NEW PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The map from the state Department of Health shows how it has broken down Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania into regions for years.
Schuylkill County is the only one not included in either the Northeast or the Northcentral.
That's because Schuylkill County is considered to be in the Southeast Region.
“I didn't know that, no,” said Fran Martin who lives in New Philadelphia.
Here in New Philadelphia, people were just learning they're in a region that includes Philadelphia, a city that has more than 10,000 cases.
This small borough outside of Pottsville has fewer than five.
For people in New Philadelphia, the state's plan to reopen by region not county doesn't seem right.
“I don't think it's fair. I really don't,” said Martin. “I think it should go by county to county.”
Stephanie Cereghino opened the Independence Bar and Grille in New Philadelphia at the end of February and was shut down within weeks.
She's barely getting by through takeout food sales and needs to get back to business as usual.
“We're scraping. We're scraping just to pay the power bill,” said Cereghino. “I mean, I don't pay myself at all. The one employee that I have is just working to help out.”
In Pottsville, the county seat, the latest numbers from the state health department show the city only has 34 cases of COVID-19.
Savas Logothetides, the owner of The Wheel in Pottsville has begun talking to state lawmakers, hoping Schuylkill County can be taken out of the Southeast region.
“There is no comparison when we look at the rest of the southeast region as it stands today,” said Logothetides.
So far, there's no indication that that will happen.
There is an online effort to help businesses in Schuylkill County affected by the shutdown order.