Gov. Wolf Announces 3-Week Ban on Indoor Restaurant Dining, Gathering Restrictions and More Among New COVID-19 Mitigation Measures

As COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to surge across the commonwealth, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf issued new, temporary COVID-19 mitigation orders on Thursday that for the next three weeks will ban indoor dining at restaurants, shut down indoor operations at gyms and entertainment venues, strictly limit gatherings and more.

The measures will be in effect from Saturday until Jan. 4.

Wolf also said other businesses serving the public can only operate at 50% capacity and ordered K-12 schools to suspend extracurricular activities, including athletics.

‘This is something we’ve got to get through so that we can get back to life as we want it to be,’ Wolf said during a virtual press conference. ‘This is so frustrating, so painful. But we can get there.

‘The problem we are all facing is that this virus continues to rage in Pennsylvania and over the past several weeks it’s become clear that we need to take further mitigation actions to protect Pennsylvanians and stop the spread of COVID-19. We all hoped it would not come to this… The current state of the surge in Pennsylvania though will not allow us to wait. We need to slow the spread right now in order to save lives. If we don’t we’re going to be in big trouble.’

Daily new COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania over the past month have routinely been four to six times higher than their peak in the spring and on Thursday the commonwealth reported 11,792 new positives, its second highest increase to date.

Each of the past two days Pennsylvania reported its highest number of deaths since the start of the pandemic, with 220 on Wednesday and 248 on Thursday.

“In the past week, we have reported close to 1,100 new deaths from COVID-19 across Pennsylvania,’ Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. ‘The virus continues to strain our health care systems and the dramatic rise in cases among all age groups, including among school-age children, is alarming. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been more than 37,500 cases among children age 5 to 18, yet 9,500 of those cases occurred in the past two weeks.”

Wolf and Levine cited multiple recent studies, including ones from Stanford and Yale, to back their rationale for the temporary restrictions.

“We know that COVID-19 thrives in places where people gather together,” Wolf said. “Therefore, these mitigation measures target high-risk environments and activities and aim to reduce the spread of this devastating virus.”

Here’s a closer look at each of the new measures:

In-Person Dining and Alcohol Sales

No indoor dining will be permitted at retail food service businesses, including bars, restaurants, breweries, wineries, distilleries, social clubs, and private catered events.

Outdoor dining, take-out food service and take-out alcohol sales are permitted to continue.

Gatherings and Events

Indoor gatherings and events of more than 10 people are prohibited. Houses of worship and religious congregations are specifically excluded from this restriction during religious services, but are ‘strongly encouraged to to find alternative methods for worship,’ according to a statement from Wolf’s office.

Outdoor gatherings and events are limited to no more than 50 people.

Gyms and Fitness Facilities

Indoor operations at gyms and fitness facilities are prohibited.

Outdoor facilities and classes may continue to operate, but participants are required to wear face coverings.

Entertainment Venues

In-person, indoor entertainment establishments cannot operate. These include ‘theaters, concert venues, museums, movie theaters, arcades, casinos, bowling alleys, private clubs, and all other similar entertainment, recreational or social facilities.’

Other Businesses

All other in-person businesses serving the public may operate at 50% of maximum occupancy, except as otherwise limited by existing orders for smaller capacities.

K-12 Sports

Sports at all K-12 schools and club, travel, recreational, intermural and intramural sports are suspended. The Pennsylvania Principals Association recommended a delay to the start of the winter sports season.

The PIAA had been scheduled to begin its winter high school sports season on Friday. Locally, State College Area School District already announced it would not begin winter sports competition until January, and Superintendent Bob O’Donnell said he and leaders of neighboring school districts are in favor of pushing back the start to February.

K-12 School Activities

All K-12 school voluntary, in-person extracurricular activities are suspended.

‘Our top priority is stopping the spread of this virus so students and teachers can return to their classrooms as soon as possible,’ the statement said. ‘Data from the Department of Health notes that one-quarter of the cases of COVID among school-age children have occurred within the past two weeks, increasing the need to keep children safe outside of school so that they can return to classrooms.’

Professional and Collegiate Sports

No spectators are permitted, but otherwise professional and collegiate sports may continue in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Department of Health guidelines.

“The work we do now to slow the spread of COVID-19 is not only crucial to keeping our fellow Pennsylvanians safe and healthy,” Wolf said. “It will help all of us get back to normal, and back to all of the things we’ve missed, faster. And it means more Pennsylvanians will be alive to celebrate that brighter future.’

Republican leaders in the General Assembly, who have been sharply critical of Wolf’s prior orders to slow the spread of the virus, did not yet comment on the new measures at the time of this writing. As rumors swirled that new orders were in the offing on Wednesday, House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, implored Wolf not to enact new restrictions on businesses and gatherings.

‘Nine months into this pandemic, we know overbroad government orders do more long-term harm than good, economically, emotionally and mentally,’ Benninghoff said in a statement. ‘Pennsylvanians are smart and compassionate. By now, they know how to keep themselves, their loved ones and their neighbors safe. They are capable, and deserving, of celebrating Christmas safely.

“I recognize we are facing a serious resurgence of COVID-19 and our health care systems are struggling to keep up with the increased demand; however, job-crushing, harmful government mandates are not the answer… Instead, I appeal to each person in this Commonwealth to follow common sense and listen to the advice of health care professionals to protect friends, loved ones, those in our communities who are most vulnerable, and those on the front lines of this pandemic.’

Pennsylvania’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey commended Wolf and Levine for taking action.

“I commend Governor Wolf and Secretary Levine for taking this difficult, but necessary, action to contain COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, in an effort to protect lives and prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed,’ Casey said in a statement. ‘There’s no question that these measures will result in real challenges for restaurant owners, workers and families. That’s why it’s vital that Congress do its part to come together and pass a COVID-19 relief bill to help those impacted by this pandemic.”