Pa. Gov. Wolf Issues Stay-at-Home Order for Erie County Starting Tonight at 8 p.m.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine revised the state's existing Stay-at-Home order to include Erie County.
It will now go into effect at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 24 and continue until April 6.
This comes after the Erie County Executive issued a similar order, which was set to start Wednesday, March 25 at 12:01 a.m. and last until the same date.
The new stay-at-home order now includes eight counties - Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Monroe, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties.
People may only leave their home to do any of the following:
- Tasks essential to maintain health and safety, or the health and safety of their family or household members (including pets), such as obtaining medicine or medical supplies, visiting a health care professional, or obtaining supplies they need to work from home
- Getting necessary services or supplies for themselves, for their family or household members, or as part of volunteer efforts, or to deliver those services or supplies to others to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences
- Engaging in outdoor activity, such as walking, hiking or running if they maintain social distancing
- To perform work providing essential products and services at a life-sustaining business
- To care for a family member or pet in another household
- Any travel related to the provision of or access to the above-mentioned individual activities or life-sustaining business activities
- Travel to care for elderly, minors, dependents, persons with disabilities, or other vulnerable persons
- Travel to or from educational institutions for purposes of receiving materials for distance learning, for receiving meals, and any other related services
- Travel to return to a place of residence from an outside jurisdiction
- Travel required by law enforcement or court order
- Travel required for non-residents to return to their place of residence outside the commonwealth
The following are exempt:
- Life-sustaining business activities
- Health care or medical services providers
- Access to life-sustaining services for low-income residents, including food banks
- Access to child care services for employees of life-sustaining businesses that remain open as follows: child care facilities operating under the Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning waiver process; group and family child care operating in a residence; and part-day school age programs operating under an exemption from the March 19, 2020 business closure Orders
- News media
- Law enforcement
- The federal government
Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper issued her stay-at-home order moments after announcing the county's fifth positive case of coronavirus (COVID-19) Tuesday afternoon.
The fifth case is a person in their early 30s who recently traveled outside the county. The individual has not been hospitalized.
Contract tracing is in progress to see who may have come into contact with the individual. Dahlkemper said if you have not been contacted by the Health Department, your chances of being exposed are limited.
Four other cases of coronavirus have already been reported in Erie County. We have learned three of the cases - the first, third and fourth - are connected to one another.
In Erie County, 77 tests for coronavirus have come back negative so far.
Dahlkemper asked people not to leave the county unless necessary.
Fourth case
A person is in their 30s tested positive for the virus, officials announced Monday. It is being called a case of close contact spread because the individual had been in contact with another person who has the virus.
The individual is not hospitalized and in isolation at home.
Dahlkemper said a group, which consisted of less than 10 people, was exposed to the person who has become the fourth case.
Third case
The third positive case of coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported in Erie County Sunday afternoon.
The person, who is in their early 20s, is not hospitalized and is quarantined at home. Dahlkemper said the person had contact with another individual who also tested positive for the virus. He spoke to Erie News Now in an exclusive interview.
Second case
County officials announced Saturday a second person in their early 30s went to the AHN test site in Millcreek that opened Friday and has been quarantined at home since then. The individual is expected to recover.
The person traveled in the U.S. and took a cruise, likely contracting the virus outside Erie County, according to county officials.
First case
The first case reported Wednesday was a 35 year old who recently traveled domestically to an area where coronavirus is present. That person was not ill enough to require hospitalization.
Erie County's Director of Health Melissa Lyon admitted Thursday the first case was not handled properly.
Latest
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is reporting 207 new positive cases of COVID-19 and one additional death, increasing the statewide total to 851 cases in 40 counties as of midnight Tuesday. 8,643 patients have tested negative, and seven have died.
None have been reported in Crawford or Warren Counties at this time.
School closures have been extended for two more weeks, lasting through at least April 6.
Enforcement of Gov. Wolf’s order closing all non-life-sustaining businesses statewide to slow the spread of COVID-19 started at 8 a.m. Monday. It was delayed due to the high volume of waiver requests.
Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper said the county's health department are working with county law enforcement to make sure the order is followed.