Wolf: Bradford, Sullivan Counties to Reopen May 8Free Access



It’s official—Bradford and Sullivan Counties have been deemed ready to reopen by the state, according to an announcement made by PA Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday, May 1.

Bradford and Sullivan were a group of 24 counties that will move from “red” to “yellow” on May 8.

Susquehanna and Wyoming Counties were not included in the initial reopening announcement made by Gov. Wolf.

Other counties that will be included in that May 8 reopening include Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clarion, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Tioga, Union, Venango and Warren.

These counties were deemed “ready to move to a reopening” because of low per-capita COVID-19 case counts, the ability to conduct contact tracing and testing, and appropriate population density to contain community spread, according to representatives from the governor’s office.

“Over the past two months, Pennsylvanians in every corner of our commonwealth have acted collectively to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Wolf. “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.”

In Bradford County, as of Friday, the PA Department of Health (DOH) has reported a total of 33 positive cases for COVID-19 with two deaths stemming from the virus.

Sullivan County has only reported one positive case of COVID-19, according to the figures from the DOH.

As regions or counties move into the “yellow” phase, some restrictions on work and social interaction will 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.

On Monday, May 4, the governor’s office will release guidance for businesses permitted to reopen on May 8 in those aforementioned 24 counties.

“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.”

Counties that will remain under the stay-at-home order will be considered for reopening in the next several weeks as the state continues to closely monitor metrics and collaborate with Carnegie Mellon University, health experts and counties.

One response to “Wolf: Bradford, Sullivan Counties to Reopen May 8”

  1. TRACY A SHAYLOR says:

    Well, this is wonderful news. I want to address massage spas, hair salons, nail salons, barbers et cet – these places are almost always very clean – clients demand cleanliness from their masseuse, stylist, barber, nail tech. It is one on one and precautions are always taken to protect both the practitioner and the client. And even more strenuous cleaning and sanitizing will be in place in these businesses. When you consider that people go to places like Walmart, maybe masked – sometimes not, and they touch things, pick them up, set them down, touch things within the stores, the doors, counters, et cet – there is far more risk of spread of the virus in those environments it would seem and many far too many are not observing the six foot safety spacing and that is not enough to protect people in those stores. Spa owners, hair stylists, barbers, nail techs can survey their clients before service rendered using a simple questionnaire, have you traveled outside the area, have you or someone in your home or workplace been infected with Covid19 – have you been sick recently – and then decline to give service. Even in healthy times people should not be going to work, to the hair stylist, to their barber, their nail tech – it’s just common sense and maybe it’s time to make that a priority.

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