COVID-19 UPDATE 5/11: Wolf threatens CARES Act funding for counties that don't comply with orders
Gov. Tom Wolf threatened to snub counties with discretionary CARES Act funding if they don't comply with his orders.
“We Pennsylvanians are in a fight for our lives,” Wolf said. “The enemy is a virus set on destroying us.”
Butler County will move to the yellow phase of reopening on Friday, but District Attorney Rich Goldinger also made public his decision to not prosecute cases related to the governor's orders.
In his statement Friday, Goldinger said he did not think it was appropriate to take action against those trying to provide for themselves and their families.
“This is not intended to invite individuals to completely ignore the precautions required at this time to prevent the continue spread of COVID-19, nor is it meant to give individuals the green light to conduct business as was done prior to the pandemic,” Goldinger said.
Butler Health System spokeswoman Jana Panther acknowledged two deaths systemwide attributed to COVID-19 over the weekend, one at Butler Memorial Hospital and the other at Clarion Hospital. Neither of the two deaths appeared in the state Department of Health's numbers, which showed that Butler County's death toll remained at six.
The state's data usually sees drastic decreases on Mondays and large spikes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine attributed to lags in reporting and data consolidation in the past.
The following numbers about the coronavirus pandemic are compiled daily from the Pennsylvania Department of Health's website and regular releases from Butler Health System.
Monday's COVID-19 statistics:
Confirmed cases: 195Negative tests: 2,748Deaths: 7
New cases: 543Total cases: 57,154New deaths: 24Total deaths: 3,731Negative tests: 231,704
Inpatients: 5Suspected: 0Confirmed: 5ICU: 1Total tests: 3,353Outdoor tests: 2,152Positive tests: 225
Inpatients: 4Suspected: 2Confirmed: 2ICU: 1Total tests: 704Outdoor tests: 540Positive tests: 27
Allegheny: 1,511 confirmed cases, 19,699 negative test results, and 123 deathsArmstrong: 55 confirmed, 843 negative, and 5 deathsBeaver: 491 confirmed, 2,503 negative, and 78 deathsClarion: 23 confirmed, 554 negative, and 2 deathLawrence: 70 confirmed, 912 negative, and 7 deathsMercer: 75 confirmed, 948 negative, and 2 deathVenango: 7 confirmed and 302 negativeWestmoreland: 418 confirmed, 5,946 negative, and 30 deaths* The total cases includes confirmed and probable cases.* The total deaths and new deaths include only confirmed deaths, which is a person who tested positive for the virus before their death.