CARBON COUNTY, Pa. — A map of Northeastern, Southeastern and Central Pennsylvania shows which counties in this area are currently in yellow, which ones are remaining in red.
It also which ones will be elevated to Yellow by Friday, May 22nd.
The State Health Secretary says they are looking at several models to determine which counties can have restrictions lifted but for Carbon County to go yellow in a week seems rather odd.
It's completely surrounded by counties in red.
Newswatch 16 showed this map to people living the Carbon County borough of Weatherly.
“Yeah, okay that makes sense. Fits right in there in the middle of the red there,” said Rocco Connors.
“It's a joke if you look at it like that, to be honest,” laughed Kelly Connors.
Carbon County's borders touch five counties that still have the most restrictions.
Beaver Meadows sits near the Luzerne County line, a county that has nearly 2,500 cases.
Nancy Burgess says people from that county will cross over there once her county's restrictions are lifted.
“I'm sure they will. But I don't know what's opening. I'm sure not the hair dressers yet,” Burgess said, laughing.
According to the State Health Department, there are just over 200 case of COVID-19 here in Carbon County. People living here say if people living in red counties come here after this county goes yellow, that number will go up.
“If we get lifted from it, everybody's going to be coming wherever they can that's not in the banned so it's going to end up being right back to where it was,” said Cordell Lex from Beaver Meadows.
In a statement from the Carbon County Commissioners they said that "…with the transition comes increased responsibility to ensure Carbon does not back slide." And that they will implement "… a guided strategy to safely and responsibly re-open Carbon .. and importantly reboot our local economy."