Opinion ID: 4524928
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: Article V, Section 2 of the Pennsylvania Constitution provides, in relevant part, that the Supreme Court “shall be the highest court of the Commonwealth and in this court 7 In Civil Rights Defense Firm v. Governor Tom Wolf, 63 MM 2020 (per curiam order dated March 22, 2020), this Court denied an Emergency Ex-Parte Application for Emergency Relief pursuant to this Court’s King’s Bench jurisdiction, which application was based, in part, on the same statutory authority for, and the constitutionality of, the Governor’s Executive Order as advanced in the present Emergency Application. We do not agree with the Respondents’ suggestion that our refusal to exercise our King’s Bench authority in the former challenge has a dispositive impact on our consideration of the issues presented here. Respondents’ Brief at n.15. [68 MM 2020] - 15 shall be reposed the supreme judicial power of the Commonwealth,” Pa. Const. art. V, § 2(a), and further provides that the Supreme Court “shall have such jurisdiction as shall be provided by law.” Id. at 2(c). The General Assembly has codified our King's Bench authority: “The Supreme Court shall have and exercise the powers vested in it by the Constitution of Pennsylvania, including the power generally to minister justice to all persons and to exercise the powers of the court, as fully and amply, to all intents and purposes, as the justices of the Court of King's Bench, Common Pleas and Exchequer, at Westminster, or any of them, could or might do on May 22, 1722.” 42 Pa.C.S. § 502. This Court has observed that “our King's Bench authority is generally invoked to review an issue of public importance that requires timely intervention by the court of last resort to avoid the deleterious effects arising from delays incident to the ordinary process of law.” Commonwealth v. Williams, 129 A.3d 1199, 1205–06 (Pa. 2015); see also In re Bruno, 101 A.3d 653, 670 (Pa. 2014). We may “exercise King's Bench powers over matters where no dispute is pending in a lower court.”8 Williams, 129 A.3d at 1206 (citing In re Assignment of Avellino, 690 A.2d 1138, 1140 (Pa. 1997)). Both Petitioners and Respondents agree that the present action presents an issue of immense public concern and requires immediate judicial resolution. Petitioners’ Brief at 13 (“As [Petitioners] challenge the Commonwealth’s ability to address the pandemic, 8 An action similar to this Emergency Application is pending (but stayed) in the original jurisdiction of the Commonwealth Court. While generally presenting the same legal claims, there is not an identity of the petitioners in that case with those in this action. Petitioners briefly suggest that as an alternative to granting King’s Bench jurisdiction here, we could exercise our extraordinary jurisdiction powers in 42 Pa.C.S. § 726 to assume jurisdiction of the Commonwealth Court action. Petitioners’ Brief at 13-14. Under the circumstances, we grant King’s Bench jurisdiction to decide the issue raised in the Emergency Application. [68 MM 2020] - 16 these matters present precisely the type of far reaching, public policy concerns that warrant this Court’s use of its extraordinary powers.”); Respondents’ Brief at 7. The Respondents in fact urge this Court to exercise both our King’s Bench and extraordinary jurisdiction. Id. We agree that this case presents issues of immediate and immense public importance impacting virtually all Pennsylvanians and thousands of Pennsylvania businesses, and that continued challenges to the Executive Order will cause further uncertainty. This Court hereby invokes its King’s Bench powers to decide the statutory and constitutional challenges to the Executive Order presented in Petitioners’ Emergency Application. III. RESPONDENTS’ STATUTORY AUTHORITY TO ISSUE THE EXECUTIVE ORDER The Governor derives broad authority from our Constitution, as it vests him with “supreme executive power” and directs him to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” Pa. Const. art IV, § 2. As the Commonwealth’s chief executive officer, the Governor has primary responsibility for protecting the public safety and welfare of the people of Pennsylvania in times of actual or imminent disasters where public safety and welfare are threatened. 35 Pa.C.S. § 7301(a). As such, the Governor is vested with broad emergency management powers under the Emergency Code. The General Assembly imbedded in the Code its purposes, which include to “[r]educe vulnerability of people and communities of this Commonwealth to damage, injury and loss of life and property resulting from disasters;” to “[p]repare for prompt and efficient rescue, care and treatment of persons victimized or threatened by disaster;” to “[c]larify and strengthen the roles of the Governor, Commonwealth agencies and local government in prevention of, preparation for, response to and recovery from disasters;” to “[a]uthorize and provide for [68 MM 2020] - 17 cooperation in disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery” and to ”[s]upplement, without in any way limiting, authority conferred by previous statutes of this Commonwealth … .” 35 Pa.C.S. §§ 7103(1), (2), (4), (5), (9). The Code further declares that it does not intend to “[l]imit, modify or abridge the authority of the Governor to proclaim martial law or exercise any other powers vested in him under the Constitution, statutes or common law of this Commonwealth.” 35 Pa.C.S. §7104(3). Section 7301, entitled “General authority of Governor,” clarifies the nature of the Governor’s powers and responsibilities in disaster situations. First and foremost, the Governor is “responsible for meeting the dangers to this Commonwealth and people presented by disasters.” 35 Pa.C.S. § 7301(a). He is further empowered to “issue, amend and rescind executive orders, proclamations and regulations which shall have the force and effect of law.” 35 Pa.C.S. § 7301(b). The Governor may, by proclamation or executive order, declare a state of disaster emergency, 35 Pa.C.S. § 3701(b), “upon finding that a disaster has occurred or that the occurrence or the threat of a disaster is imminent.” 35 Pa.C.S. § 7301(c). This state of disaster emergency shall continue until the Governor finds that the threat or danger has passed or that emergency conditions no longer exist, but may not continue for longer than ninety days9 unless renewed by the 9 During the General Assembly’s consideration of passage of the Emergency Code in 1977, it made only one significant change to the text of section 7301(c), namely to extend the duration of the period of the Governor's declared disaster emergency from thirty days to ninety days. The National Governors Association notes that ten states require that emergency declarations expire in less than thirty days, sixteen states do not permit emergency declarations to exceed 30 days, and just five states allow emergency declarations to last sixty days or more. See National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, The Governor's Guide to Homeland Security at 14 (2007), http:// www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/0703GOVGUIDEHS.PDF. As such, Pennsylvania's Governor has the authority to declare one of the longest emergency [68 MM 2020] - 18 Governor. Id. As a counterbalance to the exercise of the broad powers granted to the Governor, the Emergency Code provides that the General Assembly by concurrent resolution may terminate a state of disaster emergency at any time. Id. Upon the declaration of a disaster emergency, the Emergency Code vests with the Governor expansive emergency management powers, including, inter alia, to “[s]uspend the provisions of any regulatory statute prescribing the procedures for conduct of Commonwealth business, or the orders, rules or regulations of any Commonwealth agency, if strict compliance with the provisions of any statute, order, rule or regulation would in any way prevent, hinder or delay necessary action in coping with the emergency;” to “[u]tilize all available resources of the Commonwealth Government and each political subdivision of this Commonwealth as reasonably necessary to cope with the disaster emergency;” to “[t]ransfer the direction, personnel or functions of Commonwealth agencies or units thereof for the purpose of performing or facilitating emergency services;” to “[d]irect and compel the evacuation of all or part of the population from any stricken or threatened area within this Commonwealth if this action is necessary for the preservation of life or other disaster mitigation, response or recovery;” to “[c]ontrol ingress and egress to and from a disaster area, the movement of persons within the area and the occupancy of premises therein;” and to “[s]uspend or limit the sale, dispensing or declarations of any governor in the United States. Patricia Sweeney, JD, MPH, RN, Ryan Joyce, JD, Gubernatorial Emergency Management Powers: Testing the Limits in Pennsylvania, 6 Pitt. J. Envtl Pub. Health L. 149, 177 (2012). With this revision to section 7301(c), the Emergency Code passed by unanimous votes in both chambers of the General Assembly. H. Journal, 162nd Gen. Assemb., vol. 5, at 3662-63 (Pa. Nov. 14, 1978) (190-0). S. Journal, 162nd Gen. Assemb., vol. 2, at 1167 (Pa. Nov. 15, 1978) (47-0). [68 MM 2020] - 19 transportation of alcoholic beverages, firearms, explosives and combustibles.” 35 Pa.C.S. §§ 7301(f)(1),(2),(3),(7),(8).10 The broad powers granted to the Governor in the Emergency Code are firmly grounded in the Commonwealth’s police power. See generally Rufo v. Board of License and Inspection Review, 192 A.3d 1113, 1120 (Pa. 2018). This Court has defined the Commonwealth’s police power as the power “to promote the public health, morals or safety and the general well-being of the community.” Pa. Restaurant & Lodging Ass’n v. City of Pittsburgh, 211 A.3d 810, 817 (Pa. 2019). In Nat’l Wood Preservers, Inc. v. Dep’t of Envt’l Protection, 414 A.2d 37, 42 (Pa. 1980), we described the police power as the state’s “inherent power of a body politic to enact and enforce laws for the protection of the general welfare,” and thus, it is both one of the “most essential powers of the government” and its “least limitable power.” Id. at 42- 43. The police power is fundamental because it enables “civil society” to respond in an appropriate and effective fashion to changing political, economic, and social circumstances, and thus to maintain its vitality and order. See, e. g., Mugler v. Kansas, 123 U.S. 623 (1887). The police power of the state [must therefore be] ... as comprehensive as the demands of society require under the circumstances. Comm. v. Barnes & Tucker II, 371 A.2d 461, 467 (Pa. 1977). Of necessity, then, the police power is a broad and flexible power. See, e. g., 10 As detailed in this Opinion, our analysis of the Emergency Code and our statutory construction of the provisions implicated by Petitioners leads us to conclude that it provides the authority for the Governor’s issuance of the Executive Order. Thus, we will not discuss the parties’ arguments based on the Administrative Code or the Disease Act. While we recognize the vital role played by the Secretary and her department in advising the Governor of the public health implications of COVID-19 and the most appropriate methods to suppress and contain it, we find ample support in the Emergency Code’s direct authorization of the promulgation of the Executive Order without the necessity of an interpretation of the Department of Health’s authority under the Disease Act or Administrative Code. [68 MM 2020] - 20 Berman v. Parker, 348 U.S. 26 (1954); Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365 (1926). Id.; see also Grime v. Dep’t of Instruction, 188 A. 337, 341 (Pa. 1936) (“[B]usiness can be regulated under the police power because of its relation to health”). Petitioners do not challenge that there are far-reaching powers granted to the Governor under the Emergency Code. Instead, Petitioners challenge the applicability of these powers in response to a viral illness like COVID-19, and further contend that even if there is any applicability, no power has been conferred that would permit Respondents to close their businesses. Petitioners’ Brief at 21. Because consideration of Petitioners’ arguments require that we engage in statutory interpretation, we note that when doing so a court's duty is to give effect to the legislature's intent and that the best indication of legislative intent is the plain language of the statute. 1 Pa.C.S. § 1921(a); Roverano v. John Crane, Inc., 2020 WL 808186, at  (Pa. Feb. 19, 2020); Matter of Private Sale of Prop. by Millcreek Twp. Sch. Dist., 185 A.3d 282, 290-91 (Pa. 2018). The provisions of the Emergency Code apply to “disasters.” The Emergency Code defines “disaster” as “[a] man-made disaster, natural disaster or war-caused disaster.”11 35 Pa.C.S. § 7102. Of relevance here, “natural disaster” is defined as follows: Any hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, earthquake, landslide, mudslide, 11 The Emergency Code defines a “man-made disaster” as “[a]ny industrial, nuclear or transportation accident, explosion, conflagration, power failure, natural resource shortage or other condition, except enemy action, resulting from man-made causes, such as oil spills and other injurious environmental contamination, which threatens or causes substantial damage to property, human suffering, hardship or loss of life.” 35 Pa. C.S. § 7102. A “war-caused disaster” is any “condition following an attack upon the United States resulting in substantial damage to property or injury to persons in the United States caused by use of bombs, missiles, shellfire, nuclear, radiological, chemical or biological means, or other weapons or overt paramilitary actions, or other conditions such as sabotage.” Id. [68 MM 2020] - 21 snowstorm, drought, fire, explosion or other catastrophe which results in substantial damage to property, hardship, suffering or possible loss of life. Id. (emphasis added). Upon finding that a disaster has occurred, the Governor is required to declare a disaster emergency, 35 Pa.C.S. § 7301(c), which the statute defines as: Those conditions which may by investigation made, be found, actually or likely, to: (1) affect seriously the safety, health or welfare of a substantial number of citizens of this Commonwealth or prelude the operation or use of essential public facilities; (2) be of such magnitude or severity as to render essential State supplementation of county and local efforts or resources exerted or utilized in alleviating the danger, damage, suffering or hardship faced; and (3) have been caused by forces beyond the control of man, by reason of civil disorder, riot or disturbance, or by factors not foreseen and not known to exist when appropriation bills were enacted. 35 Pa.C.S. § 7102 (definitions). Upon the declaration of a disaster emergency, the Governor gains broad powers, including, inter alia, controlling the “ingress and egress to and from a disaster area, the movement of person within the area and the occupancy of premises therein.” 35 Pa.C.S. § 7301(f)(7). Petitioners contend that the COVID-19 pandemic is not a natural disaster as defined by the Emergency Code. They raise an ambiguity in the statute, thus, they argue, triggering our resort to the principles of statutory construction. Petitioners argue that although the definition uses the phrase “and other catastrophes,” because viral illness is not included in the list of applicable disasters, COVID-19 cannot be a natural disaster because it is not of the same type or kind as those on the list. Petitioners’ Brief at 15. While implicitly acknowledging that a viral illness like COVID-19 might qualify under the definition’s reference to “other catastrophes,” Petitioners insist that the Court must apply [68 MM 2020] - 22 the contextual canon of ejusdem generis (“of the same kind”), which prevents the expansion of a list of specific items to include other items not “of the same kind” as those expressly listed. Id. at 16-18. Respondents disagree, contending that the COVID-19 pandemic “unquestionably fits the definitions of ‘disaster’ and ‘disaster emergency’, and is precisely the circumstance that the General Assembly had in mind with it enacted the statute.” Respondents’ Brief at 15. Respondents contend that the term “other catastrophe”’ is expansive and is not limited by the specifically enumerated items on the list. Id. at 15-16. As of this writing, 24,199 of Pennsylvania’s citizens have been confirmed by testing to have been infected with COVID-19; 524 have died. Department of Health, “COVID-19 Data for Pennsylvania,” https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Cases.aspx (last accessed 4/8/2020). COVID-19’s spread is exponential as demonstrated by the fact that there were 851 confirmed cases on March 24, 2020, the date this Application was filed. Id. It is beyond dispute that the COVID-19 pandemic is unquestionably a catastrophe that “results in … hardship, suffering or possible loss of life.” The issue, then, is whether it nevertheless may not be classified as a “natural disaster” caused by unforeseen factors based upon the application of the doctrine of ejusdem generis. This Court has described the doctrine as follows: Under the statutory construction doctrine of ejusdem generis (of the same kind or class), where general words follow the enumeration of particular classes of persons or things, the general words will be construed as applicable only to persons or things of the same general nature or class as those enumerated. [68 MM 2020] - 23 Indep. Oil & Gas Ass’n of Pa. v. Bd. of Assessment Appeals, 814 A.2d 180, 184 (Pa. 2002). We agree with Respondents that the COVID-19 pandemic qualifies as a “natural disaster” under the Emergency Code for at least two reasons. First, the specific disasters in the definition of “natural disaster” themselves lack commonality, as while some are weather related (e.g., hurricane, tornado, storm), several others are not (tidal wave, earthquake, fire, explosion). To the contrary, the only commonality among the disparate types of specific disasters referenced is that they all involve “substantial damage to property, hardship, suffering or possible loss of life.” In this respect, the COVID-19 pandemic is of the “same general nature or class as those specifically enumerated,” and thus is included, rather than excluded, as a type of “natural disaster.” We further note that while ejusdem generis is a useful tool of statutory construction, such tools are used for the sole purpose of determining the intent of the General Assembly. Ejusdem generis must yield in any instance in which its effect would be to confine the operation of a statute within narrower limits that those intended by the General Assembly when it was enacted. See Dep't of Assess. & Tax. v. Belcher, 553 A.2d 691, 696 (Md. 1989) (“[T]he general words will not be restricted in meaning if upon a consideration of the context and the purpose of the particular statutory provisions as a whole it is clear that the general words were not used in the restrictive sense.”). See also Danganon v. Guardian Protective Services, 179 A.3d 9 (Pa. 2018) (Consumer Protection Law which has “and includes” in definition of trade and commerce interpreted broadly along with liberal interpretation of CPL as remedial legislation). By setting forth a general list of catastrophes and then including the language “other catastrophe which results in [68 MM 2020] - 24 substantial damage to property, hardship, suffering or possible loss of life,” it is clear that the General Assembly intended to expand the list of disaster circumstances that would provide Respondents with the necessary powers to respond to exigencies involving vulnerability and loss of life. There is nothing in the Emergency Code to indicate that the General Assembly intended in any way to narrow the operation of the statute or the Governor’s authority. To the contrary, the General Assembly’s stated goals, as set forth in the Emergency Code, were to, inter alia, “[r]educe vulnerability of people and communities of this Commonwealth to damage, injury and loss of life and property resulting from disasters,” and to “strengthen” the Governor’s role “in prevention of, preparation for, response to and recovery from disasters.” 35 Pa.C.S. § 7103(1),(4). The COVID-19 pandemic is, by all definitions, a natural disaster and a catastrophe of massive proportions. Its presence in and movement through Pennsylvania triggered the Governor’s authority under the Emergency Code. Petitioners alternatively argue that even if the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a “disaster” under the Emergency Code, the power granted to the Governor under 35 Pa.C.S. § 7301(f)(7) to “[c]ontrol ingress and egress to and from a disaster area, the movement of persons within the area and the occupancy of premises therein” does not include any ability to close their businesses. Petitioners’ Brief at 21. Petitioners contend that this provision only authorizes the Governor to act in a “disaster area,” and there have been no disasters in the areas in which their businesses are located. Id. at 22. We find no merit in this argument. First, Respondents correctly note that COVID-19 cases have been reported in the counties in which Petitioners’ businesses are located (Allegheny, Northampton and Warren Counties). Respondents’ Brief at 24. In fact, COVID-19 cases [68 MM 2020] - 25 have now been reported in all counties in the Commonwealth. Department of Health, “COVID-19 Data for Pennsylvania,” https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Cases.aspx (last accessed 4/8/2020). More fundamentally, Petitioners’ argument ignores the nature of this virus and the manner in which it is transmitted. The virus spreads primarily through person-toperson contact, has an incubation period of up to fourteen days, one in four carriers of the virus are asymptomatic, and the virus can live on surfaces for up to four days. Thus, any location (including Petitioners’ businesses) where two or more people can congregate is within the disaster area. We further note that the Emergency Code provides that, upon the declaration of a disaster emergency (as occurred here), the Governor has expansive emergency management powers including to “direct and compel the evacuation of all or part of the population from any stricken or threatened area within this Commonwealth if this action is necessary for the preservation of life or other disaster mitigation, response or recovery.” 37 Pa.C.S. §§ 7301(f)(3). While the Governor took far less extreme measures with the closure of certain businesses, to the extent Petitioners are suggesting that the Governor lacked the authority to do so, this statutory authorization of a much more drastic measure disproves the point. Thus, the Executive Order’s closure of non-essential businesses in Pennsylvania is authorized by Section 7307(f)(7) of the Emergency Code. Based on the foregoing, we conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic triggered the Governor’s authority under the Emergency Code and that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor had the authority under the Emergency Code to declare the entirety of the Commonwealth a disaster area. [68 MM 2020] - 26 Finally, in addition to their challenges based on the statutory language of the Emergency Code, Petitioners argue that Respondents, by ordering closure of all businesses deemed to be non-life-sustaining, have exceeded the permissible scope of their police powers. Petitioners cite the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Lawton v. Steele, 152 U.S. 133 (1894), for the “police powers” test: To justify the state in thus interposing its authority in behalf of the public, it must appear – First, that the interests of the public generally, as distinguished from those of a particular class, require such interference; and, second, that the means are reasonably necessary for the accomplishment of the purpose, and not unduly oppressive upon individuals. Lawton, 152 U.S. at 137 (cited by Nat’l Wood Preservers v. Comm. Dept. of Envtl Res., 414 A.2d 37, 43 (Pa. 1980)). Petitioners make three arguments to demonstrate that Respondents exceeded their authorized police power. First, Petitioners claim that the public’s interests are not served by the mass closure of businesses, as the public has an interest in continuing to receive the goods and services of these businesses. Petitioners’ Brief at 24. Second, Petitioners insist that shuttering their businesses is unnecessary for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 where the disease has not been detected at their places of business. Id. Third, Petitioners contend that closing their businesses was unduly burdensome to them and was, in fact “just about the most burdensome thing that can happen to a business, particularly businesses such as golf courses which cannot function anywhere but from their physical places of business.” Id. at 24-25. Under the exigencies created by the spread of the coronavirus and the critical interests of the public, generally, Petitioners cannot prevail in their arguments. As to the predicate requirements that the interests of the public justify the Governor’s assertion of its authority, the nature of this emergency supports it. COVID-19 spreads “exponentially.” [68 MM 2020] - 27 Respondents report that in Pennsylvania, from the date they filed their answer to the Emergency Application (March 26, 2020) to the date they filed their brief (April 3, 2020) the number of reported cases increased from 1,687 to 7,016 and the number of deaths increased from 16 to 90. Respondents’ Brief at 2. To punctuate the point and as noted previously (supra at 23), as of this writing, 24,199 of Pennsylvania’s citizens have been confirmed to have been infected and 524 have died. The enforcement of social distancing to suppress transmission of the disease is currently the only mitigation tool. Department of Health, “COVID-19 Data for Pennsylvania,” https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Cases.aspx (last accessed 4/8/2020). Recent models for the COVID-19 pandemic predict that about 60,000 Americans will die. Peter Baker, “Trump Confronts a New Reality Before an Expected Wave of Disease and Death,” The New York Times (Apr. 1, 2020) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/01/us/politics/coronavirus-trump.html (60,400 deaths predicted). Although a staggering death toll, it is lower than earlier predictions that between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans would die – even if the nation abided by social distancing. Respondents’ Brief at 2-3 (citing Peter Baker, “Trump Confronts a New Reality Before an Expected Wave of Disease and Death.” Id. The reason for the drop in the death toll projection is the enforcement of social distancing mechanisms and citizen’s compliance with them. Quint Forgey, “Trump’s top health officials predict diminished coronavirus death toll,” Politico (Apr. 7, 2020) https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/07/trumps-top-health-officials-predictdiminished-coronavirus-death-toll-171456. [68 MM 2020] - 28 Against this backdrop, Petitioners suggest that the public interest would best be served by keeping businesses open to maintain the free flow of business. Although they cite to none, we are certain that there are some economists and social scientists who support that policy position. But the policy choice in this emergency was for the Governor and the Secretary to make and so long as the means chosen to meet the emergency are reasonably necessary for the purpose of combating the ravages of COVID-19, it is supported by the police power. The choice made by the Respondents was tailored to the nature of the emergency and utilized a recognized tool, business closures, to enforce social distancing to mitigate and suppress the continued spread of COVID-19. See Respondents’ Answer at 3. Petitioners’ second argument, namely that there is no significant risk of the spread of COVID-19 in locations where the disease has not been detected (including at their places of business), is similarly unpersuasive. As previously discussed, COVID-19 does not spread because the virus is “at” a particular location. Instead it spreads because of person-to-person contact, as it has an incubation period of up to fourteen days and that one in four carriers of the virus are asymptomatic. Respondents’ Brief at 4 (citing Coronavirus Disease 2019, “Symptoms,” CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html (last accessed 4/9/2020)). The virus can live on surfaces for up to four days and can remain in the air within confined areas and structures. Id. (citing National Institutes of Health, “Study suggests new coronavirus may remain on surfaces for days,” (Mar. 27, 2020) https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-researchmatters/study-suggests-new-coronavirus-may-remain-surfaces-days (last accessed 4/9/2020) and Joshua Rabinowitz and Caroline Bartman, “These Coronavirus Exposures [68 MM 2020] - 29 Might be the Most Dangerous,” The New York Times (Apr. 1, 2020) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/01/opinion/coronavirus-viral-dose.html). Finally, Petitioners contend that their businesses should be permitted to remain open because of the burden placed on them. We recognize the serious and significant economic impact of the closure of Petitioners’ businesses. However, the question is whether it is unduly oppressive, thus negating the utilization of the police power. Faced with protecting the health and lives of 12.8 million Pennsylvania citizens, we find that the impact of the closure of these businesses caused by the exercise of police power is not unduly oppressive. The protection of the lives and health of millions of Pennsylvania residents is the sine qua non of a proper exercise of police power.