Gov. Wolf orders all of Pennsylvania to stay at home

An expanded stay-at-home order now means that all Pennsylvanians must stay home unless they absolutely must go out, a move that state officials made in an effort to stanch the spread of the coronavirus.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s order — which he doubled to include all 67 counties — came the same day the state saw nearly 1,000 new covid-19 cases in one day. Previously the order applied to 33 counties.

“This virus is spreading rapidly,” he said. “It’s in every corner of our state. It’s gotten into our nursing homes and prisons.”

The order is in place until at least April 30.

It allows for residents to leave home for groceries, medicine or medical care, care for a relative and exercise at a safe distance. The governor earlier this week ordered non-life-sustaining businesses and schools to remain closed indefinitely.

“Some of you might think that a month is too long to go without seeing your friends and family,” Wolf said during a virtual press conference. “But if we don’t do everything we can to slow the spread of covid-19, there are some people who you will never see again.”

Total cases in the state reached 5,805 with the addition of 962 new cases – a 20% increase. The daily increase has been between about 20% and 30% since late last week. The virus has killed 74, health officials said.

“It’s up to us to decide if we’re going to let that number skyrocket,” Wolf said of the death toll. “Do we want 740 families grieving for covid-19 victims? Do we want to sit idly by and let that figure climb to 7,400 or 74,000?”