Posted on 05/26/2021 9:29:34 AM PDT by lightman
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday that he won’t lift the COVID-19 restrictions until Memorial Day, despite requests to do so earlier.
Earlier this month, Wolf said the state’s COVID-19 restrictions on businesses and gatherings would end on Memorial Day, May 31. Businesses, including restaurants and entertainment venues, can operate at full capacity starting Monday at 12:01 a.m. There will be no state-imposed limits on gatherings - including pro sports events - beginning on Memorial Day.
Some lawmakers had asked the governor to end the restrictions on Friday, so businesses that have been hurting during the pandemic can move to full capacity for the full holiday weekend.
At a news conference in Lancaster, Wolf said he doesn’t plan to alter the timeline. He noted the bipartisan COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force signed off on ending the restrictions on Memorial Day.
“We all decided May 31, midnight on Memorial Day would be the day we lift those restrictions,” Wolf said.
“They’ll be fully lifted on May 31. I’m comfortable and I think most Pennsylvanians are too that we’re doing the right thing,” he said.
The state is continuing to make progress on COVID-19 vaccinations, Wolf said. About 52% of the state’s adults are fully vaccinated. The state’s mask order will remain in effect until 70% of Pennsylvania adults are fully vaccinated, Wolf has said.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in most places, including indoors, and Pennsylvania is following that guidance. The CDC still advises partially vaccinated or unvaccinated people to wear masks. Some grocery stores and retailers no longer require customers to wear masks.
Last month, capacity limits were raised to 75% for restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues including casinos, theaters and malls. On May 17, the occupancy limit for indoor events rose to 50% of capacity, while limits for outdoor events and gatherings moved to 75% of capacity.
As more people have been vaccinated, fewer COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are being reported. Only 5 Pennsylvania counties are now showing substantial spread of COVID-19, the Wolf administration said Tuesday.
At the press conference in Lancaster, Wolf again renewed calls for raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage, a goal he has pursued for more than six years. The Democratic governor wants to raise the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour and eventually raise it to $15 per hour by 2027. The state’s minimum wage has remained at $7.25 per hour for a decade.
Republicans, who control the General Assembly, have opposed raising the minimum wage in the past and some have argued it shouldn’t be done after businesses have been hammered in the pandemic. Some Republican lawmakers have said they support a more modest increase in the minimum wage.
The City of Pittsburgh is, and some of the nearer suburbs, but I live in an outer suburb and it is half and half if not leaning GOP. When I voted in November, longest line I ever stood in to vote.
That’s encouraging. I’m North of Allegeny and it’s Trump country up here.
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