Governor Tom Wolf, in a press event last week, spoke of Pennsylvania’s successes in fighting the coronavirus, using what’s been learned to increase testing and contact tracing and stockpiling nearly six months’ worth of personal protective equipment. He said the state is 41st nationally in daily positives. Additionally, the Department of Health has released a new, free smartphone application – COVID Alert PA – that notifies users when they may be in danger of exposure.

As of Thursday, 77,000 people had downloaded the application.

He also asked Republicans in the general assembly to cease fighting him on existing mitigation rules and focus on passing helpful legislation. Projections indicate reducing too many mitigation factors could result in doubling the state’s daily positives within a month, and the discomfort is necessary. “We did some things because we had to,” he said. “Yeah, we don’t like it, but it saves lives. The virus is out there waiting for us to do stupid things.

“You can’t legislate gravity,” he said, and the virus doesn’t respond to laws, only actions. He said he’s concerned about political posturing affecting public safety, and that when it’s necessary to do something that may harm an industry, such as restaurants, it’s also government’s job to do something to offset it.

As of Monday, the state has 151,944 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 8,107 deaths. Lehigh County has 5,623 confirmed and 353 deaths; Northampton County has 4,487 confirmed and 305 deaths; the city of Bethlehem has 1,333 confirmed and 82 deaths.