Philly Region Past Coronavirus Peak, Officials Say

HARRISBURG, PA — Philadelphia and the southeastern portion of the state is past the peak in coronavirus cases, state officials said Tuesday.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine said, based on data averages from the region, "it does seem we are past the peak."

However, she noted, as the region prepares to reopen, "we are going to have to be very, very careful that we don't see outbreaks." If outbreaks occur, officials will have to deal with them "very quickly," Levine said.

Her comments come as the state is preparing to ease coronavirus mitigation measures in some counties on May 8. The counties slated to move from the "red" to "yellow" designation — part of the governor's reopening strategy— will be announced this Friday, Levine said.

But those in the southeastern portion of the state, including Philadelphia and its collar counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery, shouldn't get too excited. The governor has already stated restrictions will not yet be lifted in those counties.

In fact, Gov. Tom Wolf said, the Philadelphia region can expect to be the last to reopen.

Also on Tuesday, 1,214 additional positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the state, bringing Pennsylvania's coronavirus case total to 43,264. A total of 1,716 Pennsylvania residents have died from the virus.

“We must continue to stay home to protect ourselves, our families and our community. If you must go out, please make as few trips as possible and wear a mask to protect not only yourself, but others. We need all Pennsylvanians to continue to heed these efforts to protect our vulnerable Pennsylvanians, our health care workers and frontline responders," Levine said.

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This article originally appeared on the Across Pennsylvania Patch