Gov. Wolf sets May 8 target for first moves toward a Pa. reopening — but that likely won’t apply in Philadelphia

Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday told Pennsylvanians they should stay home for at least three more weeks, setting May 8 as a target to begin the state’s slow reopening — though any return to normalcy is likely to come later for the especially hard-hit Philadelphia region.

“If we open in Cameron County [in north-central Pennsylvania], for instance, that doesn’t mean we’re ending the restrictions and things people have to do in Philadelphia,” Wolf said, describing the data-based, region-by-region reopening he announced in a broad plan last week.

As he spoke from Harrisburg about his “measured” plan for restarting the economy — one that will use public-health guidelines and monitor for spreading of the virus — protesters against social distancing and shutdown measures rallied outside the state Capitol demanding that Pennsylvania reopen for business. Monday afternoon, Wolf vetoed legislation passed by the legislature last week that would have allowed more businesses to reopen.

Nowhere in the state will initial reopenings mean “resuming operations as they were in February,” and social distancing will remain important, Wolf said, noting there is still no effective vaccine, antibody test, or cure for the coronavirus. “Life is going to be different on the other side of this,” he said.

» READ MORE: Here’s how low Philly’s case count has to be for the state to consider reopening Southeastern Pa.

But starting May 8, “limited” construction will be permitted to resume statewide, Wolf said, and he signed a bill Monday allowing online car sales and electronic notary services. As curbside pickup began at many state liquor stores, Wolf said officials may consider allowing other businesses to use the same model next month.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said he did not expect the city’s economy to restart on May 8, noting that “the governor recognizes … that the southeast region is certainly more compact and more dense than other parts of the state.” City officials said last week they were not yet discussing dates for reopening.

» ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.

Some city business owners say they’re afraid to open their doors until people feel safe going outside, while last week hospitals in the region began nearing capacity. On Monday, the overflow field hospital at Temple University’s Liacouras Center accepted its first coronavirus patient, officials said.

Pennsylvania’s original stay-at-home order was set to expire on April 30. New Jersey’s order is set to expire May 7 and has to be renewed every 30 days. New York has extended its stay-at-home order through at least May 15.

» READ MORE: At the Jersey Shore, is social distancing even possible? With summer season in view, the question looms heavily.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he would release a blueprint for his state’s reopening this week, noting an encouraging drop in the number of new hospitalizations.

But in both states, officials said a lack of needed testing supplies could hinder reopening plans. Murphy suggested he needed a stronger testing and contact-tracing infrastructure in place to begin easing restrictions on businesses.

“We’ve turned over every stone we can find here,” Murphy said Monday. “We need more capacity and more materials.”

New Jersey officials continue enforcing the state’s stay-at-home order, charging multiple people with violating the emergency measure. On Monday, prosecutors shut down a drive-through tulip tour in Gloucester County, saying it violated the state’s ban on events of any size as a way to stop the spread of COVID-19.

» READ MORE: Coronavirus is largely spread by people without symptoms. Here’s how that makes reopening the economy harder

On a Monday morning call, Murphy, Wolf, and other governors told Vice President Mike Pence they remained concerned about a shortage of testing supplies. According to Wolf, Pence said the federal government was working as quickly as possible to help the states increase testing capacity.

Pence said at a White House briefing Monday that there was enough "testing today around the country” to allow any state to take the first steps toward reopening if it has strong hospital capacity and has seen a consistent 14-day decline in cases.

“With the limits on testing, we don’t know who is infected, so you have to assume anybody that you run into is infected,” said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley.

On Monday, Pennsylvania saw 948 newly reported cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total to 33,232, and 92 more deaths, for a total of 1,204. In New Jersey, an additional 3,528 people had tested positive, increasing the case total to 88,806. An additional 177 people had died from the virus, bringing the statewide toll to 4,377.

Murphy said he was in contact with officials representing the City of Camden on Monday after reports of a surge in coronavirus cases over the last few days. It was not clear, Murphy said, whether that was due to an increase in testing or in the virus’ spread.

He also said United Airlines and Delta Air Lines are working with the New Jersey Department of Health to offer free round-trip flights to any health-care workers who travel to New Jersey to help fight the virus.

Officials in Pennsylvania released coronavirus data by zip code for the first time, available on a publicly accessible map. Health Secretary Rachel Levine cautioned that many people with the virus have not been tested, advising people living in zip codes with lower numbers to continue following social distancing and wear masks.

» READ MORE: Fearing coronavirus at hospitals, these pregnant women would rather give birth at home, despite risks

Wolf said May 8 was a goal for the state to have adequate testing capabilities and health-care capacity.

Nearly 30% of Pennsylvania’s total confirmed cases are in Philadelphia, where 370 people have died of the virus. (Philadelphia has about 12% of the state’s residents.) Monday’s case numbers did not give a clear indication of whether city case counts may be going down, Farley said.

“The southeast region of Pennsylvania has different challenges than a county in central Pennsylvania or the northern tier. So I don’t suspect that on May 8 there’s going to be a light switch flipped and everything goes back to normal,” Kenney said.

Contributing to this article were staff writers Sean Collins Walsh and Anthony R. Wood, as well as Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA.