Gov. Wolf: Masks, social distance could remain this fall as part of Pennsylvania's 'new world'

While most of southwestern Pennsylvania celebrated Friday as the region moved to the less-restrictive green phase of the pandemic reopening plan, Gov. Tom Wolf made clear that more hurdles must be cleared before all limits are lifted.

Just what those stages might be has not been determined.

“We’re trying to figure out what that new world will look like,” Wolf said.

Whether it is dubbed the golden phase or one of some other tint, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine said that as the state as continues to bend the curve of new covid-19 cases restrictions in the green phase will continue to be eased.

Autumn might not look too different from spring, with Pennsylvanians still wearing masks and maintaining social distance, Wolf said.

“We’ll need to be a little more careful in terms of touching each other,” Wolf said. “We suspect we are moving into a new normal in the post-infectious disease world.”

Universal testing likely will not be available in the fall, nor will there be a vaccine to protect against covid-19, the governor said.

Pennsylvania in general is moving in the right direction, as the total case count continues to decline, Wolf said. The state on Friday reported 443 new cases, raising the total to 74,385.

As of Friday, all 67 counties in the state have now moved out of the red phase. Beaver County will join 11 others on June 12 in moving from the more-restrictive yellow phase to green, the governor said.

Erie County, which is experiencing an increase case of community spread of covid-19, is being kept it in the yellow phase. That spread must be contained before it can move to green, the governor said.

“It is alarming to our epidemiologists,” Wolf said. “We believe an outbreak is occurring.”

Also disturbing is the fact that there are 19 confirmed cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome which attacks children. Fifteen of those cases remain under review, Levine said.

Nursing homes and personal care facilities in the green counties still will have to maintain strict visitation rules for another 28 days, Levine said.