MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — The president of St. Luke's Pocono campus near Bartonsville echoed the stay at home ordered issued by Governor Wolf for Monroe County, in a Sunday news conference.
Don Seiple, pleading even more urgently for people to stay home. Seiple worries people aren't taking the order seriously enough and are inviting the spread of COVID-19.
"People still playing basketball at the community basketball courts, who are at home centers buying paint to paint their house, who are doing activities such as that having parties at their house," said Don Seiple, President of St. Luke's Pocono Campus.
Seiple described a strain on resources inside the hospital as a rising number of coronavirus patients seek treatment.
About half of patients who arrive in their ER are showing COVID-19 symptoms. Right now, the hospital is still using their normal supply chain to get n-95 face masks and other protective equipment necessary for hospital staff, but Seiple admits they're using their PPE differently than they would under normal circumstances to stretch their supply.
He feels being close to the State Border puts their hospital at increased risk
"New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, We all need to stop movement between states, and people need to stay put. I think many of those folks have now come here, and they're here, and now they need to comply. And yes, they do bring an increased risk to us by coming here from an area that's a little bit ahead of us as far as this virus," said Seiple.
Officials wanted to get the message out ahead of the approaching religious holidays.
"With Easter and Passover fastly approaching, it is more important than ever to comply. Much of the spread of COVID-19 is related to close personal contact at family gatherings," said Seiple.
For a full list of guidelines regarding the stay at home order, click here.