PENNSYLVANIA — COVID-19 news for Pennsylvania has been particularly dire this past week. The number of COVID deaths quadrupled and the average daily case count was seven times higher than it was two months ago. The Department of Health is projecting 22,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day in December, and health secretary Rachel Levine is expecting that Pennsylvania will run out of intensive care unit beds by the end of the month.

Gov. Tom Wolf recently renewed the COVID-19 disaster declaration and said that Pennsylvania has to “redouble” its efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus. He and Levine have introduced or updated a long list of guidelines and restrictions dealing with schools, businesses, social gatherings and local government enforcement.

Schools

Schools in counties with “substantial” transmission levels (positivity rates of 10 percent or higher) for more than two weeks must comply with specific guidance from the state:

Administrators and board chairs must sign attestation forms stating they have either transitioned to fully remote learning or are complying with state orders if they are conducting any in-person instruction while in the substantial range of transmission.

Those schools that do not sign or comply with an attestation are required to provide only fully remote learning and suspend all extracurricular activities as long as the county remains in the substantial transmission level.

Business

Telework is mandatory unless impossible.

Online sales and curbside pickup for all shopping are encouraged.

Gatherings

Large-scale gatherings have been reduced for both indoor and outdoor events:

Indoor venues that can hold up to 2,000 people can only admit 10 percent maximum occupancy.

Indoor venues that can hold between 2,000 and 10,000 can only admit 5 percent maximum occupancy.

No indoor gatherings of more than 500 people.

Outdoor venues that can hold up to 2,000 can admit 15 percent maximum occupancy.

Outdoor venues that can hold between 2,000 and 10,000 can admit 10 percent

Outdoor venues that can hold more than 10,000 people or more can admit 5 percent, up to 2,5000 people.

Enforcement

Enforcement has always been somewhat of a gray area when it comes to Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 restrictions. Wolf has affirmed that the “full force and effect of the law” extends to all local enforcement agencies. Local law enforcement received guidance on enforcement of the various COVID-19 orders in place through the PA Chiefs of Police Association. 

For county and municipal officials, Wolf said that local leaders can implement their own orders, ordinances, or directives related to COVID-19 as long as they are stricter than those mandated by the state. 

“Local leaders at all levels of government should exercise their authority and influence to support public health efforts that will protect residents and local economies,” Wolf said. “When local leaders engage, their constituents understand that they are supported in adopting and sustaining preventive behaviors.”

The Department of Health is also bolstering its ability to receive complaints from customers and employees. The department will continue to investigate complaints provided via its webform and plans to use additional staff from other state agencies under the governor’s jurisdiction to process complaints. Following a complaint about a business, the Department of Health will send a warning letter informing the business of the potential consequences, including fines and closure if the business is not compliant with the mitigation orders. If a business continues to receive complaints, it risks referral to the Pennsylvania State Police or regulatory agencies, further fines and possible closure.