Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced Friday his administration would begin lifting restrictions in 24 state counties, including Centre County, effective at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, May 8.

On May 8, 24 counties will reopen — moving from the red phase of #COVID19 response to the yellow phase.
 
More businesses can open with safety guidance in place
Telework must continue where possible
Residents should social distance + wear masks to avoid an outbreak pic.twitter.com/J5zMLExati

— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) May 1, 2020

“Over the past two months, Pennsylvanians in every corner of our commonwealth have acted collectively to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Wolf said in a statement. “We have seen our new case numbers stabilize statewide and while we still have areas where outbreaks are occurring, we also have many areas that have few or no new cases.”

The 24 counties selected to begin reopening and move into Pennyslvania’s yellow phase were chosen due to their low per-capita case counts, ability to conduct contact tracing and testing, and appropriate population density to contain community spread.

As regions move into the yellow phase, the following workplace guidelines will still be in place to prioritize safety and minimize spread of the coronavirus:

• Telework Must Continue Where Feasible
• Businesses with In-Person Operations Must Follow Business and Building Safety Orders
• Child Care Open Complying with Guidance
• Congregate Care and Prison Restrictions in Place
• Schools Remain Closed for In-Person Instruction

Social restrictions, found below, will also remain in place. Most notably, gatherings of fewer than 25 people will be allowed, while in-person retail will be permitted. Some establishments, such as gyms, spas, and salons, will remain closed.

• 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 Limited to Carry-Out and Delivery Only

Despite the easing of restrictions, Wolf is advising Pennsylvanians to continue acting responsibly and wisely to limit the spread of the virus.

“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.”

Other Pennsylvania counties, including Montgomery, Philadelphia, and Allegheny, will remain under a stay at home order for the time being.

Pennsylvanians are encouraged to read through Wolf’s entire reopening plan to better understand how the state will lift restrictions moving forward and combat the coronavirus.

As of Friday afternoon, 46,971 cases of the coronavirus have been reported statewide. Ninety-six positive cases and one death have been reported in Centre County.