Gov. Tom Wolf placed all 67 Pennsylvania counties under a “stay-at-home” order on Wednesday in response to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus throughout the state.
The order which previously applied to only 33 counties, will last through April 30 and applies to all individuals in Pennsylvania.
Everyone must stay at home unless they are performing “essential activities” and providing life-sustaining business and government services, according to Wolf.
Essential activities include those that keep people healthy or safe, or deliver food and maintain sanitation. Pennsylvanians may also go on walks, runs or hikes, so long as they maintain social distancing rules. Finally, they may leave the house to work at places that offer life-sustaining products, or to care for a family member in another household.
The rule allows Pennsylvanians to travel for the aforementioned purposes, to care for elderly or dependents and to receive materials for distance learning. People can also return home from outside the state. Wolf’s website specifically states those performing life-sustaining travel does not need paperwork to verify they are doing so.
The policy also allows life-sustaining businesses to remain open throughout the duration of the order. Life-sustaining businesses include food production, building supplies and construction, medical supplies and non-elective medical procedures, transportation, news media and religious and social services.
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, 74 Pennsylvanians have died, 5,805 have tested positive, and 42,427 have tested negative for the coronavirus, according to the Pennsylvania Health Department.
The above map, posted to the commonwealth’s website, shows all cases reported in the state of Pennsylvania.
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