Lawmaker: Beaver County to begin reopening May 22

After not being included in a list of counties set to reopen today, Beaver County will move to the yellow phase next week, according to state Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-Beaver.

According to a post on Bernstine’s Facebook page, the county will begin reopening next Friday.

The move comes almost a week after county officials blasted Gov. Tom Wolf for his decision to keep their county in the red zone, which puts residents and businesses under the most restrictive pandemic-related guidelines, calling it “economic punishment.”

At the time, county District Attorney David Lozier said he would not prosecute business owners who chose to disregard the restrictions. Wolf rebutted by saying politicians and business owners who defy the restrictions could lose funding and business licenses.

Lozier said Monday that he was standing by his March guidance to police that the life-sustaining business order was not enforceable. He said he also supports the commissioners’ calls for the county to move into the yellow phase.

According to state data, the county had 512 cases and 82 deaths as of Thursday.

Beaver County is home to Brighton Rehab, which was hit hard by the coronavirus that causes covid-19. While specific numbers of cases and deaths at the facility have not been released, 75 deaths came from nursing homes or personal care facilities in the county, according to the state data.

Speaking generally about a nursing home facility during a state Senate meeing, Rep. Josh Kail, R-Beaver said, “If you take that facility out of the picture in Beaver County, our situation is much like every other county around us. We’re in the same situation as Butler County, we’re in the same situation as Allegheny County, our numbers are very similar to Washington County, Westmoreland County. … But here we are still in the red.”

According to state data, Butler has had six deaths, Allegheny had 139 deaths, Washington had four and Westmoreland had 32.

Those, along with nine other counties, will move into the yellow phase today, which reopens retail establishments under certain guidelines. Restaurants must remain take-out and delivery only, and gyms, spas, casinos and theaters will remain closed.

Wolf is expected to announce today that additional counties can move into the yellow zone.