Twelve More Pa. Counties Now Eligible for 'Green' Phase as Stay-At-Home Order Officially Expires
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Pennsylvania will allow 12 additional counties to move into the "green" phase of Gov. Tom Wolf's reopening plan next week, continuing the Commonwealth's slow and deliberate loosening of stay-at-home and business closure restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The 12 new counties to go "green" on Friday, June 12 include Adams, Beaver, Carbon, Columbia, Cumberland, Juniata, Mifflin, Northumberland, Union, Wayne, Wyoming and York counties. They will join 34 counties who are currently in "green" as of Friday, June 5. This includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Fayette, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Montour, Potter, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango, Warren, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

In the "green" phase, aggressive mitigation orders and restrictions on business activities and gatherings will be lifted, other than federal and state social-distancing and health-monitoring guidelines that help stop the spread of the virus. This will include continued restrictions on large gatherings, like concerts, festivals and sporting events, as well as limitations on capacity for restaurants, bars and entertainment, such as movie theaters and licensed casinos.

Last week, the administration provided updated guidelines for dining services and professional sports. The governor also provided additional information and elaborated on general guidelines for "green" phase counties, issuing an updated order for those municipalities moving into the "green" phase.

Gov. Wolf announced that effective today, all 67 Pennsylvania counties are officially out of the "red" phase, meaning that all communities in the Commonwealth are now in some stage of reopening. Currently, there are 33 counties in the "yellow" phase, which allows for some work and social restrictions to loosen, including the opening of outdoor dining. Closures of gyms, and other indoor recreation centers, hair and nail salons, as well as limitations around large gatherings, remain in place in "yellow" phase counties.

The state will continue to utilize metrics developed by the state's Department of Health and a data tool developed by Carnegie Mellon University to determine which areas continue to trend in the right direction, determining when a county may move into the next phase of reopening.

Earlier this week, Gov. Wolf allow the state's stay-at-home order to expire on June 4, which was only in effect for counties in the "red" phase of his reopening plan. He extended the state's emergency disaster declaration, also set to expire on June 4, for the state's response and recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor said the emergency disaster declaration provides for increased support to state agencies involved in the continued response to the virus and recovery for the state during reopening.

Also this week, the state's Department of Education announced that schools located in "yellow" and "green" phase counties can reopen for in-person instruction and other school activities beginning July 1. Also, colleges and universities will be able to resume on-campus activities on Friday, June 5.
Daily COVID-19 update for Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 443 new positive confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide on Friday, bringing the state total to 74,385. In addition, 5,886 Pennsylvanians have died from complications from the virus. To date, there have been nearly 425,000 negative cases across the state.

Daily COVID-19 update for Ohio

The Ohio Department of Health reported 37,758 cumulative cases of COVID-19 and 2,355 deaths, including probable cases, by Friday afternoon. There have been 6,385 hospitalizations and 1,632 ICU admissions.
Other News...
McNees to host webinar for employers in counties 'going green.' The McNees Labor and Employment Practice Group will be hosting a webinar entitled " Going Green! What Employers must consider as they (re)open for business under Pennsylvania’s “Green Phase." The event, hosted by McNees attorneys Schaun Henry and Micah Saul, will be on Tuesday, June 9 at 12:00 p.m. To register, click here .

Also, McNees to host informational webinar on avoiding becoming 'the next hashtag.' In today's world of viral videos and recorded customer interactions, McNees attorney Rachel Hadrick will host "Don't Be the Next Hashtag: Managing Customer Discrimination Claims in the Age of the Viral Video," a free webinar that will provide recommendations for handling the reputational impact of viral videos that may accompany negative customer encounters. To register, click here.

Pa. Lottery retail sales take a hit, but iLottery soars during pandemic. Pennsylvania Lottery's internet based games are being heralded as one of the most successful iLottery systems in all of North America, earning nearly $1 billion in sales since its start in 2018. The success of iLottery in Pennsylvania is critical, however, as traditional retail sales have plummeted during the COVID-19 crisis.

$50 million in grants to support fire, EMS companies now available. Earlier this week, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that $50 million in funding to help fire and EMS companies impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic are now available throughout the state. Of the $50 million in funding set aside for this new program, $44 million will be made available to fire and rescue companies and the remaining $6 million will go to EMS companies.
Unprecedented times, but McNees is here to help
The situation surrounding COVID-19 is changing by the hour. Capitol Buzz will do its best to keep our readers as up-to-date as possible as to local, state and federal actions relating to the virus.

As we have stated in previous editions, for those businesses seeking guidance or assistance on how to proceed during this unprecedented time, please contact the McNees Labor and Employment Practice Group , or for government relations and nonprofit consulting assistance please contact the McNees Strategic Solutions Group (MSSG) .

You can also visit the McNees COVID-19 Article & Resource Page for more information on various legal and political issues created by the novel coronavirus.

For more information on what you can do to protect yourself and others, check out the CDC's coronavirus information page or visit www.health.pa.gov .
2020 SENATE SESSION SCHEDULE

The Senate stands in recess until the call of the President Pro Tempore.

June
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2020 HOUSE SESSION SCHEDULE

The House stands adjourned until Monday, June 8, 2020 at 1:00 p.m.

June
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September
15, 16, 17, 29, 30
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