Aug 25, 2020 1 min read

Two more people have died from COVID-19 in Washington County where the death toll from the virus climbed Tuesday to 24, the state Health Department said.

The county also was considered a moderate risk for the disease, meaning school districts there should consider reopening schools in the hybrid manner, Gov. Tom Wolf said.

“The pandemic has put a whole lot of pressure on families,” Wolf said Tuesday when he also urged the Legislature to consider the needs of families, small businesses and front-line workers when it returns for the fall session.

He also urged lawmakers to approve recreational-use marijuana to have a new funding stream to fill in the gaps that widened during the crisis.

“This might be one way to plug a hole,” Wolf said.

The state announced 561 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, pushing the total above 130,000 since the virus was first confirmed in Pennsylvania March 6.

It has killed 7,605 Pennsylvanians after 26 new virus deaths were announced Tuesday.

Washington County added four new cases to its total of 983. Greene County held at 135 cases, while Fayette County added two to its total of 663.