Pennsylvania quarries, originally ordered to close, can remain open

Pennsylvania businesses in coal mining, metal ore mining, and nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying were ordered to close due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: P&Q Staff

The governor of Pennsylvania ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses within the state to close their physical locations March 19 to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

This order initially applied to the state’s mining industry, including operations such as quarries. Gov. Tom Wolf (D-Pennsylvania), however, reversed course March 20, adding the mining industry to list of life-sustaining companies.

According to the governor’s office, the Wolf administration received a high volume of waiver requests and is delaying enforcement of the order that all non-life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania close to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Pennsylvania’s mining industry includes coal mining, metal ore mining, and nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying.

“To protect the health and safety of all Pennsylvanians, we need to take more aggressive mitigation actions,” Wolf said on March 19. “This virus is an invisible danger that could be present everywhere. We need to act with the strength we use against any other severe threat. And we need to act now before the illness spreads more widely.”

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