State Informs Butler, Westmoreland Co. Commissioners That No Closure Order Will Be Coming Down
BUTLER, Pa. (KDKA) -- The Butler County Board of Commissioners say Gov. Tom Wolf and the state Health Department will not be handing down any new mandates for restaurants and bars in the county.
Though there were indications of that possibility earlier this week, Butler County Commissioner Kim Geyer now says there will be no new orders.
The state informed Butler County commissioners of the decision on Friday.
In a press release, Geyer said "There's going to be no orders forthcoming from the governor's office for Butler County. The numbers in Butler County do not support business closures."
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Any closures or restrictions are mandated at the state level.
Over in Westmoreland County, Commissioner Gina Cerilli says there will be no changes from the state for them either.
She posted to Facebook that Gov. Wolf and the Health Department are still analyzing their numbers.
The post reads: "The Governor and Department of Health are still reviewing the data for Southwestern Pa. They do not expect a change in any restrictions over the weekend. Please remember to be safe and follow social distancing guidelines. The goal is to keep our numbers low and safely keep our economy open."
Governor's update. Just passing along the information that I have received. As we learned this week, nothing is ???? for sure!
Posted by Gina Cerilli Thrasher, Esq. Westmoreland County Commissioner -Personal Page on Friday, July 10, 2020
Republican state lawmaker Rep. Daryl Metcalfe says he sent a letter to Gov. Wolf asking that the possibility of new restrictions or mandates for bars and restaurants in Southwestern Pennsylvania be reconsidered.
He letter reads, in part, "Gov. Wolf the economic destruction related to your emergency declaration and subsequent orders have been unnecessarily excessive. Worse yet, because the Department does not seem to differentiate the number of people who tested positive for antibodies versus those who are currently infected, we argue that your orders have been sustained with poor statistics and half-truths. Furthermore, it is unfathomable and irresponsible to extend your restrictions any further while using such shoddy information."
Stay with KDKA for the latest on this developing story.