PennDOT asks for extension of Real ID deadline due to virus

As an example of the many ramifications of the COVID19 virus, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has asked the federal Department of Homeland Security to extend the Oct. 1 deadline for residents in all states to comply with the Real ID requirement.

In a letter Friday, acting PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian told the agency the state has had to close eight driver’s license centers in the eastern part of the state due to concerns about spreading the virus. Because those centers and others across the state are doing more business than usual with the looming Real

ID deadline, postponing the requirement would reduce applicants and the potential to spread the virus, she said.

After Oct. 1, federal officials will require anyone going through airport security or entering most federal buildings to have a state-issued Real ID license or ID card, or a valid passport. The Real ID cards became a requirement after the 9/11 terrorist attack because they are harder to duplicate, but Pennsylvania and several other states resisted until Homeland Security set a firm deadline.

“The significant increase of customer volume in the Driver License Centers obtaining a REAL ID product potentially impacts the health and safety of both staff and customers,” Ms. Gramian wrote. “Reducing in-person transactions will mitigate the potential of COVID-19 transmission.”

Just over half of the 1.3 million Pennsylvanians expected to want the voluntary Real ID cards have received them, which means the state expects a rush as the deadline gets closer.

As a result of virus cases in Eastern Pennsylvania, PennDOT has suspended issuing Real ID cards in eight counties: Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, Bucks, Berks, Lancaster and Lehigh.