct business and take part in activities, she said.

“They won’t be able to compete,” Boscola said of closed businesses in red zones. “These small businesses are on the brink.”

State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, a Lehigh County Democrat, on Thursday said he would be surprised if Lehigh and Northampton are moved to yellow. The counties’ new COVID-19 case rates, he said, remain higher than a metric used by Wolf to allow counties to go into yellow.

That metric requires a new-case rate of less than 50 per 100,000 residents over a 14-day stretch. The new-case rate for both counties is more than twice that.

Schlossberg thinks Wolf should look more closely at reopening industry by industry, as he did by allowing real estate businesses to resume operations this week.

In the yellow phase, stay-at-home orders are lifted but mask-wearing and social distancing are still expected from residents. In-person retail business is permitted with appropriate safeguards, but curbside sales or deliveries are preferred.

In green, all aggressive mitigation measures will be lifted but businesses and residents are still expected to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state Health Department.

The 49 counties that will be coded yellow as of Friday are in the northwest, north-central, southwest and south-central portions of the state, with a scattering ? including Carbon County ? from the northeast corner.

Meanwhile, the Health Department said the state death toll from the virus rose by 102 to 4,869.

The state reported 303,514 people have tested negative for the coronavirus, which has killed nearly 95,000 Americans and about 331,000 people worldwide since emerging in China late last year. The first Pennsylvania cases were reported March 6.

In Lehigh County, 192 people have died of the illness. Northampton County has recorded 186 deaths, according to state data, which lags county reports.

In an afternoon briefing, Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said the state continues to expand its testing capacity, with more than 13,000 residents tested in the past 24 hours. There are nearly 300 testing sites statewide.

As residents and business owners begin to chafe against the restrictions, state officials have repeatedly said the virus will dictate the pace of reopening. Asked about a Delaware County barbershop that has reopened against state orders, Levine reiterated that businesses dependent on close contact, such as salons and spas, risk spreading infection by the nature of their work.

“By definition they are hands-on,” Levine said. “There is no way to do social distancing when you’re cutting somebody’s hair.”

Most of the patients hospitalized are 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred among patients in that age category.

Levine said two children are being treated for a serious inflammatory syndrome thought to be linked to COVID-19 — neither is from Pennsylvania — and several other cases are suspected.

Nursing and personal care homes report 14,113 resident cases of COVID-19, and 2,306 cases among employees, for a total of 16,419 at 570 facilities in 44 counties.

Of total deaths, 3,234 have been residents from nursing or personal care facilities. Approximately 4,871 cases are in health care workers.

Harrisburg correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at 717-783-7305 or fturner@mcall.com. Morning Call reporter Daniel Patrick Sheehan can be reached at 610-820-6598 or dsheehan@mcall.com.

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