The Schuylkill County Commissioners say they’re working with the Wolf administration to move toward the yellow phase, but they don’t know exactly when it will occur.

On Wednesday, the commissioners gave an update on the county’s status for reopening - one week after they backed off of plans to reopen against the governor’s orders.

Commissioner George Halcovage said they’ve had productive conversations, and hope that Gov. Tom Wolf will soon announce that the county is ready to move into the yellow phase.

“There’s light at the end of the tunnel and we’re getting close to that light. We’re very close to that light in our determination,” he said.

The two sides reportedly communicated throughout the weekend. The commissioners made their case for reopening the county. Without providing specifics, they said the governor’s office also made recommendations for what needs to be done for Schuylkill to reach the yellow phase.

“The last thing we want is to see an outbreak and have this whole house of cards fall down. We’re working with the right people, having the right conversations to get the job done,” said Commissioner Barron Hetherington.

The commissioners said they understand the struggles of businesses of all sizes in Schuylkill County, but they want to move forward safely.

Halcovage said the task force set up by the commissioners has been providing accurate, updated information so the Wolf administration can make an informed decision when it’s time to open.

During their update, they thanked courthouse staff for working to continue services. They credited prison guards, children and youth, probation officers, 911 operators, emergency management staff and all courthouse employees to keep the system going during the shutdown.

They also thanked every resident of Schuylkill County for helping to keep the number of cases there low.

“You definitely heeded the recommendations from the department of health, and that’s why our numbers are a lot less than our neighbors. Moving forward if we continue to do that - and we need to continue to do that - we’ll get in the green just as fast,” he said.