Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
WOLF: STAY AT HOME
Governor and health secretary announce new mitigation efforts as cases climb
This Thanksgiving, Pennsylvanians are advised to stay home, limit indoor gatherings to people within the same household, and should expect the last call for alcohol to be prior to 5 p. m. on Wednesday night.
Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine on Monday announced new targeted mitigation measures to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
The new measures include encouraging residents to limit unnecessary travel and stay home, stepping up enforcement for chronic violators, ensuring school safety, and targeted business and gathering restrictions.
“As the secretary of health, I have issued a series of advisories and orders intended to help stop the spread during this critical time, to protect our hospitals, our health care workers and the lives of our fellow Pennsylvanians,” Levine said. “Our collective responsibility continues to be to protect our communities, our health care workers and our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians from COVID- 19.”
Prior to the briefing, the state reported there were 4,762 new COVID- 19 cases statewide in addition to 7,075 new cases reported on Sunday. As of Monday, there were 3,379 people hospitalized with COVID- 19, 775 of which were in the intensive care unit.
“As our hospitals and health care system are facing greater strain, we need to redouble our efforts to keep people safe,” Wolf said.
According to Wolf, the state and its health care system is better equipped to fight the virus now than in the spring. More is known about the virus, which has allowed the current mitigation efforts to be more targeted than earlier this year.
Travel and gatherings
Levine issued an advisory for Pennsylvanians to avoid leaving their homes unless absolutely necessary. She stressed the advisory is not a shutdown order.
Wolf said there are no plans for the state to return to the red, yellow and green phases,
and that these efforts and enforcement have been put in place to prevent the state from returning to the situation in March and April.
“All Pennsylvanians, in order to stay safe, should stay home,” Wolf said. “I know that this year has been hard, it’s been frustrating. We all just want to celebrate something after all the hardships and the fatigue and the sorrow of this year. Right now all of us need to be vigilant about taking safety precautions and following COVID- 19 mitigation measures, and that includes following CDC guidance to stay home and not travel for the holidays.”
At this time, all large events and gatherings are reduced until further notice. Specific to the Thanksgiving holiday, all sales or dispensing of alcoholic beverages for on- site consumption at bars, restaurants and private catered events must end at 5 p. m. Wednesday. Indoor dining may continue, though takeout is encouraged.
Wolf and Levine advised against household gatherings when attendees include people from other households.
Enforcing orders
All of the orders already in place and those announced Monday are enforceable. Law enforcement and state agencies will be stepping up enforcement efforts. This will include issuing citations and fines, and possibly regulatory actions for repeat offenders. Orders included are:
• Out- of- state travel.
• Mask wearing.
• Business safety, including telework, occupancy, cleaning and social distancing.
• Restaurant mitigation, including occupancy, masking, social distancing and self- certification.
• Gathering limits.
• School attestation and mitigation.
People who fail to comply with an order may be fined between $ 25 and $ 300.
Enforcement agencies include state police, local law enforcement, and personnel from the departments of Agriculture and State, and Liquor Control Board stores who interact with visitors.
The state Department of Health, with assistance from other agencies, is bolstering its ability to receive and respond to complaints of order violations. Following a complaint about a business, the department sends a warning letter informing the business of the potential consequences. These consequences include fines and closure if the business is not compliant with mitigation orders.
If a business continues to receive complaints, it risks referral to the state police or regulatory agencies, further fines and possible closure.
Other orders
In an effort to keep businesses, customers and employees safe, a new order was issued that consolidates prior orders.
Under the new order, telework is mandatory unless it is impossible for employees to do so. The order reiterates safety measures required for businesses including cleaning, social distancing and masking. Online sales and curbside pickup for all shopping are encouraged.
A requirement for public schools was also included in the new orders. Schools in counties that have been in the substantial transmission level for at least two consecutive weeks are required to commit to safety measures.
By 5 p. m. Nov. 30, chief school administrators and the governing body president or chair must sign an attestation form stating they have transitioned to fully remote learning or are complying with the orders if they are conducting any in- person instruction while in the substantial range of transmission.