STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR WOLF'S EMERGENCY BUSINESS CLOSURE

PA Chamber Statement on Governor’s COVID-19 Emergency Order to Close “Non-Life-Sustaining” Businesses

HARRISBURG - Late yesterday, Gov. Tom Wolf issued an order for all “non-life-sustaining businesses” in the Commonwealth to close their physical locations. A list of businesses and industries and their classification can be found here. That order was effective at 8 p.m. last evening with enforcement slated to begin at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, March 21. At the same time, the governor announced enforcement actions against food and liquor establishments that have failed to comply with a previous order. That enforcement began at 8 p.m. last night (March 19). PA Chamber of Business and Industry President and CEO Gene Barr issued the following statement regarding the governor’s order.
 
“While we understand the need for strong measures to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus, many of the industries listed as “non-life-sustaining businesses” in the governor’s order are in fact part of the supply chain for other businesses listed as being a “life-sustaining” business.
 
“We understand that there may be confusion among the state’s business community regarding whether or not they are considered to be a “life-sustaining” business. The Department of Community and Economic Development has set up two e-mails regarding this issue. We encourage employers with questions about whether
their organization needs to close to contact DCED at ra-dcedcs@pa.gov. The Department has also dedicated the following e-mail, RA-dcexemption@pa.gov, for businesses seeking an exemption to the order.y email marketing for free today!