On March 19, Governor Wolf announced that non-life sustaining businesses would be required to close their physical locations in Pennsylvania by 8:00 p.m. that evening. As part of the order, the Administration published a list of life sustaining and non-life sustaining businesses. The measure was implemented to inhibit the spread of COVID-19 and enforcement was slated to begin at midnight on March 21. Governor Wolf’s order also included a mechanism whereby businesses could seek an exemption from the shutdown.
Since Thursday, the Governor’s Office has been flooded with exemption requests from Pennsylvania businesses seeking to keep their physical locations open during the shutdown. As a result, Governor Wolf announced that enforcement of the shutdown order would be delayed until 8:00 a.m. on March 23. The Administration also updated its list of life sustaining and non-life sustaining businesses.
Businesses that are classified as non-life sustaining may still seek exemption from the shutdown order. Those who choose to apply for exemption may do so online.
If you have questions about how the shutdown order affects your business, or if you need assistance seeking an exemption from the order, contact any member of our Labor and Employment Group.