“Medical experts looking at our current trajectory are projecting a further surge. And what we are seeing right now may soon be even worse than what we saw before,” Wolf said.
Wolf says three catalysts have been linked to the surge in cases: Some Pennsylvania residents ignore the mask-wearing requirements and social distancing rules when visiting bars and restaurants, out-of-state travel, and lack of national coordination.
“We are already at a tipping point where we really have to act. We don’t want to become Florida. We don’t want to become Texas. We don’t want to become Arizona. We have to act now,” said Wolf, naming three states where the virus has been emerging.
To help combat the increase, Wolf says that bars and restaurants that allow eating indoors can only hold up to 25% of their capacity. The previous restriction was set at 50% capacity. Outdoor meals will not be affected.
Wolf says that alcohol can only be served for local consumption when the same transaction is made as a meal. Cocktails to go and drinks to go are still allowed.
Wolf says that teleworking should be implemented whenever possible, and that indoor meetings will be limited to 25 people, and outdoor meetings will remain at a maximum of 250 people.
All gyms and fitness facilities, while allowed to continue indoor operations, are geared toward prioritizing outdoor fitness activities.
“The actions that the Governor and I are taking today are designed to be surgical and therefore precise to prevent a repeat of the cycle we saw in the spring,” said Dr. Rachel Levine, Secretary of Health.
Businesses and individuals who violate these orders may be subject to fines, business closings, or other applicable enforcement measures.
Dr. David Rubin, general pediatrician and director of PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, says his team is also seeing an increase in cases in Philadelphia.
Wolf and Levine also added that much of the community is seeing an increase.
“Make no mistake, now is the time to act,” said Rubin.
Rubin’s team developed a unique COVID-19 monitoring and screening model that sheds light on the risk of a COVID-19 resurgence in Pennsylvania.
Rubin says that if we don’t act aggressively in the new weeks, the reopening of the schools could be questioned.
Allegheny County, which has already imposed temporary restrictions on restaurants and bars, reported 246 additional infections Wednesday from tests conducted between June 30 and July 14. The number of infections has also increased in Allegheny counties.
The health department reported 994 new cases of positive viruses on Wednesday, bringing the state total to more than 97,000. The health department reported the results of nearly 29,000 virus tests, the highest in a day since the start of the pandemic.
Health officials also reported 26 new deaths.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia school district announced Wednesday that it plans to resume limited in-person instruction in the fall, with most students in class only two days a week and remotely learning the other three.
In other developments related to the coronavirus in Pennsylvania on Wednesday:
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LEARN ONLINE
East Stroudsburg University has become the second school in Pennsylvania’s 14-state state university system to announce that it will conduct the fall semester almost entirely through remote instruction due to the danger of the coronavirus.
“While we were confident that we could all return to campus with a ‘new normal’ this fall, we now know that this is not the safest and most realistic option for our large ESU community,” said school president Marcia Welsh. , in a statement.
A “very limited” number of classes will be offered for remote and in-person formats for student teaching, clinical practice, internships and other situations, Welsh said.
West Chester University also said it will continue remote instruction in the fall. Pennsylvania’s largest independent universities, so far, plan to teach through face-to-face instruction, and many offer a remote learning option and some limits on class size.
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AUTUMN UNIVERSITY SPORTS
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced Wednesday that it canceled fall sports.
The decision affects 18 schools, primarily those in the state university system.
“The entire conference has worked hard in recent months to prepare for the return of sports to our campuses starting this fall,” PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray said in a press release. “However, it has become clear that the safe conduct of sports under the guidelines of social distancing is unsustainable for our members.”
The conference said it hopes to change fall sports into the spring semester. A decision will be made later on winter and spring sports, PSAC said.
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PISTOL PERMIT EXTENSION
Pennsylvania residents will be able to carry weapons with expired permits for a little longer.
Governor Tom Wolf granted another extension Wednesday for concealed transportation permit holders. State police said permits that expired on March 19 or later were extended until September 30. The extension was granted due to the ongoing closure of some county courts and sheriff’s offices.
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