Indoor dining ban set to end
Other temporary COVID restrictions also expire on Monday
Temporary statewide
COVID-19 restrictions put in place earlier this month, including a ban on indoor dining and school sports, will not be extended.
During a virtual media briefing Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf said the restrictions will expire at 8 a.m. on Monday as originally planned.
Wolf said that recent CO
VID-19 data, including a decrease in percent positivity each of the last two weeks and an apparent plateau of new cases, show that mitigation measures have been working. But it doesn’t mean the threat is gone.
“This does not mean we’re out of the woods, not by any means,” Wolf said.
The restrictions were put in place because of a surge in COVID-19 cases across the state through the fall and early winter. When Wolf issued his mandate on Dec. 10 he said he hoped implementing the temporary restrictions would help the state avoid an even larger spike during the holiday season.
Wolf said his decision to let the restrictions expire was made with a lot of thought. He said he initially announced that they would be in place for three weeks and wanted to do everything he could “to stick with that.”
The restrictions appear to be working, he added, and by targeting the perceived peak danger zone of the holiday season they will hopefully bring to bear the intended effect of helping the state get through January and February smoothly.
“The hope is, by next Monday we have had the effect of actually f lattening the curve,” he said. “I have every confidence those mitigation efforts will have worked.”
The restrictions, which went into effect Dec. 12, included:
•A suspension of all school extracurricular activities, including sports. Collegiate and professional sports are exempt.
• Limiting indoor gatherings to no more than 10 people. Religious services are exempt.
• Limiting outdoor gatherings to no more than 50 people.
• A suspension of indoor dining.
• A shutdown of entertainment venues including concert venues, theaters, movie theaters, casinos, bowling alleys and private clubs.
• A shutdown of gyms and fitness centers.
• All businesses that serve the public, such as retail stores, are capped at
50% capacity.
The governor’s mandate has received some pushback, particularly from the restaurant industry. Some restaurants, including some in Berks County, defied the restrictions by continuing to host indoor dining.
Last week 10 Berks restaurants were on a list provided by the state Department of Agriculture of 40 restaurants that had received notices to close for violating ing ban.
And eight of those 10 were named in a petition filed in Commonwealth Court by the state Department of Health seeking a court injunction forcing 22 restaurants deemed repeat offenders to cease indoor dining and to pay damages. A Department of Health official did not immediately respond to a question about whether the expiration of the restrictions will impact the petition.
Wolf said Wednesday that restaurants that defied the indoor dining ban and were subsequently ordered to close will be allowed to reopen when the temporary restrictions are lifted Monday.
“As far as I know, all restaurants are in the same category as of 8:01 a.m. on Jan. 4,” he said.
Wolf said the expiration of his temporary restrictions does not mean the state isn’t continuing to fight the spread of the pandemic. Orders issued previously — including ones requiring mask wearing in public and limits on crowds based on venue
the
indoor
din
sizes — remain.
The governor said Pennsylvanians need to continue to follow those restrictions, and to adhere to other guidelines like washing hands and social distancing. If people begin getting complacent, he warned, the danger of COVID-19 will grow with “swift and deadly consequences.”
As for whether or not another round of temporary restrictions will be needed in the future, Wolf said it’s impossible to tell.
“I have no idea what I will do in the future, we are all working in uncharted waters here,” he said. “None of us knows what’s going to happen between now and a month from now.”
Wolf began Wednesday’s briefing by acknowledging the impact the COVID-19
pandemic has had on Pennsylvania.
“Obviously, 2020 was a tough one for all of us,” he said. “We’re all tired, we all feel run down by the demands of this year. But we can carry a bit of hope that this new year is going to be a bit brighter than the old.”
Wolf said that, despite the difficulties COVID-19 created, 2020 is ending on a more positive note than the one being played when the pandemic hit the state in March.
He said health care workers have found better ways to treat COVID-19 patients, meaning recovery rates have improved and hospital stays have been shortened. And with the introduction of vaccines things will only continue to improve.
Still, he said, must be taken.
“COVID-19 is still deadly and it still poses an immense danger to our health care system if we let it get out of control,” he said.
Wolf also cautioned Pennsylvanians not to get too excited about vaccinations. He said he doesn’t want people to have false expectations on how soon they will be able to get
caution
their shots, saying it will be “months, not weeks” before they’re available to the general public.
At the moment, the focus is on getting vaccination to Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable, including nursing home residents and health care workers.
“The rest of us are going to need to be patient until it’s our turn,” he said.
Reaction
Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association, expressed
relief over news that Wolf would not be extending the ban on indoor dining.
But he also lamented the impact the temporary restriction has had.
“While this is positive news for establishments across the state, unfortunately the lingering impact on both businesses and employees will be felt as we move into 2021,” he said. “Businesses lost a key time of the year, while many bartenders and servers missed out on usually very generous tips during the holiday season.”
Moran said he is urging the state legislature to help fix the financial difficulties created by the governor’s order.
“When the legislature returns in January, we ask our state senators and representatives to move legislation to provide industry-specific grants,” he said. “Furthermore, to help the industry recover, we urge Governor Wolf to lift the order that prevents taverns and licensed restaurants from using bar top seating if establishments follow proper social distancing or barriers in those locations.
“Many corner bars throughout Pennsylvania have extraordinarily little, if any, table seating,” he added. “This would help the smallest locations survive.”
Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus spokesman Jason Gottesman said the caucus will be looking at ways the state can help when it returns to session.
“When we return to session next week, the House Republican Caucus will begin work on an economic recovery plan for all Pennsylvanians that will help ensure these destructive
shutdowns and restrictions never happen again,” he said.
Gottesman lambasted the governor for implementing the temporary restrictions.
“For the past three weeks, Pennsylvania’s hospitality industry, employees, and related businesses have been devastated by another unilateral and unwarranted shutdown from Gov. Wolf,” he said. “Our state deserves better and Pennsylvanians should not have to live in fear of another unexpected and ill-advised shutdown.”