HARRISBURG – The following rules are in place regarding Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order which he extended to all 67 counties in the Commonwealth Wednesday.

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, but not limited to, 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 or their family or household members, or to deliver those services or supplies to others, such as getting food and household consumer products, pet food, and supplies necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences. This includes volunteer efforts to distribute meals and other life-sustaining services to those in need.

– 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 (see below for details about life-sustaining business activities).

– To care for a family member or pet in another household.

ALLOWABLE ESSENTIAL TRAVEL

– Any travel related to the provision of or access to the above-mentioned individual activities or life-sustaining business activities (see below for details about 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.

– Travel required for non-residents to return to their place of residence outside the commonwealth.

– Anyone performing life-sustaining travel does not need paperwork to prove the reason for travel.

LIFE-SUSTAINING BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

Life-sustaining business activities are exempt from this policy. On March 19, Governor Wolf ordered the closure of the physical locations of businesses that are not critical to sustaining life in a pandemic.

Businesses can determine whether they are considered a life-sustaining business, and are therefore allowed to continue in-person, physical operations, by first referring to the Governor’s Order and the list of life-sustaining business. This list has been updated to conform with guidance on Essential Critical Infrastructure issued by the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency advisory.

If the answer remains unclear, businesses may email the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for further assistance at the following email account: ra-dcedcs@pa.gov. Inquiries will be answered as promptly as possible.

Businesses that are ordered closed but believe they could help mitigate this crisis by providing a life-sustaining service may apply for a waiver to re-open.

ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE

Additionally, nothing in this policy shall be construed to affect the operations of:

– Health care or medical service providers.

– Access to life-sustaining services for low-income residents, including, but not limited to, food banks.

– Access to child care services for employees of life-sustaining businesses that remain open as follows: child care facilities operating under the Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning waiver process; group and family child care operating in a residence; and part-day school age programs operating under an exemption from the March 19 business closure orders.

– The news media

– Law enforcement

– The federal government

– Religious institutions