Pennsylvanians Must Wear Masks, Social Distance, Follow Established Local Restrictions

Harrisburg, PA – As Pennsylvanians continue to do their part by adopting healthy behaviors to combat the spread of COVID-19, today Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine amended existing COVID-19 orders to allow for adjusted capacity to gathering limits while keeping in place the proven mitigation tools that include wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

“Pennsylvanians must continue to social distance and wear masks as we prepare to fight the virus through the fall and winter,” Gov. Wolf said. “Regardless of the size of an event or gathering, those things are still imperative to stopping the spread of COVID. We know everyone has sacrificed in many ways and today’s announcement reflects a gradual adjustment to our lives as we learn how we can do things safely until we have a cure, or an effective vaccine is widely available.”

“We will closely monitor cases and outbreaks and if our case investigation and contact tracing efforts determine that events or gatherings are the source of an outbreak, we can and will dial back these new limits,” Dr. Levine said. “Public health and safety are our first concern and will always remain as such.”

Starting on Friday, Oct. 9 amended orders will allow for venue occupancy limits to play a bigger role in determining the number of people permitted both inside and outside of events or gatherings. 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, including 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, business meetings or conferences, or each party or reception within a multi-room venue.

Conversely, groups of people who share a space within a building in the ordinary course of operations, such as in an office building, classroom, production floor or similar regularly occurring operation of a business or organization, are not events or gatherings.

All businesses are required to conduct their operations remotely through individual teleworking of their employees in the jurisdiction or jurisdictions in which they do business unless that is not possible. In those instances, employees may conduct in-person business operations, provided that the businesses fully comply with the business safety order, the worker safety order, and the masking order.

The orders amend two sections of the July 15 mitigation orders and include a “maximum occupancy calculator” for both indoor and outdoor events. Based on a venue’s established occupancy limit as defined by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Life Safety Code, venues apply the appropriate percent of occupancy to determine how many attendees are permitted to attend an event or gathering.

Here are the calculators:

Maximum Occupancy Calculator for indoor events:

Maximum Occupancy Calculator for outdoor events:

Venues must require attendees to comply with 6-foot social distancing requirements, to wear masks or face coverings, and to implement best practices such as timed entry, multiple entry and exit points, multiple restrooms and hygiene stations. Venues and event planners can review the CDC Events and Gatherings Readiness and Planning Tool for additional information regarding best practices.

When not hosting events, occupancy restrictions outlined in the green phase of reopening continue to apply to businesses in the commonwealth.

Any gathering restrictions established by local authorities, such as the ones established in Philadelphia and State College, remain in effect.

View the governor’s amended order here.

View the secretary’s amended order here.

View FAQs about the amended orders on safe gatherings.

Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine today announced beginning Thursday, October 8, a testing clinic will be held at the Indiana Mall in Indiana County to help contain the recent rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. The department also is extending the testing site in Centre County through October 10.

“Since the beginning of September, we have seen an increase of 324 cases in Indiana County, which gives us significant cause for concern,” Dr. Levine said. “These testing sites will be open to anyone who feels they need a test. It is important that even people with no symptoms who test positive isolate and quarantine to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

The department has signed a contract with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare (AMI) to provide testing in communities in need across Pennsylvania. Already, AMI deployed to Centre and Columbia counties to perform community testing.

The department decides which counties to deploy testing based on the total number of confirmed cases in the last 14 days per 100,000 people as well as where outbreaks are happening, county population, and other metrics.

This week, Indiana has the tenth-highest percent-positivity at 5.9 percent. However, in previous weeks the percent-positivity for Indiana was above 10 percent. The department believes that increased testing in the county will assist in determining the prevalence of the virus and assist the county in moving forward. Other concerning counties, identified as those with percent positives above five percent, can be found on the Early Warning Monitoring Dashboard. Each county bears watching as the state continues to monitor all available data.

The schedule for testing is 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM on:

• Thursday, October 8;
• Friday, October 9;
• Saturday, October 10;
• Sunday, October 11; and
• Monday, October 12.

The address for Indiana County testing is Indiana Mall, 2334 Oakland Ave, Indiana, PA, 15701.

Centre still has the highest percent-positivity at 9.4%. Therefore, AMI is extending testing in the county for another five days. The location will remain the Nittany Mall, 2901 E. College Avenue, State College, PA, 16801.

The schedule for testing is 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM on:

• Tuesday, October 6;
• Wednesday, October 7;
• Thursday, October 8;
• Friday, October 9; and
• Saturday, October 10.

Up to 440 patients can be tested per day. Testing is on a first come, first serve basis and is at no cost to those being tested. Patients are not required to show symptoms of COVID-19 in order to be tested. No appointment is necessary, but patients should bring a photo-ID and insurance card. Registration will also be completed on-site. The turnaround time for testing results is two to seven days after testing.

Individuals who are tested should self-isolate while they await test results. For those individuals who live with other people, they should self-isolate in a private room and use a private bathroom if possible. Whoever else lives in the home with the individual awaiting test results should also stay at home. The department has additional instructions for individuals waiting for a COVID-19 test result.

For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.

The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
• Clean surfaces frequently.
• Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
• If you must go out, you are required to wear a mask when in a business or where it is difficult to maintain proper social distancing.
• Download the COVID Alert PA app and make your phone part of the fight. The free app can be found in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store by searching for “covid alert pa.

Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics

• Daily COVID-19 Report
• Press releases regarding coronavirus
• Latest information on the coronavirus
• Photos of the state’s lab in Exton (for download and use)
• Coronavirus and preparedness graphics (located at the bottom of the page)
• Community preparedness and procedures materials
• Map with the number of COVID-19 cases

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf today requested that the president declare a major disaster for nine counties in Pennsylvania in the wake of devastating flooding and damages caused by Tropical Storm Isaias in early August.

“My request today includes not only Public Assistance for government to pay for costs associated with its response and repairs, but also Individual Assistance for homeowners who need federal assistance to help them on their path to recovery,” said Governor Wolf. “The damage assessment and validation processes, which are for the first time being conducted virtually due to the pandemic, are ongoing and I have the option of adding other counties as we learn more.”

The governor’s request includes Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton and Philadelphia counties.

The major disaster declaration through the Federal Emergency Management Agency would provide federal funding to local, county and state governments, as well as certain eligible non-profits in those counties through the Public Assistance program. If the request is approved, applicants can be reimbursed up to 75 percent of the costs incurred on eligible expenses, such as but not limited to costs associated with paying overtime, repairs to damaged infrastructure, equipment rentals and materials.

In order to request Public Assistance, the commonwealth overall must meet a threshold of $19,688,687. Estimated costs associated with this incident period total more than $27.6 million. Meeting the threshold and making the request are not a guarantee of funding. It is not known when the president will make a decision to grant or deny disaster assistance.

An Individual Assistance declaration could make available to citizens a variety of programs to assist in their recovery needs. More detailed information is available on the FEMA website.

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine today released a weekly status update detailing the state’s mitigation efforts based on the COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard. Updates are released each Monday.

The update includes the following:

• Level of community transmission as a basis for the recommendations for Pre-K to 12 schools to determine instructional models.
• Data on cases among 5-18-year-olds.
• Cases that reported visiting a business among potential locations where exposures may have occurred.
• Updated travel recommendations.

The dashboard is designed to provide early warning signs of factors that affect the state’s mitigation efforts. The data available on the early warning monitoring dashboard includes week-over-week case differences, incidence rates, test percent-positivity, and rates of hospitalizations, ventilations and emergency room visits tied to COVID-19. This week’s update compares the period of September 25 – October 1 to the previous seven days, September 18 – September 24.

“Our percent positivity and incidence rate for the commonwealth both increased this week, which serves as a reminder the virus still remains a threat in our communities,” Gov. Wolf said. “We must continue our focus on taking actions to protect ourselves and others, such as wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, washing our hands, avoiding large gatherings, and downloading the COVID Alert PA app. Together, we can unite as Pennsylvanians and work to prevent the spread of the virus.”

As of Thursday, October 1, the state has seen a seven-day case increase of 6,164; the previous seven-day increase was 5,070, indicating a 1,094-case increase across the state over the past week.

The statewide percent-positivity went up to 3.7% from 3.2% last week. Counties with concerning percent-positivity include Centre (9.4%). Northumberland (9.3%), Snyder (7.8%), Lebanon (6.6%), Montour (6.6%), Perry (6.5%), Schuylkill (6.5%), Wayne (6.1%), Lackawanna (6.0%), Indiana (5.9%), and Lawrence (5.4%). Each of these counties bears watching as the state continues to monitor all available data.

Community Transmission
As of Friday’s data, Centre, Northumberland, Montour and Snyder counties were in the substantial level with known sources of outbreaks contributing to community transmission. The departments of Education and Health will speak with school district representatives in each of the four counties to discuss the implications of this level of transmission.

For the week ending October 1, 17 counties were in the low level of transmission, 46 counties in the moderate level, with four with substantial transmission:

• Low – Cameron, Clarion, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Jefferson, Juniata, McKean, Potter, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Venango, Warren, Wyoming
• Moderate – Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Chester, Clearfield, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Fayette, Franklin, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, Somerset, Tioga, Union, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, York
• Substantial – Centre, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder

Cases Among 5-18-Year-Olds
The Department of Health is providing weekly data on the number of statewide cases of COVID-19 among 5 to 18-year-olds.

Throughout the pandemic, there have been 10,167 total cases of COVID-19 among 5 to 18-year-olds. Of that total, 615 occurred between September 25 – October 1. For the week of September 18 – September 24, there were 624 cases of COVID-19 among 5 to 18-year-olds.

Cases by demographic group is available on the DOH website.

Business Visits
The Department of Health is providing weekly data on the number of individuals who responded to case investigators that they spent time at business establishments (restaurants, bars, gym/fitness centers, salon/barbershops) and at mass gatherings 14 days prior to the onset of COVID-19 symptoms.

Of the 5,722 confirmed cases reported between September 20 and September 26, 39 percent (2.252) provided an answer to the question as to whether they spent time at a business establishment.

Of those who did provide an answer, 14.4 percent, or 325, answered yes, they visited a business establishment 14 days prior to onset of symptoms:

• 55 percent (194) of those who said yes reported going to a restaurant;
• 23 percent (82) of those who said yes reported going to some other business establishment;
• 12 percent (42) of those who said yes reported going to a bar;
• 11 percent (39) of those who said yes reported going to a gym/fitness center; and
• 4 percent (14) of those who said yes reported going to a salon/barbershop.

Of the 5,722 confirmed cases, 40 percent (2,265) answered the question as to whether they attended a mass gathering or other large event. Of the 40 percent, 15 percent (344) answered yes to whether they attended a mass gathering or other large event 14 days prior to onset of symptoms.

Compared to data reported on September 28, this week’s data saw an increase in people going to some other business (28 percent vs. 23 percent) and going to a salon or barbershop (5.5 percent vs. 4 percent). Numbers went down for this week’s data for people who reported going to a restaurant (51 percent vs. 55 percent), and slightly for a gym/fitness center (10.5 percent vs. 11 percent). The number of those who reported going to a bar remained the same (12 percent). The number of those who attended a mass gathering or other large event went up from 11 percent to 15 percent.

On July 13 contact tracers began asking more specific questions on the types of businesses visited and if individuals attended a mass gathering, defined as more than 250 people in attendance outdoors or more than 25 indoors.

The numbers above highlight business settings and mass gatherings as possible sites for transmission. With less than half of those asked about what types of businesses they visited or if they attended a mass gathering responding to the question, the department is reminding Pennsylvanians that it is essential that people answer the phone when case investigators call and to provide full and complete information to these clinical professionals.

Travel Recommendations
Also today, the Department of Health updated its travel recommendations, originally announced on July 2, to add Minnesota, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming and remove Georgia from the list of states recommended for domestic travelers returning from to quarantine for 14 days upon return to Pennsylvania.

It is important that people understand that this recommendation is in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. A concerning number of recent cases have been linked to travel, and if people are going to travel, we need them to take steps to protect themselves, their loved ones and their community, and that involves quarantining.

Gov. Wolf continues to prioritize the health and safety of all Pennsylvanians through the COVID-19 pandemic. Pennsylvanians should continue to take actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, regardless of in what county they live. This includes wearing a mask or face covering anytime they are in public. COVID-19 has been shown to spread easily in the air and contagious carriers can be asymptomatic.