Coronavirus Pennsylvania: Gov. Wolf Says Counties, Businesses 'Choosing To Desert In Face Of Enemy' By Reopening Early
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) — A battle is brewing in Pennsylvania over reopening. It prompted some strong words Monday from Gov. Tom Wolf toward politicians and business owners who say they don't want to wait any longer.
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Wolf called county leaders set to defy his stay-at-home orders "cowardly."
"Over this past weekend, some have decided to surrender to this enemy. These are politicians who were elected to serve their fellow citizens. Others are business owners who have chosen to serve their customers by putting them in harm's way. These folks are choosing to desert in the face of the enemy, in the middle of a war we Pennsylvanians are winning and must win," Wolf said.
Even President Donald Trump waded into the statewide debate as the feud apparently captured the attention of the White House.
"The great people of Pennsylvania want their freedom now, and they are fully aware of what that entails. The Democrats are moving slowly, all over the USA, for political purposes. They would wait until November 3rd if it were up to them. Don't play politics. Be safe, move quickly!" Trump tweeted.
Wolf has promised punishment of nonessential businesses if they open in the state's defined red zones, which still includes all of Philadelphia and its suburbs.
"To the politicians urging businesses to risk their lives and risk the lives of their customers or their employees by opening prematurely, they need to understand they are engaging in behavior that is both selfish and unsafe," Wolf said.
Republican state Sen. Lisa Baker, who represents some areas of the state spared the brunt of the coronavirus, believes businesses can reopen if they keep people safe.
"What they don't realize is, people here want to operate safely under CDC guidelines, they want to keep people's lives safe, but they want to protect their livelihoods," Baker said.
Understanding the small business pain, Democratic state Sen. Anthony Williams contends, though, relaxing orders must be science-guided.
"I do think that, unfortunately, we see what's happening in China, we see what's happening in other places that have decided to flaunt the law to open up too soon, and the consequences sets us back even farther," Williams said.
In Delaware County, the Chamber of Commerce paints a grim picture if businesses stay closed.
"What we're hearing is businesses, if it goes on any longer, they're not going to reopen," Delaware County Chamber of Commerce President Anthony Williams said.
In some counties, the district attorneys have asked local police departments to not go after businesses that choose to reopen. The governor was asked if that is the case, will Attorney General Josh Shapiro step in to enforce action? Wolf said he has not consulted with Shapiro yet.
Wolf's warning comes as the number of COVID-19 cases climbed above 57,000 on Monday, as the statewide death toll rose to 3,731.