Yesterday, I noted that Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf had issued an order directing all “non-life-sustaining” businesses in the Commonwealth to close at 8 p.m. yesterday. His stated goal is to “manage the crisis as we see the full brutality of the virus in the coming weeks.” Enforcement actions will begin Saturday at 12:01 a.m.

This evening, the Governor and the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED)  issued updated guidance for the shutdown.  Among other businesses, accountants and tax and payroll preparation services are now allowed to open. The stated goal of the updated guidance is to align the Pennsylvania list with the advisory list issued by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastruture Security Agency respecting critical infrastructure sectors. The new list of industries impacted by the revised guidance can be found here.

If a business listed for closure believes it could help mitigate the crisis by providing or supporting a life sustaining service, it may seek an exemption from DCED.  The process of seeking an exemption is now streamlined, using a form on the DCED website.  The fillable Exemption Request form can be found here.

As this rapidly evolving situation changes, I will be back to provide you with further updates. . Stay well. Stay safe. And Godspeed.

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