PITTSBURGH — At a news conference Friday, Gov. Wolf said since May 8, the daily amount of lab tests has dramatically increased. He said Pennsylvania is seeing a drop in COVID-19 cases compared to many other states. He said the ability to identify and isolate cases has also increased.
Have questions about the spread of the coronavirus? We have an entire section dedicated to coverage of the outbreak. CLICK HERE for more.
On Friday May 29, 57 counties will be in the yellow phase of his reopening plan. He said he anticipates the rest of the state be moved into yellow by early June.
17 counties will also move into the green phase on Friday, May 29: Bradford, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Montour, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango and Warren.
>>>RELATED: Reopening Pennsylvania: What the red, yellow and green phases mean
Under the green phase, restaurants and bars, hair salons, barbershops, gyms, spas, wellness facilities, casinos, theaters and shopping malls are all allowed to open, but must limit occupancy to 50%. CDC guidelines must continue to be followed.
On May 19, more counties will move into the yellow phase: Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lebanon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike and Schuylkill.
This browser does not support the video element.
In response to Gov. Wolf’s announcement, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said he is anticipating that the southwestern region would move into the green phase as well if the numbers of COVID-19 infection stay or continue dropping.
Fitzgerald said if the numbers start to spike, he would be concerned about moving into the green phase. He said even though pools are allowed to reopen, it would be too difficult for the county to get its facilities up and running in time for the holiday weekend. He said wave pools, baby pools and spray parks pose challenges to keep people separated. Fitzgerald added that chairs and furniture at the facilities will also need to be looked at. He said the county could possibly have decisions on the facilities by late June or early July.
This browser does not support the video element.