Many businesses that have been shut down since March will be allowed to open when area counties move into the yellow phase, but employees and customers will still be expected to practice social distancing and wear masks.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, during a press conference Monday afternoon, said remediation efforts, if relaxed too quickly, could have the state seeing an exponential rise in coronavirus cases.

“Even when counties move into the yellow phase, we are strongly encouraging that workers wear masks and customers wear masks,” Levine said. “We’re also going to encourage people in those counties to work remotely as much as possible and for residents to go out only when necessary.”

Gov. Tom Wolf announced 24 counties will move into the yellow phase on Friday: Bradford, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Union, Venango and Warren.

According to Wolf, the counties were chosen because of low per-capita case counts, the ability to conduct contact tracing and testing, and appropriate population density to contain community spread.

“It is a possibility that we could look at these counties as a test to see if more businesses can be opened,” Levine said.

The state reported 825 new COVID-19 cases Monday, the smallest daily increase in over a month.

As for when local counties may get the yellow light, Levine said there is no specific timetable for that to happen. The state will get data on Tuesdays and Thursdays, she said, including information from the Risk-Based Decision Support Tool, which was created in conjunction with Carnegie Mellon University. The CMU tool looks at the impacts of risk factors such as reported number of COVID-19 cases per population of an area; ICU and medical/surgical bed capacity; population density; population over age 60; and reopening contact risk, such as the number of workers employed in a currently closed industry sector.

“The governor will get all of that information and make decisions based on that, but there is no timetable as to when the next counties will move from one phase to another,” Levine said.

Under the yellow phase, closures of schools, gyms, and other indoor recreation centers, hair and nail salons, as well as limitations around large gatherings, would remain in place. Restaurants and bars would remain limited to carryout or delivery options. Businesses such as drive-in movie theaters, Levine said, would be allowed to open as long as they follow social distancing guidelines.

Asked about the upcoming summer recreation season, Levine said the state has made no firm decision on the opening of community pools.

On Friday, Wolf also stressed that any county entering a yellow or eventually a green phase remains at risk for being downgraded again should the numbers dictate it.

“If we see an outbreak occur in one of the communities that has been moved to yellow, we will need to take swift action, and revert to the red category until the new case count falls again,” he said. ”So, Pennsylvanians living in a county that has been moved to the yellow category should continue to strongly consider the impact of their actions.”

Treating addictions

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Levine said, the state was working tirelessly to strengthen the continuum of care within its drug and alcohol treatment system.

“We have residents working hard every day to manage their substance abuse disorders, and many of the networks they rely upon are now hard to access due to social distancing guidelines,” she said. “We are continuing those efforts to get people in treatment and get them help to recover.”

Levine reminded residents they can still go to any pharmacy and get naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

“If you know someone at risk of an overdose, reach out to them,” she said. “We should not underestimate the power of a phone call. Substance use disorders can last a lifetime, and now more than ever, people should know they are not alone.”