Armstrong commissioners want county to be among first to gradually reopen for business

Armstrong County officials don’t want to be lumped in with their larger neighbor Allegheny County when the state considers which counties can begin to lift some coronavirus-related restrictions.

“Their numbers are a lot different than ours,” said Armstrong County Commissioners Chairman Don Myers.

The state reported Wednesday that Armstrong County has had 50 cases of covid-19 and two related deaths, compared with Allegheny County’s 1,273 cases and 86 deaths. Armstrong County is home to about 65,000 people, while more than 1.2 million people live in Allegheny County, according to Census estimates.

Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Rachel Levine are expected to announce Friday which counties can begin to lift some restrictions and gradually reopen their economies beginning May 8. Under the state’s color-coded system, such counties will move from a “red” phase with the current restrictions in place to a “yellow” phase with some eased restrictions.

When that plan was announced, Wolf and Levine said the northwestern and north-central parts of the state could become the first areas to move to a “yellow” status because they haven’t experienced the same rates of infection as other areas.

In a letter sent Tuesday, Armstrong commissioners asked Gov. Tom Wolf to group their county with the northwestern part of the state because their numbers were more in line with that region than the southwestern part of the state.

Myers said he was informed Wednesday by state Rep. Jeffrey Pyle, R-Ford City, whose district includes part of Armstrong County, that the governor would consider lifting some restrictions on a county-by-county basis.

Wolf spokeswoman Lyndsay Kensinger said in an email Wednesday that the governor’s plan to gradually reopen the state “has always included the flexibility to reopen by region or by county.”

“Our goal is to just try and match up with our numbers to serve our people best here,” Myers said.

Commissioners said that Armstrong falls under the infection rate required to move into the “yellow” phase and its community and regional hospitals are well-equipped. The commissioners said they consulted with local public safety and health officials before sending their letter to Wolf.

“We don’t have the needs that some of the areas do that were hit much harder,” Myers said. “We’d just like to see businesses that have been closed … back open.”

Myers said the coronavirus is a threat, but he thinks the county can avoid a surge in cases as long as residents follow safety guidelines laid out by state and federal health officials.