Centre County Changes Mind, Wants to Go “Green”
BELLEFONTE – Centre County’s two Democratic commissioners have had a change of heart and now want the county to move from its present “yellow” reopening phase to a state authorized “green phase” effective as of Friday, May 29.
Gov.Tom Wolf had announced on Friday which state counties could move from the yellow designation to green. He said at the time that Centre County had qualified to switch to green, but at the request of its commissioners, Centre County would remain in the limited category of yellow until after the June 2 election
Majority commissioners Mike Pipe and Mark Higgins had been in favor of the delay, but on Sunday both released statements saying they have changed their minds and will move to seek the “green” classification at their next meeting, Tuesday, May 26. They said the agenda will include a request to the governor to place Centre County in the green category as of May 29, as originally scheduled.
Their statements:
From Commissioner Pipe:
To the residents of Centre County,
After thoughtful consideration and thorough discussion with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, our local business community, and you – the residents of Centre County – I will retract my request to the Governor for a one-week delay and will support Centre County moving from the “yellow phase” to the “green phase” on Friday, May 29.
At the Commissioners’ meeting at 10 A.M. on Tuesday, May 26, we have an action item on the agenda to request the Governor to move Centre County to the “green phase” on 5/29, as originally scheduled.
My concern and reason for asking for a delay was based on the safety of our poll workers, in-person voters, and the spread of COVID-19 on Primary Election Day, June 2 – just four days after moving to the “green phase”. Through my contacts with the Governor’s Office, I was able to speak with the PA Department of Health (DOH). The staff at the DOH were extremely helpful in addressing my concerns related to community spread of COVID-19 by moving to the “green phase” prior to the Primary Election. We discussed the low amount of cases of COVID-19, increased utilization of vote-by-mail, and the measures the Centre County Elections Board has taken, including but not limited to, providing PPE to poll workers, moving voting locations out of long term care facilities, and the reduction of “high contact surfaces” at the polling locations. I appreciate them taking the time to address my questions and concerns.
As we move into the “green phase” we must remain vigilant. In just three months, we have lost 100,000 Americans to COVID-19 and, according to the CDC, we still have months to go until there is a vaccine. However, we must learn to live with it. Let us continue to look out for each other, follow CDC recommendations, and DOH guidance for the “green phase”.
I will always seek out new information and listen to a wide array of perspectives to help inform my decisions for the residents of Centre County. I thank you for reaching out to me with your thoughts and feedback. You can continue to reach me at mike@centrecountypa.gov and on my cell phone at (814) 232-9333.
Please take a moment and review the “green phase” guidelines that were released Friday. You can find the “green phase” guidelines at this link by scrolling down to Green Phase: https://www.governor.pa.gov/process-to-reopen-pennsylvania.
Thank you,
Mike
From Commissioner Higgins:
Since Friday afternoon, I have e-mailed or spoken with hundreds of Centre County citizens regarding moving from the Yellow Phase to the Green Phase. Some of them are doctors, nurses, and other health care workers. Others are small business owners, and, in many cases, I have known them personally for many years.
On Friday afternoon, the Governor gave the Commissioners less than 90 minutes to prepare for, and communicate, our views on moving to the Green Phase. Based on the information we had at the time, we were concerned about our poll workers and an increased possibility of the election becoming a super spreader event if the County moved to the Green Phase before the Primary Election.
After careful reconsideration, during the Commissioner’s meeting on Tuesday, I support the board urging Governor Wolf to consider moving Centre County to the Green Phase on Friday, May 29th.
I would like to thank everyone who reached out to me and communicated their opinions on this issue.
Sincerely,
Mark Higgins
