PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - Allegheny County and the rest of Southwestern Pennsylvania has now been in the yellow phase of the state's mitigation plan for nearly two weeks and the number of COVID-19 cases continue to remain steady.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald says those numbers remain study, even with testing expanding.
Fitzgerald says he doesn't have any special information but his feeling is Allegheny and the rest of the area will be announced to move into the green phase this Friday, when Governor Tom Wolf makes his next round of announcements.
He adds citizens are doing their part to keep positive cases down.
Between May 6 and May 20. The 278 new cases are in the county. A third of the new cases are in those 70 or older with over 40 of the cases in people at long-term or nursing care facilities with 10 percent in healthcare workers.
That means nearly 50 percent of the cases are in the general public.
Only 48 cases of coronavirus in children 18 and over have been confirmed and zero cases of MIS-C have been identified in the county according to County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen.
On Friday the state changed the guidelines for pools and Fitzgerald says they are re-evaluating their plan for county pools.
It was previously announced that county pools would be closed for the summer but Fitzgerald says it will be difficult to find the needed number of lifeguards to ensure safety.
Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine released additional guidance for green zones. 18 counties will move into that phase on Friday.
- The order includes provisions for businesses that were permitted conduct in-person operations in the yellow phase, those permitted to operate with some restrictions on in-person operations and those that were not permitted any in-person operations under the yellow phase.
- The order also includes guidance on occupancy limits and health and safety orders that business must adhere to under the green phase.
- Specifics are included on those areas that have raised questions from business owners and residents, including:
- Personal care services, including hair salons and barber shops must operate by appointment only; appointments or reservations are also strongly encouraged for gyms or spas.
- Any gathering for a planned or spontaneous event of greater than 250 individuals is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, a concert, festival, fair, conference, sporting event, movie showing, or theater performance.
- Churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and other places of congregate worship are specifically excluded from the limitations established by the order. These institutions are strongly encouraged to enforce social distancing and other mitigation measures such as masking at their gatherings.
- Visitation to prisons and hospitals may resume subject to the discretion of the facility. Visitors who interact with residents and patients must be diligent regarding hygiene. Given the critical importance of limiting COVID-19 exposure in nursing homes, nursing home visitation restrictions will initially remain in place.
Green phase dining
Retail food service businesses, including restaurants, and bars located in counties designated as being in the green phase are permitted to provide take-out and delivery sales, as well as dine-in service in both indoor and outdoor seating areas, so long as they strictly adhere to the requirements of the guidance, including maximum occupancy limits:
- Bar seating may be utilized if customers are seated and comply with physical distancing guideline of at least 6 feet or physical barriers between customers. Standing in a bar area will not be permitted.
- A maximum of four customers that have a common relationship may sit together at the bar, while adhering to the physical distancing guidelines or barriers between other customers.
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