(15 May 2020) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus136252
Crowds of demonstrators gathered in front of Pennsylvania's state capitol on Friday to protest stay at home orders.
Pennsylvania, which borders hard-hit New York and New Jersey, has about the 10th highest rate of coronavirus infection nationally, according to federal statistics.
Critics of Wolf's shutdown orders, primarily Republicans, contend that they are inflicting undue suffering and are no longer warranted. saying he has met his original objective of ensuring that hospitals did not become overwhelmed.
Local officials have cited the opinions of doctors at their area health systems who say the state's economy can safely reopen and co-exist with the virus.
Wolf planned to announce that Adams, Beaver, Carbon, Columbia, Cumberland, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Wayne and York will be the next batch of counties moving to the "yellow" phase of his reopening plan, effective May 22, The Associated Press has learned. They are primarily in the south-central and northeast regions of the state.
They'll join residents of 13 lightly impacted counties — including the cities of Pittsburgh, Johnstown and Altoona — where Wolf lifted his stay-at-home orders on Friday and gave permission for retailers and other types of businesses to reopen.
Twenty-four counties across a vast swath of primarily rural northern Pennsylvania were the first to see a partial reopening last week.
All told, by the end of next week, more than 40% of Pennsylvania's population of 12.8 million will have seen an easing of pandemic restrictions that were intended to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed with very ill COVID-19 patients.
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