Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday announced some COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants, bars and other businesses will be relaxed, while maximum occupancies for indoor and outdoor gatherings also will increase.
Beginning April 4, indoor dining capacity will increase from 50% to 75% for restaurants that self-certify they are adhering to pandemic safety guidelines. The purchase of food will no longer be required for alcohol service and bar service may resume. The midnight curfew for removing alcohol from tables also will be lifted.
Restaurants that do not self-certify can increase capacity from 25% to 50% of maximum occupancy.
Requirements such as mask-wearing and maintaining 6 feet of distance between dining parties will remain in place.
Other businesses such as gyms, theaters, malls and casinos can increased capacity to 75% of maximum occupancy.
“Pennsylvanians have stepped up and done their part of help curb the spread of COVID-19,” Wolf said in a statement. “Our case counts continue to go down, hospitalizations are declining, and the percent positivity rate gets lower every week – all very positive signs. The number of people getting vaccinated increases daily and we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. It’s time to allow our restaurants, bars and other service businesses to get back to more normal operations.”
Wolf also announced that maximum occupancy for indoor events and gatherings will increase from 15% to 25% and outdoor gatherings from 20% to 50%. For both, attendees must and workers must be able to comply with 6-foot distancing requirements.
An event or gathering is defined “as a temporary grouping of individuals for defined purposes, that takes place over a limited timeframe, such as hours or days,” according to the Department of Health. “For example, events and gatherings include fairs, festivals, concerts, or shows and groupings that occur within larger, more permanent businesses, such as shows or performances within amusement parks, individual showings of movies on a single screen/auditorium within a multiplex, business meetings or conferences, or each party or reception within a multi-room venue.”
The revised order also does not impact temporary local ordinances — such as those in State College Borough and College, Ferguson and Patton townships — that place limits on the number of people who can attend gatherings at residences and on public property.
Wolf urged that residents and businesses continue to adhere to mask-wearing, distancing and other safety orders.
“We’ve come so far and now is not the time to stop the safety measures we have in place to protect ourselves, our families and our communities,” Wolf said. “Keep wearing a mask, social distancing, and, please, get vaccinated when it’s your turn.”
