As businesses close statewide, Pennsylvania reports 83 more positive COVID-19 cases

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UPDATED: 4:09 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Pennsylvania Department of Health today reported 83 additional positive cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the statewide total to 268.

In just two days, the amount of positive cases doubled, and 10% of them have been hospitalized.

County-specific information and a statewide map are available online.

All people are either in isolation at home or being treated at the hospital.

There are 2,574 patients who have tested negative, and one death. With commercial labs being the primary testing option for most Pennsylvanians, data is not available on the total number of tests pending.

Nationwide, 20% of all hospitalized cases are between the ages of 20 and 44, which officials say is a serious concern that people in that age group are not heeding messages to stay home. Instead, officials say they are increasing the risk on others, which could significantly impact our health care system.

State officials "are looking at every option to add capacity" to hospitals and spaces, and to increase staffing and supplies.

"I cannot allow these surging numbers to overwhelm our people, our health care workers and our hospitals," Wolf said. "Limiting exposures by closing physical locations means fewer Pennsylvanians will become sick at the same time, fewer Pennsylvanians will die, and we can prevent worst case sceneries for our health care workers."

Nursing homes across the state have received guidelines, but so far no nursing homes in Pennsylvania have any reported cases.

State officials are asking everyone to stay home and limit their contact to immediate family only. They say it's the only way "we don't strain the health care system to the point it breaks," and it will help the economy recover quickly.

"We are in an unprecedented crisis, and we need to use every tool at our disposal. This is going to get more difficult before it gets better," he added.

Businesses locked down

All non-life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania must now lock up. Gov. Tom Wolf announced the order Thursday afternoon. 

There are special exemptions for businesses that supply or service healthcare providers.

By now, ALL non-life-sustaining business across Pennsylvania should be closed.Enforcement actions against businesses that don't close will begin Saturday.My order: https://t.co/0BpCMCFfYmList of non-life-sustaining vs. life-sustaining businesses: https://t.co/bZ5xXpPVLD pic.twitter.com/SblHb5hKYP

Childcare, construction, shopping and entertainment businesses are closed as of 8 p.m. Thursday until further notice. 

Find a full list of what's open and what's closed here:

Wolf says anyone who violates the order will face penalties starting Saturday.

"And so, I will be working with local officials, authorities and others to enforce mandatory closures. We will be using every tool possible to ensure that we are mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Restaurants and bars must cease all dine-in activities or they face citations, fines or license suspensions."

Still unsure? The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Protection asks businesses with questions as to whether their organization needs to close to email ra-dcedcs@pa.gov.

Any business interested in seeking a waiver to the order can reach out to the state directly by emailing ra-dcexemption@pa.gov or calling 1-877-PA-HEALTH and select "option 1."

Wolf's business closure order draws questions, complaints

Among the toughest actions by a U.S. governor to combat the spread of COVID-19, Wolf's closure order drew loud complaints. 

"Gov. Wolf's order from earlier this evening was not discussed beforehand with any of the stakeholders who could have explained the flaws in his plan, which could have been corrected prior to alarming the public," Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association head David Taylor said late Thursday.

The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry said Friday it was pressing for changes to the order.

"Many of the industries listed as `non-life-sustaining businesses' in the governor's order are in fact part of supply chain for other businesses listed as being a `life-sustaining' business," chamber president Gene Barr said.

Wolf's order said more than 150 types of businesses had to close their physical locations. He said the order would be enforced by state troopers, local officials, the state Health and Agriculture departments and the Liquor Control Board.

Businesses that do not comply can be cited, fined, have their licenses suspended and forfeit disaster relief, the administration has said. Criminal charges are also possible, the governor's office said.

Among those allowed to stay open are gas stations, grocery stores, beer distributors, drugstores and building materials stores. Restaurants and bars can continue to offer carry-out, delivery and drive-thru food and drink service, but not dine-in service.

Businesses under shutdown orders range from coal mines to building contractors to many types of manufacturers, along with professional offices, such as law firms and accounting offices.

Retailers ordered to close include car dealers, clothing stores, furniture stores, florists, office supply stores and lawn and garden stores.

Even within the shrinking number of retail outlets, practices were changing rapidly. Convenience store giant Wawa said Friday that its coffee and fountain drinks were no longer available as self-service.

Wolf's directive also prohibits elective health procedures as officials work to help hospitals create more capacity in anticipation of a surge in coronavirus patients.

Schools have been shut down through March, at least, statewide student assessment tests have been canceled for the year and unemployment claims have skyrocketed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

KYW Newsradio's Kristen Johanson contributed to this report.