Bucks County’s daily average of COVID-19 cases, already at a low baseline level, dropped to an average of less than 21 cases per day last week for the first time since the pandemic’s initial days in March officials said in a release on Monday. 

The  average number of cases reported daily overall  averaged 20.7 per day which puts the county inline with Governor Wolf’s required metrics to move from yellow to green. 

Sate Senator Steve Santarsiero said a recent virtual town hall event he was told by officials from the Governor’s office Bucks County will be moving  from yellow to green. 

“I was told the date we’ll be going into green provided that current cases continue where they are in Bucks County  will be the 26th of June,” said Santarsiero. 

“The 26th of June will be the date we are in the green phase” although many of us hoped it would be sooner. 

A second source told Lower Bucks Source the same information on Saturday but was unwilling at the time to be quoted on the record. 

As Bucks confirmed case numbers continue to trend downward, eighty new infections- the lowest daily total since March- the building anticipation towards going green comes with the reminder, by state and local officials the public needs to continue taking safety precautions.

Santarsiero encouraged the public to continue following public health mitigation efforts. 

The 26th of June will be the date we are in the green phase although many of us hoped it would be sooner, he said. 

Health officials from the county said  “A total of 34 cases over the last three days is something we should be very optimistic about,” said Dr. David Damsker, director of the Bucks County Health Department. “We are a week and a half into the yellow phase and a ways out from the large protests that occurred.”

No statistics were reported on Sunday, but today’s two-day total of 26 represents an average of 13 per day to begin this week. The total includes six delayed case reports too old to still be considered infectious, officials said. 

Three deaths of people who tested positive for COVID-19 also were reported over the three-day period. All were over age 85, lived in long-term care facilities and had underlying health issues.

Of the 34 cases reported from Saturday through Monday, 12 were the result of infections spread within households, 10 are residents or workers at long-term care facilities, four resulted from pure community spread, two were transmitted in healthcare settings, two were from workplace contacts and four were unable to be interviewed immediately, according to data provided by the county. 

Eighty-two Bucks County coronavirus patients remain hospitalized, 14 of them in critical condition and on ventilators. A total of 493 county deaths have now been attributed to COVID-19, while 2,321 who have tested positive for the virus are confirmed to have recovered.

Statistics, charts and other coronavirus-related information can be found on the county’s data portal: https://covid19-bucksgis.hub.arcgis.com.  An interactive Bucks County map