Governor Tom Wolf last week expressed his gratitude to the many front-line workers who have borne the brunt of the daily responsibility for keeping our communities functioning. He said they deserve more than thanks and respect, however, and asked the state general assembly to pass his proposed $225 million hazard pay program to temporarily increase pay by $3 per hour and assist eligible small businesses.

Wolf said the difficult decisions made at the start of the outbreak hit these workers hard and continue to alter their lives. It was part of flattening the curve, he said. “We were trying to buy time, and it worked.”

A previous program for $50 million successfully aided 42,000 workers at 639 companies, but it was a drop in the bucket compared with the thousands of applicants.

During a Q&A with reporters, Wolf said arguments over a proposal to assist the badly-hit hospitality industry are inevitable in a democracy. He proposes $100 million, while some in the state congress are calling for $500 million. While the disagreement is unfortunate, he said, at least everyone agrees the industry needs help.

Wolf is now is a legal fight over some of his mitigation orders, which a federal judge has declared unconstitutional, which Wolf will appeal. A hotly contested rule for bars and restaurants to close at 10 p.m. each night was eased to 11 p.m.

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine meanwhile, provided a regular health precaution. “We know that congregation, especially in college and university settings, yields increased case counts. The mitigation efforts in place now are essential to flattening the curve and saving lives. Wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and following the requirements set forth in the orders for bars and restaurants, gatherings, and telework will help keep our case counts low. Together, as Pennsylvanians, all of our efforts are designed to support our communities to ensure that cases of COVID-19 remain low.”

As of Monday, the state has 146,057 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 7,981 deaths. Lehigh County has 5,484 confirmed cases and 349 deaths; Northampton County has 4,390 confirmed cases and 304 deaths; the city of Bethlehem has 1,301 confirmed and 82 deaths.