Wolf: More than 6K business owners granted waivers during covid-19 shutdown, nearly 13K denied

More than 6,000 Pennsylvania businesses received waivers to operate during the pandemic-spurred lockdown, or about 14% of those who applied for the exemption, data released Friday show.

Among them were car washes, bike shops, furniture and appliance stores, lumberyards, sheet metal manufacturers, and toilet rental services. Also approved were bookkeepers, florists, plumbers, roofers, electricians, engineers, architects, contractors, tree trimmers and pension fund managers.

Recipients spanned companies and nonprofits of all sizes — including Oberst’s Pet Paradise exotic pet store in Ford City, the Red Wing shoe store in Cranberry and PPG Paints Arena. Nonprofits also received waivers, such as Vandergrift Meals on Wheels and the Westmoreland County Blind Association.

Nearly 13,000 business owners — about 30% of applicants who sought to stay open — were denied. The state did not release details about businesses whose waiver applications were rejected.

The Wolf administration released the data and a searchable map of waivers just before 5:30 p.m. Friday, following weeks of calls by Senate GOP lawmakers, small-business owners and Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale for more transparency about the waiver process.

“Throughout this process, our primary focus was on reviewing exemption applications and assisting businesses with their questions and concerns, all in service of the goal of protecting public health in the face of an unprecedented and quickly evolving public health emergency,” said Dennis Davin, secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development.

RELATED: Pennsylvania auditor general will look into how state handled business waivers

The state received more than 42,000 requests from business owners hoping to stay open despite of Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown of non-life-sustaining businesses on March 19, according to figures provided by the DCED.

The 50-team staff at the department processing the applications received more than 10,000 requests within the first two days.

About 6,000 businesses have been operating on waivers in recent weeks. There were a little over 11,600 applicants who received assurance they already were permitted to operate without the need for a formal waiver.

And just over 11,600 pending applications have been allowed to open with extra safety measures in place because of rules specific to their industry, such as golf courses, construction projects and car dealerships.

Pennsylvania is home to about 1 million businesses, the DCED reports. That means that less than 5% of businesses sought waivers.

Several business owners denied waivers have complained about the process.

PennLive reported the example of a Franklin County builder who was denied a waiver to complete work on a home lost in a fire.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court made it clear the majority of the justices supported Wolf’s authority to take sweeping actions in a public health emergency. The state high court denied a petition by a gun shop, a gun purchaser and a law firm seeking to overturn Wolf’s order.

RELATED: Nearly 10K Pennsylvania businesses apply for closure waivers

Wolf and state Health Department Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said the shutdown order was needed to thwart the spread of covid-19 and ensure hospitals weren’t overrun by patients suffering from the highly contagious disease.

As of Friday morning, a little more than 2,300 patients were hospitalized for covid-19, including 489 on ventilators and 20 on ECMO life-support machines. The state has confirmed more than 54,000 cases of covid-19 in all 67 counties and just over 3,600 deaths.

Wolf and DCED officials continue to point out that in some other states, governors imposed blanket shutdown orders that didn’t allow for waivers or exemptions.

“While other states also enacted business closures, Pennsylvania was one of the first states to create an exemption process and offer an opportunity to those businesses that believed they could be of service to public health and safety,” Davin said. “I appreciate the patience of Pennsylvanians as we worked through the exemption review process.”

Wolf announced Friday that most of Western Pennsylvania, with the exception of Beaver County, will move to the yellow phase of his red/yellow/green reopening plan next week.

The yellow zone still emphasizes caution, allowing many businesses to reopen so long as they abide by strict safety guidelines and encouraging telecommuting whenever possible.

Gyms, salons, entertainment venues still will remain closed, and bars and restaurants still can only do takeout or delivery.

“As we begin the process of our measured, data-driven, phased re-opening of counties,” Davin said, “we look forward to seeing the economy slowly reopen in a safe and strategic manner.”

A map and list of state-approved waivers by county is available online here.