Several Pennsylvania counties are refusing to prosecute businesses that reopen in violation of Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home order.
Wolf has rolled out a plan to reopen the state in phases with color codes and has extended Pennsylvania’s lockdown order for counties in the “red phase” through June 4.
The district attorney in Lancaster County, Heather Adams, announced Sunday that the “constant and seemingly arbitrary changes in the scope and application of the Governor’s orders makes enforcement prohibitively difficult if not impossible.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic and administrative orders from our state officials have placed law-enforcement all across Pennsylvania in uncharted waters. Our interpretation of existing law in balance with the constantly shifting definitions of what is and is not allowed, per these orders, brought us to this informed decision: we will not prosecute,” Adams said.
Lancaster County does not stand alone. Dauphin, York, Beaver, and Armstrong counties are also defying the Democratic governor’s orders.
The chairman of the Dauphin County Board of Commissioners, Jeff Haste, claimed the extended lockdown has “ruined the livelihood of millions of hard-working Pennsylvanians in exchange for 0.4 percent of our population.”
“For centuries, our people and businesses have shown they can adapt to changes to survive and prosper. They cannot, however, do a thing when a dictator and an unelected secretary place them in lockdown,” he said.
Greene County District Attorney David Russo announced he wouldn’t prosecute any businesses that practice social distancing, but said the businesses will need to provide personal protective equipment to customers and staff.
“Many of the businesses in Pennsylvania may not be able to recover from the Governor’s actions. I am trying to save what is left of my community,” Russo explained.
Wolf has threatened to revoke funding, business licenses, health department certificates, and liquor licenses of businesses that reopen. He called reopening ahead of the government’s schedule “not only morally wrong, but it’s also really bad business.”
