Tuesday, February 25, 2025, 7:21AM |  43°
MENU
Advertisement
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf speaks during an update on the COVID-19 and outline steps Pennsylvanians can take to keep themselves healthy, Friday, March 6, 2020, in Harrisburg.
1
MORE

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf orders statewide shutdown over COVID-19

Joe Hermitt/The Patriot-News via AP

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf orders statewide shutdown over COVID-19

Wolf urged residents to 'stay calm, stay safe, stay home'

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and PennLive/Patriot-News. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter.

HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf extended his shutdown order to the entire state on Monday as the number of COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania continued to grow.

The directive, which applies to nonessential businesses in all 67 counties, begins at midnight and will be in place for two weeks. The Wolf administration said it’s “strongly urging” businesses to act, while warning officials could eventually find it “necessary to compel closures.”

Advertisement

The governor also urged residents to “stay calm, stay safe, stay home.”

Students greet each other before picking up free food at Steel Valley Senior High School on March 20. The meals contain breakfast, lunch and a snack as well as other non-perishable items to sustain students through the weekend.
Andrew Goldstein
‘Uncertainty’ is the new reality for schools

“This isn’t a decision that I take lightly at all,” Mr. Wolf said at the state’s emergency management headquarters on Monday. “It’s one that I’m making because medical experts believe it is the only way we can prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed by patients.”

The governor had previously placed four counties — Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery — in a similar lockdown. On Friday, he also closed all public schools statewide for two weeks.

Though Mr. Wolf has broad powers in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, his shutdown orders have generally involved asking nonessential businesses like gyms, salons, theaters, and concert venues to close for 14 days. On Monday, he ordered restaurants statewide to close their dine-in facilities, while allowing takeout service to continue.

Advertisement

Click to subscribe

A spokesperson for his office noted Mr. Wolf “could force closures, but as the governor previously stated, this is something that is incumbent on all of us to help mitigate the spread.”

“In unprecedented circumstances like these we expect compliance to protect customers, employees, and the community,” the spokesperson said. “The administration will work with local law enforcement, permitting entities, and local officials to enforce if needed. The governor does not want to expend valuable resources from the State Police and National Guard because irresponsible people will not do the right thing.”

Later Monday evening, the Wolf administration toughened its stance, saying it is relying on businesses to “act now before the governor or the Secretary of Health find it necessary to compel closures.”

Lower Lawrenceville photographed from Polish Hill on March 16, 2019.   #standalone
Sean D. Hamill
Allegheny County now has 10 COVID-19 cases

Mr. Wolf reiterated on Monday that essential government and medical services will continue, and that pharmacies, grocery stores, health care facilities, and gas stations should stay open.

He also clarified his definition of which commercial services and sectors fall into the essential category: food processing, agriculture, industrial manufacturing, feed mills, construction, trash collection, auto and home repair, post office and shipping outlets, insurance, banks, laundromats, veterinary clinics and pet stores, and hotels and commercial lodging.

 

Republicans who control the state House earlier in the day had criticized the Wolf administration for creating confusion in the business community about whether to close.

Other emergency moves announced Monday:

  • The state Gaming Control Board instructed any casinos still open to begin shutting down.
  • The Department of Transportation closed all driver’s license and driver’s license photo centers, and extended the validity of expiring driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations, and inspections until the end of April.
  • State-run liquor stores will shut down indefinitely at 9 p.m. Tuesday, although consumers can still purchase wine and beer at grocery stores that carry them, according to officials at the state’s Liquor Control Board.
  • The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will close all facilities at state parks and forests for 14 days starting Tuesday. Trails, lakes, forests, roads, and parking areas will still be open to the public.
  • Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court declared a statewide judicial emergency until April 14, 2020, during which county president judges can, among other changes, restrict or temporarily close court facilities and authorize using technology to conduct court proceedings.

Health Secretary Rachel Levine said as of Monday morning, 76 Pennsylvania residents had tested positive for the virus. There are six confirmed cases in Allegheny County, with many others pending. There are 30 people who have tested positive in Montgomery County and eight in Philadelphia, where Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration has now ordered all nonessential businesses to shut down. The city is also closing city government buildings to the public and halting all nonessential city services this week.

For the first time Monday, state health officials said that “one or two” cases involving people who tested positive for COVID-19 could not be traced to a known source of infection — for instance, travel to an impacted area or contact to an infected person — suggesting the virus is spreading in the community.

For the moment, that spread appears contained. But officials said they expect that to change.

“We have not reached that threshold of sustained community spread in any area,” said Ms. Levine. “That doesn’t mean we won’t. And actually, we fully expect that we will see sustained community spread.”

 

Sarah Anne Hughes and Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA contributed to this article.

Spotlight PA receives funding from nonprofit institutions and readers like you who are committed to investigative journalism that gets results. Give a gift today at spotlightpa.org/donate.

Click for more coverage 

First Published: March 16, 2020, 5:44 p.m.
Updated: March 16, 2020, 8:15 p.m.

RELATED
President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing on coronavirus on Saturday at the White House.
Matthew Hoye, Paul LeBlanc and Jason Hoffman
White House advises public to avoid groups of more than 10
Customers check out as a security guard waits to allow in people standing outside the North Side's Fine Wine & Good Spirits on Monday, March 16, 2020.
Bob Batz Jr.
State closing all Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores and discontinuing online sales
DaShaun Hodge, 4, left, and Brandon Green, 3, practice reading and learn to recognize shapes during a class at the ABK Learning & Development Center in the Hill District, in April 2018. The child development center offers care for children seven days a week, 24-hours a day, serving children of parents who might work non-traditional hours.
Ashley Murray
Gov. Wolf orders child care centers to close, but some can seek waivers
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Agents took Rachel Marie Powell, 40, of Sandy Lake, into custody in New Castle on Feb. 4, 2021.
1
news
Pardoned for Jan. 6, 'Pink Hat Lady' came home to a new reality in Western Pa.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, shown delivering his budget address in early February, said on Monday that a federal freeze of money intended for Pennsylvania is over.
2
news
Gov. Shapiro says federal freeze and blockages of $2.1 billion for Pa. are now over
The Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, where state Acting Secretary of Education Carrie Rowe on Monday answered budget questions from lawmakers.
3
news
Pa. acting education secretary 'exceptionally concerned' after report on cyber charter school funding
Law enforcement respond to the scene of a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
4
news
Gunman in UPMC mass shooting battled lifelong mental health issues, says ex-girlfriend
The Downtown Pittsburgh skyline, with the view from Station Square on Thursday, May 30, 2024.
5
news
DHS director says Allegheny County could face reduction in millions of dollars for Medicaid, other services
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf speaks during an update on the COVID-19 and outline steps Pennsylvanians can take to keep themselves healthy, Friday, March 6, 2020, in Harrisburg.  (Joe Hermitt/The Patriot-News via AP)
Joe Hermitt/The Patriot-News via AP
Advertisement
LATEST news
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story