Updates:
- 3/27/2020: Governor Wolf has amended his order to include residents of Berks, Butler, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Luzerne, Pike, Wayne, Westmoreland, and York Counties. The amended order is available here.
- 3/25/2020: Governor Wolf has amended his order to include residents of Northampton and Lehigh Counties. The amended order is available here.
- 3/24/2020: Governor Wolf has amended his order to include residents of Erie County, in addition to the seven counties previously impacted. The amended order is available here.
Original Post:
Effective Monday, March 23, 2020 at 8:00 p.m., residents in Philadelphia, Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Monroe, and Montgomery counties are required “to stay at home except as needed to access, support or provide life-sustaining business, emergency or government services.” Residents are permitted to “engage in outdoor activities,” but gatherings are prohibited, and anyone leaving home must practice social distancing and other mitigation efforts.
The administration issued guidance along with the Order, which elaborates on allowable individual activities. Allowable individual activities include (1) tasks essential to maintaining your health and safety or that of your family members, (2) obtaining or delivering necessary supplies (e.g., food), including distributing meals or other life-sustaining services to those in need, (3) outdoor activities, (4) performing work for a life-sustaining business, and (5) caring for a family member or pet in another household. Essential travel is also allowable in limited circumstances, including travel related to one of the allowable individual activities, as well as travel to care for vulnerable persons, to obtain materials for distance learning, to return to a place of residence from an outside jurisdiction, and as required by law enforcement or court order.
Philadelphia residents are also subject to the City’s Stay at Home Order, signed by Mayor Kenney on Sunday, March 22. Our summary of the Philadelphia Order is here.
Governor Wolf’s Order is available here, and guidance accompanying the Order is available here. The Order is effective through April 6, 2020. All schools statewide will remain closed through that date as well.
More information regarding Governor Wolf’s previous orders on life sustaining businesses is available here.
The material contained in this communication is informational, general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. The material contained in this communication should not be relied upon or used without consulting a lawyer to consider your specific circumstances. This communication was published on the date specified and may not include any changes in the topics, laws, rules or regulations covered. Receipt of this communication does not establish an attorney-client relationship. In some jurisdictions, this communication may be considered attorney advertising.