The Bucks County Commissioners appeared thrilled with Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement on Friday.
In a video statement released after the governor’s announcement that Bucks County and the rest of the region would move from the state’s “red” phase to “yellow” by Friday, June 5, Commissioners Diane Ellis-Marseglia, Bob Harvie and Gene DiGirolamo shared their reaction after pressure began to mount on Wolf.
“We got some really good news today,” DiGirolamo said.
DiGirolamo noted that the yellow phase will allow businesses to reopen with safety measures in place.
“We (speaking of county health officials and others) have been working really hard to get to that point. We just want to thank the governor for allowing us to move to yellow,” the first-term commissioner stated.
Residents and business owners were encouraged to go the county website to learn more on the yellow phase.
“Our goal is going to green,” Ellis-Marseglia said. “But the way we do that is by keeping ourselves and others safe. That means six-foot distancing. That means you need to have a face covering on wherever you go.”
“We still have to be very cautious. There is still this virus that is in our community,” Harvie said.
He added moving to yellow is “something we’ve fought very hard for.”
“The Bucks County Commissioners were the ones who really started petitioning to make sure that all different kinds of metrics were being looked at,” Harvie said, referring to the pressure on Wolf to reopen by the commissioners and state lawmakers of both parties.
“We feel very strongly, the three of us, that the ideas we had here in Bucks County really did move the ball forward,” he added.
The state placed COVID-19 mitigation measures in place in Bucks County on Friday, March 13. The stay-at-home order that lasts until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, June 4 took effect on Monday, March 23.
