As the number of COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania continues to rapidly rise, lawmakers in the Pennsylvania House and Senate have passed multiple pieces of legislation related to the virus.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced 276 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the statewide total to 1,176. 44 counties are now reporting cases, and 11 people have died as a result of the virus. 

While Health Secretary Rachel Levine and Governor Tom Wolf provided a daily update on COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, state lawmakers voted on several COVID-19-related Bills. Some lawmakers reported to session in person, but most reported remotely, a truly historic day for the Pennsylvania Government.

Legislators in both the House and Senate unanimously passed a Bill moving Pennsylvania’s Primary from April 28th to June 2nd. The Keystone State joins a growing list of states moving their primary amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That Bill now moves to Governor Wolf’s desk, who has previously said he supports the legislation.

Another Bill passed by both chambers Wednesday allows the Department of Education to adapt to changes that needed to be made thanks to the outbreak. The Bill, which updates the Pennsylvania school code, allows school employees to receive full pay and benefits. It also waives the 180-school day requirement and doesn’t harm school districts who don’t meet state-mandated requirements. That Bill also heads to Governor Wolf’s desk.

House Bill 68 provides for emergency changes to the state’s Unemployment Compensation program. It would waive the one-week waiting period for all claimants during the Governor’s emergency declaration, allowing benefits to begin on the first day of unemployment. The Bill also waives job search and registration requirements for claimants. That Bill was passed by both chambers Wednesday afternoon as well, and will now head to Governor Wolf’s desk.

House Bill 1232 would give $50 million in additional funding to healthcare facilities, allowing them to buy medical equipment and supplies to address the increased demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bill also moves back the deadline for Pennsylvania residents who are required to declare and pay Personal Income Tax filings. The new deadline is July 15th, 2020. That Bill also passed both chambers Wednesday afternoon and will head to Governor Wolf’s desk.

Meanwhile, Governor Wolf extended “Stay at Home” orders to both Lehigh and Northampton Counties Wednesday morning. In addition to helping slow the spread of Coronavirus, state officials are hopeful this will allow hospitals across the state to prepare.

“If our number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase at its current rate, our hospitals will soon be overwhelmed, so we need to buy time. Time to allow hospitals to gather materials, and time to allow people who are sick now to get better and be discharged from the hospital, freeing up much-needed space and equipment,” Governor Wolf explains.

Of the more than 1,100 COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania, 38 patients so far have needed to be treated in the ICU, and 18 have needed to be put on ventilators. There are more than 3,000 ventilators in the state,  and 3,400 ICU beds. Currently, 40% of ICU beds are available. The Wolf Administration is currently working to increase the state’s supply of medical equipment.

“We are actively purchasing N95 masks, we have been purchasing ventilators to help contribute to out supply that we can then push out to hospitals, health systems, and other healthcare personnel,” says Dr. Levine.

Even more reinforcements may be on the way for healthcare workers currently treating COVID-19 cases. Wednesday morning, the Pennsylvania Department of State announced the waiver of certain licensing regulations, which will allow retired health care workers to come back and help overwhelmed and short-staffed health care facilities.

Meanwhile, more support is being given to small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Wolf has announced the COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program, making $60 million available to provide loans of up to $100,000 to for-profit businesses with 100 or fewer full-time employees. Funds are expected to be made available this week. All loan applications must be submitted through a Certified Economic Development Organization (CEDO). Here is a list of CEDO’s operating in Pennsylvania: https://dced.pa.gov/programs/covid-19-working-capital-access-program-cwca/

As he has since the beginning, Governor Wolf encouraged all Pennsylvanians to stick together during this crisis.

“We’re going to recover from this crisis, but first we must get through it. Let’s do this together,” Governor Wolf says.