Gov. Tom Wolf lays out plan for reopening Pennsylvania's economy

The plan to reopen Pennsylvania’s economy will be slow and gradual, hinging on a “regional, sector-based approach,” Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday, though he offered no timetable on when the plan would be enacted.

The plan, available on the governor’s website, comes in three phases — relief, reopening and recovery — but Wolf offered few specifics.

He said the statewide restrictions will remain for now.

“Over the next few weeks, we will need to continue our social distancing efforts while we plan for a phased reopening,” he said.

A “strong testing regime” will be necessary for that reopening, he said, and monitoring will be in place to spot outbreaks or resurgences. Large gatherings will continue to be limited, and employers will be required to follow guidelines from the Department of Health and other state agencies.

The reopening will be data-driven, Wolf said, and rely on a “targeted, evidence-based, regional approach,” though he did not specify what data or evidence will be used to determine when it is safe to loosen restrictions. That, he said, will come next week.

Wolf announced the plan at a virtual press conference Friday afternoon.

The first phase is aimed at throwing a lifeline to everyone affected by the pandemic-induced shutdown. It addresses food insecurity, student loan debt, unemployment, health insurance, education, business owners and employers, and hospitals and health care providers.

“There’s not one policy or one answer or one ideology that can solve all of our problems we have on our road to recovery,” he said.

Wolf offered residents a wide range of plans to move the economy forward, including an increased minimum wage, better sick and family leave and more affordable childcare options.

Wolf’s plan comes a day after President Donald Trump, pressing to restart the ravaged U.S. economy, gave governors a road map for economic recovery. The White House guidance said that states should see a “downward trajectory” of documented cases over a 14-day period.

Wolf’s plan does not mention the two-week metric.

The Democratic governor has imposed a series of progressively tougher measures in the face of a pandemic state officials say threatened to swamp hospitals and spike the death toll. Covid-19 has sickened nearly 30,000 Pennsylvania residents and killed more than 750.

Wolf shut down businesses deemed “non-life-sustaining,” closed schools through the end of the academic year and ordered all 12.8 million Pennsylvania residents to stay at home unless absolutely necessary. Just this week, the Wolf administration ordered people to wear masks inside supermarkets, pharmacies and other stores.

State health officials have said the restrictions have worked to slow the rate of infections and prevent hospitals from running out of bed space, ventilators and other supplies.

But the pandemic and Wolf’s business shutdown order have caused economic devastation, throwing at least 1.4 million residents out of work. Wolf has been under increasing pressure from Republicans, small business owners and others to relax the restrictions.

Protesters plan to gather Monday in Harrisburg to demonstrate against the shutdown.

The Associated Press contributed.