Lehigh County Executive Phillips M. Armstrong, along with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, has placed Lehigh County on a stay-at-home order, urging residents to shelter in place for their health and safety.

The state-at-home order was announced by Armstrong approximately 11:45 a.m. via Facebook Live.

The stay-at-home order begins 8 p.m. March 25 and will continue until April 6.

Wolf ordered a stay-at-home command for Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Monroe and Montgomery counties March 23. Lehigh County is the latest addition to the list.

According to the order, “Individuals may leave their residence only to perform any of the following allowable individual activities and allowable essential travel:

• Tasks essential to maintain health and safety, or the health and safety of their family or household members (including pets), such as obtaining medicine or medical supplies, visiting a health care professional or obtaining supplies they need to work from home;

• Getting necessary services or supplies for themselves, for their family or household members, or as part of volunteer efforts, or to deliver those services or supplies to others to maintain the safety, sanitation and essential operation of residences;

• Engaging in outdoor activity, such as walking, hiking or running if they maintain social distancing;

• To perform work providing essential products and services at a life-sustaining business;

• To care for a family member or pet in another household;

• Any travel related to the provision of or access to the above-mentioned individual activities or life-sustaining business activities;

• Travel to care for elderly, minors, dependents, persons with disabilities or other vulnerable persons;

• Travel to or from educational institutions for purposes of receiving materials for distance learning, for receiving meals and any other related services;

• Travel to return to a place of residence from an outside jurisdiction;

• Travel required by law enforcement or court order; and

• Travel required for nonresidents to return to their place of residence outside the commonwealth.”

Grocery stores and pharmacies, among other life-sustaining businesses, will remain open, according to the news release from Lehigh County.

The following operations are exempt from this order: life-sustaining businesses, health care and medical service providers, life-sustaining services such as food banks, news media, law enforcement, the federal government and religious institutions.