We're getting there. We are.
Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday in Harrisburg that 13 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, including Allegheny, will be partially reopened May 15 following two months of the coronavirus shutdown. The 13 counties are: Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland. Noticeably absent from the decision is Beaver County, which houses Brighton Nursing Home, a facility which accounts for approximately 80 percent of the region's coronavirus-related deaths
So what does it mean?
The official move is from Wolf's code red to yellow, and the difference won't be terribly visible: More 'non-essential' businesses, per the state's guideline, can reopen. Restaurants can reopen but only for takeout orders or limited outdoor seating. Remote work, rather than in offices, remains encouraged. And above all, people should social distance and wear masks when venturing in public.
"As with the 24 counties that entered the yellow phase today, these 13 counties will see an increasing number of businesses and activities re-open," Wolf said during his press conference. "However, residents should be mindful that yellow still means 'caution.' Every contact between two people is a new link in the chain of potential transmission."
The move isn't necessarily final, either. If these counties see case numbers and/or deaths rise, they can be sent back to the red phase until re-stabilizing.
"If the new case count begins to climb in one area, restrictions will need to be imposed to prevent local medical facilities from becoming overwhelmed," Wolf said.
But it'll be a step closer to code green, in which the more aggressive mitigations get lifted, and it'll be the most significant result to date from Pittsburgh having handled coronavirus better than most major U.S. cities:
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THE NEW YORK TIMES[/caption]
For some perspective, every jagged line up there represents an American region of at least 100,000 people, with the one at the very top, of course, representing New York, the city hit harder than any in the world. In Allegheny County, we've had 117 deaths and 1,439 documented cases, per the county health department, and our hospitals have never used more than 2 percent of capacity on coronavirus patients, per UPMC.
What will this mean for local sports?
That's impossible to know until the NHL and Major League Baseball make known their plans to restart. The NHL has had little to say, and MLB is at least reported to be considering a June 10 restart to spring training as well as a July 1 opening day. Both the Penguins and Pirates are expected to train and eventually play their home games in Pittsburgh.
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