Pa. set to resume some virus restrictions Thursday; bars, teleworking included

Saying Pennsylvania is now at a “tipping point” with another emerging coronavirus wave, Gov. Tom Wolf imposed new statewide restrictions impacting bars and restaurants, group gatherings and remote working that took effect early today.

Wolf pointed to an “unsettling climb” in new cases this past week and said experts analyzing the trajectory project the new surge “could soon eclipse” the state’s April peak.

“What we’re seeing now could be worse than what we saw before,” the governor said during an online briefing Wednesday.

Instead of the prior “blunt” approach, the state is imposing the latest restrictions in a “more focused manner” because more information is available on how the disease is spreading, Wolf said.

Largely with the aid of contact tracing, the state has identified three catalysts for rising cases, he said:

• Patrons of bars and restaurants ignoring mask and social distancing requirements, causing them to unknowingly spread or pick up the virus.

• Travel from hotspot states by Pennsylvania residents or visitors coming here.

• A lack of national coordination that resulted in southern and western states not committing to necessary prevention measures to stop spread of a virus that does not recognize state borders.

Pennsylvania residents made sacrifices and worked hard to follow protocols but are now “paying the price” of other states that did not and became “petri dishes,” Wolf said.

The latest restrictions are designed to be “surgical and precise” and get a handle on the situation so cases don’t rise exponentially, leading to potential statewide quarantine and threats to hospital capacity, state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said in the briefing.

The new limits are heavily focused on indoor spaces because research has shown the virus is primarily airborne and spreads rapidly in groups, Wolf said.

Local response

County Manager C. David Pedri said he understands and applauds the governor for taking action but takes issue with implementation of a blanket statewide order.

“Luzerne County is now lumped in with other areas of the state who did not follow guidelines and saw their numbers increase,” Pedri said. “Here in Luzerne County we have followed all of the state’s rules, stepped up and did what we had to do to keep our friends and families safe.”

Pedri argued the county’s current daily increases have been “mostly single digit” following a significant decline. Bars and restaurants “gladly took on the challenges of reopening” by adjusting their businesses and now have to “change paths again,” he said.

“Our friends and employers in this industry will absolutely be affected, and many will not survive. I do not understand why there is now a statewide approach when the previous county-by-county approach worked so well,” Pedri said.

The county had 49 new weekly cases from July 3 to July 9, an increase of five from the prior week, according to the latest posting on the state’s early warning dashboard. The next set of weekly statistics will be released Friday.

Justification explained

Wolf and Levine spent about an hour explaining why the response was warranted, joined by Dr. David Rubin, a general pediatrician and director of PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Rubin and his colleagues developed a model to track and project coronavirus transmission across the country and said his team has “incontrovertible evidence” the virus is quickly sweeping into the country’s northeast region from the west and south due to the failure of some other states to push masking and social distancing.

The new measures will help stop spread that would threaten the reopening of Pennsylvania schools and the state’s overall economy in coming months, Rubin and the state officials said.

Rubin said the “evidence is now extremely clear” the virus is returning to the northeast region.

In addition to the catalysts identified by Wolf, Rubin said the southwestern part of the state has been hit by widespread community transmission from Ohio.

Research also shows a “worrisome” rise in cases from the south “moving quickly up I-95” into the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas toward the York area. There is also spread into the Philadelphia area from south New Jersey, he said.

If Pennsylvania does not “act decisively” now it won’t be able to say with confidence that schools can be opened after Labor Day, he said.

“The time is now for action,” Rubin said.

Florida highlighted

Levine said Florida is an example of what happens when officials “let the virus burn” without mitigation efforts, leading to concerns about hospital capacity and rising death rates.

“We cannot be Florida,” she said.

Wolf said his state “will look a lot more like Florida” if nothing is done now.

Waiting weeks could force “draconian” measures in the fall, he said.

“We’re trying to stop this virus in its tracks,” he said. “We have got to act now.”

While much of the state’s recent case rise is in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas, Levine said cases have increased in 43 counties. The coronavirus testing positivity rate also went up in 28 counties over a seven-day period, she said.

What happens if the new measures don’t work?

Levine said she can’t predict. The measures are “what is necessary now,” she said.

Businesses and individuals in violation of the state’s order may be subject to fines, business closure or other enforcement measures, the state said.

Wolf said there is “no shortage” of outdoor dining options and encouraged families to enjoy outdoor activities while following protocols, including visits to one of more than 121 state parks.