HARRISBURG – The Schuylkill County Response, Recovery and Renewal Task Force has contacted Governor Wolf to request that the County begin to reopen in the near future, just as he has reopened 37 counties in the last few weeks. The bipartisan task force is comprised of local legislators, county and local officials, representatives from the healthcare industry, and other stakeholders from the business community.
While many counties throughout Pennsylvania had their stay at home orders lifted today, Schuylkill County remains locked down despite having a fraction of the cases and deaths as some of the most heavily afflicted parts of the state.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: small towns like New Philadelphia should not be treated the same as sprawling cities like Philadelphia,” said Senator Dave Argall, a member of the task force.
“The Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce and our 775 members, including businesses and non-profits, continue to be very frustrated by the inability of Schuylkill County to begin to reopen our economy,” said Robert Carl, President of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce. “The businesses and non-profits have been patient and cooperative with the Commonwealth of PA guidelines and have followed all the CDC and State Department of Health directives. But to continue in this manner, with no stated logic and methodology of what more can be done, no targets set to reopen, and the continued call for patience, simply is untenable to the broader business community.”
“Schuylkill County has been and is absolutely ready to get back to business,” said Schuylkill County Commissioner George Halcovage. “Our leadership and task force representing all sectors of our county have a plan in place to open back up safely, utilizing all of the CDC and Department of Health guidelines. We owe this to our citizens.”
Schuylkill County Response, Recovery, and Renewal Task Force Membership List
Task Force Letter to Governor Wolf re Reopening Schuylkill County
Contact: Christine Verdier
570-773-0891