As Pennsylvania moves forward with the gradual reopening of counties from COVID-19 related closure and stay at home orders, state officials say that those orders can and will be enforced.
Pennsylvania State Police and local police departments have the authority to enforce those orders.
The governor however says that the ultimate goal is to educate people about the dangers of the coronavirus and hope that they make the decision to follow the state’s guidance.
“The real enforcement here is do we want to jeopardize the lives of people we care about? Our customers, our employees, our family members. I think the answer to that is overwhelmingly no. We don’t want to do that,” said Governor Tom Wolf, (D) Pennsylvania.
Penalties for violating the closure orders can range anywhere from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars and even possible jail time.