Dr. Rachel Levine, right, is seen speaking during a press conference earlier this year as an interpreter signs her remarks for the hearing-impaired.
File photo
What impact will Monday’s federal court ruling against Gov. Tom Wolf’s pandemic restrictions have on businesses, particularly regarding occupancy and the 10 p.m. alcohol serving curfew?
It will have no impact, according to state officials.
That’s because the ruling dealt with the administration’s early pandemic response, particularly shutdown orders and determining which businesses were non-life-sustaining, administration officials point out.
“This court ruling is limited to the business closure order and the stay at home orders issued in March, which were later suspended, as well as the 25-person indoor and 250-person outdoor gathering limitations,” Wolf spokeswoman Lyndsay Kensinger said Monday.
“This ruling does not impact any of the other mitigation orders currently in place including, but not limited to business occupancy restrictions, mandatory telework, mandatory mask order, worker safety order, and the building safety order,” she added.
Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, meanwhile, noted that “the orders that the governor and I put in place on mask-wearing, mandatory telework, worker safety, building safety and hospital safety are all still in effect to protect Pennsylvanians, especially our frontline workers.”
Even so, the administration is concerned about implications of the ruling as the pandemic continues, and plans to challenge it.
“The administration is disappointed with the result and will seek a stay of the decision and file an appeal,” Kensinger said Tuesday.
“The actions taken by the administration were mirrored by governors across the country and saved, and continue to save lives in the absence of federal action,” she added. “This decision is especially worrying as Pennsylvania and the rest of the country are likely to face a challenging time with the possible resurgence of COVID-19 and the flu in the fall and winter.”
