Name: Gov. Wolf: No specific date for ending covid-19 shutdown, getting 'back to life as we once knew it'
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Gov. Wolf: No specific date for ending covid-19 shutdown, getting 'back to life as we once knew it'

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RegionalA common sight: The streets of downtown Greensburg are often free of traffic in the days since Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to close.Courtesy of Gov. Tom Wolf’s officeGov. Tom Wolf announced that all non-life-sustaining business must close their physical locations as of March 19 , in response to the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, April 16, Wolf said he has no specific end date for the shutdown.&nbsp;TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday he has not yet decided precisely when to end Pennsylvania’s pandemic-spurred lockdown, and he warned that a persisting shortage of testing capacity remains a major hindrance to doing so.”I have been considering when we end this phase from the time I put it into place. What I haven’t done is come up with the dates yet. We need to keep thinking about that, keep talking about it but … I’m not there yet. I’m not ready to provide that date,” Wolf told reporters on an afternoon conference call.“I am working very hard to get to that point,” Wolf said, “because I think Pennsylvanians need some certainty in terms of when we’re going to be able to start to get back to life as we once knew it.”Wolf affirmed that he won’t merely be taking the cue from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in terms of setting specific dates and procedures for reopening Pennsylvania’s businesses and lifting the statewide stay-at-home order and other restrictions.Cuomo, whom Wolf has been cooperating with as part of a multi-state governors council, announced earlier in the day plans to until at least May 15.“I don’t have any plans along those lines yet. … That’s New York, and (Cuomo) has to make decisions about what’s best for New York,” Wolf said. “I will continue to look at what I think is best for Pennsylvania.”Wolf said he was not aware of reported plans in the works for a group to protest the statewide shutdown outside the state Capitol in Harrisburg on Monday.The governor said it “would be unfortunate if they actually go through with that.”“That’s going to be their choice. I’m sorry that that’s happen(ing), if that in fact happens, because to the extent they’re banding together and violating the social distancing guidelines, they’re actually hurting themselves,” Wolf said. “I’m sorry that they’re doing that, but again, the harm they’re doing is basically to themselves and each other.”Wolf’s initial order remains in effect through at least the end of April.On Wednesday, Wolf vetoed a Republican-backed bill that would set a path for reopening most of the state in about three weeks. State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine rejected the proposed legislation as “reckless and irresponsible.”Starting Sunday, essential businesses allowed to operate during Pennsylvania’s shutdown aimed to thwart the spread of covid-19 must ensure that .President Donald Trump said Thursday that he hopes some states will consider reopening as early as May 1.“You’re going to call your own shots,” Trump told governors, backing away from claims earlier in the week that he and the federal government would be the ones who determine the timeline.Wolf said that uncertainty persists over just how well the first few weeks of mitigation efforts have been working, with the highly contagious coronavirus disease confirmed in all 67 counties and the statewide death toll topping 700.RELATED:“We’re seeing some real progress,” Wolf said, “but I don’t think it’s time to declare victory.”The governor said there are no clear, “hard and fast metrics” that will drive his decision. He said he’ll continue to consult with state and local health officials on what’s needed to “keep Pennsylvanians safe.”Wolf echoed Levine’s comments earlier in the day that Pennsylvania’s mitigation efforts are more difficult because of problems getting enough people tested, supplying testing platforms with all the tools they need and expediting turnaround times for results.“We have simply not had the capacity to do the testing that we need, and we’re still not there,” Wolf said.“This is something actually that other governors are complaining about in other states, and it’s just a general problem in terms of having enough testing. Now, the hope is that we can move quickly to get to an adequate point.”The governor was optimistic that the situation will improve with help from two newly approved antibody tests and others in the pipeline at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in addition to efforts to help fund and support more accessible drive-up testing locations.RELATED:As the shutdown continues, a slew of new workers across unemployment compensation call centers statewide, as well as hiring extra staff for payment processing and mailroom needs.They’re scrambling to clear the backlog caused by in recent weeks, a record high.“We’re working on all those fronts, and we acknowledge that we are not where we need to be,” Wolf said. “The wait time is still entirely too long to get through to a call center person and we will continue to work on that so there’s virtually no wait time.”RELATED:Natasha Lindstrom is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Natasha at 412-380-8514, or via Twitter .Categories:Coronavirus | Local | Pennsylvania | RegionalTribLIVE's Daily and Weekly deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.More Regional StoriesYou are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our.We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. 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RegionalA common sight: The streets of downtown Greensburg are often free of traffic in the days since Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to close.Courtesy of Gov. Tom Wolf’s officeGov. Tom Wolf announced that all non-life-sustaining business must close their physical locations as of March 19 , in response to the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, April 16, Wolf said he has no specific end date for the shutdown.&nbsp;TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday he has not yet decided...

Gov. Wolf: No specific date for ending covid-19 shutdown, getting 'back to life as we once knew it'

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