Gov. Wolf issues stay-at-home order for Allegheny, 6 other counties; school closures extended

Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday ordered residents in Allegheny and six other Pennsylvania counties to stay at home unless “someone’s life depends on your leaving.”

The order, which also affects Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Monroe, Philadelphia and Montgomery counties, is an effort to staunch the spread of the coronavirus in the state’s hardest-hit areas. The virus has sickened hundreds and left six dead statewide.

The order goes into effect at 8 p.m. Monday, though it does not affect grocery stores, pharmacies and other businesses previously deemed life-sustaining.

Wolf said the order means “you must stay in your homes unless not leaving your home endangers a life.”

He acknowledged that the stay-at-home order is extreme.

“I know this is going to be difficult — even more than it is already,” he said in a virtual news conference.

Wolf’s office offered a list of activities and reasons for which those covered by the order can leave their homes, including walking, running or hiking, caring for children, the elderly or other dependents, and retrieving materials to work from home.

It is a broader definition than what the governor initially said in the news conference.

“They can leave their home to do things that are life-sustaining. If what they’re doing is not necessary and it could lead to someone possibly getting the virus, they shouldn’t do it,” Wolf said. “If what they’re doing is something that absolutely has to take place to make life sustainable for them like going to the food store, like going to the drug store, by all means, they should do that.”

As for enforcement, Wolf said authorities will be “focused on ensuring that residents are aware of the order and informing the public of social distancing practices rather than enforcement.”

For now, there are no plans to expand the stay-at-home order to the rest of the state. If the order works in the counties it covers, Wolf said, it won’t be needed statewide.

“These counties are where the problem is concentrated right now,” he said. “If we do a good job with the stay-at-home order and people respond positively, the virus will not spread.”

In addition, Wolf said the closure of schools around the state — as well as other efforts to curb the spread of the virus — will be extended an additional two weeks. The state Department of Education issued a statement after Wolf spoke clarifying that schools would be closed “through April 6.”

The state said it will give administrators, teachers and other staff two days to prepare classrooms, set up cafeterias, schedule transportation and arrange other business operations when it’s decided that schools can reopen. Students would return on the third day.

The governor’s office listed the following allowable reasons one can leave home under the stay-at-home order:

• Doing 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.

• Performing work providing essential products and services at a life-sustaining business.

• Caring 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 the 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 nonresidents to return to their place of residence outside the commonwealth.