Erie County to Move Into Yellow Phase

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In an anticipated announcement, Erie County was one of the 24 counties officially designated to move to the Yellow phase of reopening.

Crawford County and Warren County also made the list as well as Mercer, Venango, Forest, Elk, and McKean, which is essentially the entirety of northwest Pennsylvania.

Locations in the north-central region of the state like Bradford, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, and Union County were also included in this move. There are 67 counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Erie is both the most populous county out of these 24 and from these, the only county with its own Health Department.

The Yellow phase will begin Friday, May 8 at 12:01 a.m. 

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

For more information, see the release on Governor Wolf's website.

The decision was made by the state in partnership with a Risk-Based Decision Support Tool created by Carnegie Mellon University. 

Erie had long met the criteria mentioned regarding the Yellow phase, with a low case count relative to its population, and its own Health Department undergoing contact tracing.

On Monday, May 4, the administration will release further guidance for businesses permitted to reopen on May 8.

Here are some guidelines according to the information online:

Work & Congregate Setting Restrictions

• 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

• 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