Mayor Herrin's

BOROUGH BRIEFS

 

April 24, 2020 

The Pandemic:

 Current Status From the Governor's Office.

When Will We Reopen?

How to Help Now. 

The hearts around town are a display of the West Chester business community's solidarity and compassion for others during these challenging economic times.

#aworldofhearts

Current Status from the Governor's Office

  • The stay-at-home order is extended through Friday May 8. Non-life-sustaining business closures remain in effect to continue curtailing the spread of COVID-19 so our hospitals can treat patients with existing, limited supplies of personal protective equipment, ventilators, and beds. There is one exception: All businesses in the construction industry are permitted to resume in-person operations starting Friday May 1. Read the guidance here. 

  • Masks must be worn while shopping at essential businesses, visiting health care providers, using public transportation, interacting with customers at essential businesses, and when feeling sick. When you wear a mask, you protect others. When others wear masks, they protect you. 

  • Mandatory safety measures have been issued for essential workers, including masks, staggered start/stop times, virtual meetings, and more. The order contains directives for what to do in case of coronavirus exposure in the workplace. Read the order here. 

  • On-line car sales and electronic notary services are now permitted in PA, as are limited liquor store sales.

  • Schools remain closed through the remainder of the academic year. On-campus higher-ed learning is prohibited until further notice.

When Will We Reopen?

Foremost, the fact that we are staying home as much as possible is working. Because of your sacrifice, we have slowed the infection rate, our hospitals have not been overwhelmed, and healthcare workers have been able to treat patients. Thank you, West Chester. You have saved lives. 

 

The Commonwealth will soon begin a phased, region-by-region reopening designed to return to economic stability while preventing a COVID-19 resurgence. See the below graphic for an overview. The Governor's decision to move Chester County from the red phase (which we are in now) to the yellow phase will depend largely on two factors: Regional rate of cases, and the ability to test and trace. 

 

  • Regional rate of cases. PA will begin reopening (yellow phase) when viral spread has stabilized, defined as an average of <50 cases per 100,000 individuals over 14 days. The Wolf administration will target the north-central and northwest regions of PA first, with the goal of moving them from red to yellow on May 8. The Governor said the southeast portion of the state will likely be among the last regions to see an easing of business closures and social distancing orders due to the high number of cases. As of today, Chester County's caseload is approximately 2x the target per the Chester County COVID-19 Dashboard, or as much as 3x higher according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's estimates, which are based on the state's case tracking system. The fact that we are in close proximity to the hardest-hit areas in the state, including Philadelphia and Montgomery County, may further delay our reopening timeline, since people will travel between municipal boundaries once stay-at-home restrictions are lifted.

Throughout reopening, high-risk settings including correctional institutions, personal care homes, skilled nursing facilities, and other congregate care settings will need to maintain strict safeguards. Everyone in the community will need to continue to be accountable (handwashing, limitations on large gatherings, masking, etc.). Note: In the yellow phase, restaurants/bars remain limited to take-out and delivery.

  • Ability to test and trace. A second key consideration for reopening PA is availability of testing kits and materials, which are now in short supply. Experts agree states cannot be reopened safely without widespread testing and contact tracing, which means identifying contacts of everyone who tests positive, notifying them of their exposure, and ensuring they are quarantined to prevent viral spread. Without these measures, experts say infections will accelerate, and complete shut-downs will again become necessary, delivering a second blow to the economy.

    Time is needed to ramp up production of accurate testing kits, testing chemicals, and swabs, and put contact tracing systems in place. On a national scale, Harvard researchers say testing needs to more than triple before the economy can be safely reopened (see chart below). PA's phased reopening will help buy some of this much-needed time.

Source: Testing Needs to Triple Before the U.S. Can Reopen

For more detailed information on PA's reopening plan,

read the Governor's Process to Reopen Pennsylvania.

How to Help Now

It is very hard to be patient, without knowing exactly when businesses can reopen, when we can gather together again, or when we can travel freely. The good news is we see progress every day. People everywhere are working toward solutions almost 24/7. Locally, the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce, the West Chester Business Improvement District, and SCORE are offering support for local businesses. The Chester County Health Department, Chester County Commissioners, Chester County Coroner, and other elected officials are working tirelessly to track data and meet testing needs. Our entire business community is fighting for their employees and for their small businesses. What's more, Chester County Hospital is doing an outstanding job, as is Good Fellowship Ambulance and our own WCPD, and our residents are volunteering their time and donating funds to support our most vulnerable neighbors. 

 

We are a strong community, and the people of West Chester have demonstrated, over and over again, how resilient we are and how much we love our town. Together we will stay strong, tap into all the resources available to us, advocate for what we need, stick together through these hard times, and stay home as much as possible over the coming weeks to contain the spread of the virus so we can get West Chester to the first phase of reopening.

 

I will keep you informed of updates. In the meantime, if you're looking to help, here are some ways you can support our community:

  • Donate to the Mayor's Together We Can: West Chester Community Meal Fund. Your donation will guarantee a warm and welcome meal for our neighbors in need while helping to sustain the Borough’s restaurant community. It's a win-win!
  • Take out great food and buy gift cards from our downtown businesses! Buying a gift card now can help sustain our retailers.
  • Become a shopping assistant for elderly and at-risk neighbors who cannot go to the grocery store right now or, if you need help, sign up for this free shopping service. Our volunteers will shop for you, and they can also pick up food at the well-stocked West Chester Food Cupboard. Just email my assistant, Emily: EPisano@west-chester.com. 
  • Join the Chester County Masketeers and help ensure everyone who needs a mask gets one!

#inthistogether     #westchesterstrong

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To contact Mayor Herrin directly:

DHerrin@west-chester.com

401 East Gay Street, West Chester, PA, USA

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