The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 756 new cases of COVID-19 in the state, as well as 14 additional deaths, on Tuesday. Just the night before, President Donald Trump had declared a major disaster in the state.
Wolf requested the declaration, which then went to FEMA for review before going to the president's desk.
The governor said the declaration means more resources that can really help the state and local governments.
That means about 10 million Pennsylvanians, or 80% of the state's population, have now been instructed to remain in their homes.
The Democratic governor says he knows the extended shutdown of businesses, schools and big swaths of daily life "isn't easy to hear," but is necessary to save lives and keep hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.
President Trump last approved a disaster declaration for the state in 2018 in response to severe storms and flooding in Northeast Pennsylvania. According to FEMA, the state received nearly $52 million.
New cases and deaths
COVID-19 cases reported by the state Health Department on Tuesday rose by 756 to 4,843 in 60 counties. The department also reported 14 new deaths, bringing the statewide total to 63.
Of the patients who have tested positive, the department says nearly 10% are aged 19-24, nearly 41% are aged 25-49, Nearly 29% are aged 50-64; and Nearly 19% are aged 65 or older.
Most hospitalizations and most deaths have occurred among those 65 or older. No children have died.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in a couple of weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
Inmates confined
The Department of Corrections said inmates throughout the state prison system will largely be confined to their cells to keep the virus from spreading after an inmate at State Correctional Institution at Phoenix in Montgomery County tested positive for COVID-19.
"Quarantining the entire system is in the best interest of our employees and our inmates," Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said in a news release.
Inmates will only be allowed out of their cells for video visits, phone calls and access to the law library.
The Corrections Department incarcerates nearly 44,600 inmates in 25 state prisons.
ACLU sues to reduce jail population
The state Supreme Court was asked to order the release of some inmates from county jails to help reduce the virus's spread. The county jail system isn't impacted by the Department of Corrections quarantine.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said in a petition that tight inmate quarters, a lack of sanitation, and a limited ability to treat and quarantine people suspected of having COVID-19 presents an "extraordinary public health risk" to inmates, staff and surrounding communities.
Once the virus enters a jail, it's "virtually certain to spread like wildfire," the petition said.
The plaintiffs are the Pennsylvania Prison Society, an advocacy group, along with five inmates.
Other states, including New Jersey, have taken steps to reduce their jail populations, as have Allegheny, Lackawanna and Lancaster counties in Pennsylvania.
The legal action was taken as Pike County officials announced Sunday that a staffer at the jail tested positive for COVID-19. Inmates who had direct contact are under quarantine.
Banks asked to provide relief
The Pennsylvania attorney general's office is seeking banks and financial institutions to join a new program that expands consumer protections under a recently passed federal law.
Under the program, dubbed PA CARE Package, lending institutions will make loans more easily available to small- and medium-sized businesses and will provide a 90-day grace period for mortgages; auto and other consumer loans; and late and overdraft fees and similar charges.
Participating banks must also agree to a minimum two-month moratorium on foreclosures, evictions and vehicle repossessions, and promise not to negatively impact the credit of people who get relief from consumer loans.
The attorney general's office said PNC Bank was the first to agree to participate.
Free meals for children
Pennsylvania is getting the OK from federal regulators to allow schools to provide free meals to all children during the COVID-19 emergency.
The state Education Department said Monday it received the waiver, clearing the way for schools and community organizations to request state approval as an open-meal site. Without the federal action, Pennsylvania schools that did not quality for free or reduced-price meals could not provide free meals to all children in their area.
The state Education Department says it's ready to process requests.
There are about 1,600 food distribution sites in Pennsylvania, according to the state agency, and the new federal waiver is expected to increase that number.
Unemployment surges again
Pennsylvania set another record for unemployment claims last week — numbering 405,000 — as businesses shut down and laid off workers.
That beat the previous week's record of 379,000, which itself was highest in the nation.
Unemployment filings surged after Wolf first asked and later mandated that nonessential businesses close their physical locations.
The emergency relief bill signed last week by President Donald Trump adds 13 weeks of benefits — from 26 to 39 in Pennsylvania — plus $600 a week in benefits. It also expands eligibility to workers who don't pay into the system and normally aren't eligible, but who lost jobs due to the pandemic.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.