Trump declares federal disaster in Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON, March 31 (MENA) - US President Donald Trump declared a major disaster in Pennsylvania on Monday night, as Gov. Tom Wolf extended the closing of schools and nonessential businesses indefinitely, Fox News reported.

Wolf also added four more counties — Carbon, Cumberland, Dauphin and Schuylkill — to a separate stay-at-home order and extended its duration by more than three weeks, through at least April 30.

Gov. Wolf said he knows the extended shutdown of businesses, schools and swaths of daily life "isn’t easy to hear," but is necessary to save lives and keep hospitals from becoming overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

"We’re going to keep our schools and businesses closed as long as we need to keep them closed to keep Pennsylvania safe. Right now, it isn’t safe," he said.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania rose on Monday to 4,087, with 48 reported fatalities.