Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is shutting his state down as the coronavirus pandemic looms large.
Wolf announced that all nonessential businesses should be closed and nonessential travel halted. He had previously called for nonessential businesses to end in four suburban counties but expanded that order on Monday.
The governor acknowledged the drastic implications the shutdown will have but said it was important to help slow the outbreak that, as of Monday afternoon, sickened 70 people in Pennsylvania.
“We are aware that this will disrupt life in Philadelphia, and we do not make these changes lightly,” he said when he made the announcement.
Restaurants and bars will remain open, but only for takeout, delivery, and drive-thru pickups. Businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies, hardware stores, gas stations, medical centers, day cares, and banks are considered “essential” and will be kept open after Wolf’s announcement.
The decision follows other bold moves by state leaders, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who recommended a statewide curfew on Monday, urging residents to stay in their homes from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Murphy, along with the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut, also announced a number of joint tri-state measures aimed at combating the spread of the coronavirus, which include closing gyms, movie theaters, and casinos in addition to restricting restaurant sales.
President Trump said people should avoid groups of more than 10 people for the next 15 days to slow the spread of the coronavirus during a White House briefing Monday afternoon.
There have been at least 4,138 cases and 71 deaths in the United States as of midafternoon on Monday.
