Free Republic

With Pennsylvania’s COVID-19-related deaths hitting their highest point in the last two days since the pandemic began and the number of new cases consistently topping 10,000 each day, Gov. Tom Wolf and state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine are imploring the state’s residents to hit a three-week pause on certain activities. Among them, they are banning indoor dining at bars and restaurants, halting school sports and activities, and prohibiting entertainment venues such as casinos, theaters and bowling alleys from being open starting this Saturday until 8 a.m. on Jan. 4. Tom Wolf has now tested negative for the coronavirus following...

Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf and Health Department Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine announced a number of new coronavirus mitigation efforts on Thursday, but they won’t impact classroom learning. The restrictions that go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday and last until 8 a.m. on Jan. 4 include, among many other things, a ban on indoor gatherings of 10 people or more. The order signed by Wolf, however, specifically addresses school settings. “Classroom instruction by school entities is not a “gathering” or “event” for purposes of this Order,” it reads. “Nor is a meeting of electors, including any preparation, to perform...

Gov. Tom Wolf announced new steps Thursday to combat the surge in coronavirus cases, including measures to prohibit indoor dining in restaurants, the closure of casinos and theaters and a temporary halt to scholastic sports. In a news conference, Wolf said he is imposing other limits on all businesses serving the public, capping retailers, barber shops and salons and other businesses to 50% of indoor occupancy limits. Gyms and fitness centers can offer outdoor classes but cannot offer indoor operations. Indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people, the governor’s office said, but churches and other houses of worship are exempt...

Three organizations representing nearly 700 Pennsylvania’s nursing homes are suing Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration in what they term is a fight for some of the facilities’ survival and to protect their residents and staff against the coronavirus. The lawsuit filed on Monday in Commonwealth Court demands the administration direct the more than $153 million allocated to Pennsylvania through the first federal stimulus package, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, to these health providers that care for tens of thousands of the state’s older and vulnerable residents. In Pennsylvania, the state Department of Health reported on Tuesday there are 40,541 resident...

Restaurant owners say they aren’t sure how a 5 p.m. booze cutoff on one of the biggest bar nights of the year will help to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Already, last call for bars and eating establishments in Pennsylvania is 11 p.m. Plus, nightclubs are not permitted to operate. “It doesn’t make sense. All you’ve’ done is targeted one industry and pushed them to the brink. People are going to go somewhere else,” said Bill Kokos, owner of the Sierra Madre Saloon in Hampden Township. As part of a press conference with Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf, Health Secretary...

Saying Pennsylvania is in a “precarious place” with the coronavirus, Gov. Tom Wolf is advising residents to stay home whenever possible and moving forward with other measures to limit the spread of COVID-19. Wolf and Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine announced new measures in a news conference Monday. Under the new measures that were described as “targeted” steps, indoor events are limited to 500 people and outdoor gatherings are capped at 2,500, Levine said. In addition, schools in most Pennsylvania counties will have to file a certification form with the state if they want to continue to provide in-person...

Surging COVID-19 cases led all of Pennsylvania’s neighbors to enact new restrictions in recent days but Gov. Tom Wolf has avoided a statewide rollback so far. In recent weeks, the state repeatedly broke its single-day record for new coronavirus cases, with health officials warning of substantial spread in 59 counties. Meanwhile, 9.6% of all tests coming back positive, a sign of undetected transmission across the state. The state Department of Health reported 9,675 new positive cases over the weekend, bringing the statewide total total to 269,613. In all, 9,325 people have died from COVID-19. At a press conference Monday morning,...

Gov. Tom Wolf will meet with the governors of New York, New Jersey and other northeastern states this weekend to discuss possibly coordinating new restrictions to help curb COVID-19 spread as as a second wave of the coronavirus grips the region. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the “emergency summit” on Friday. Gov. Phil Murphy’s office confirmed the meeting to NJ Advance Media, saying the discussion will be held virtually. “Governor Murphy looks forward to continuing our work with our regional partners to address the public health crisis,” spokesman Mahen Gunaratna said. The summit will also include the governors of...

The Allegheny County Board of Elections has voted to allow ballots to be counted that were not properly dated when they were mailed in. These ballots were the only item on the board’s agenda on Tuesday. According to the board, there are 2,349 ballots without dates — which they have now decided to count.“What we have here is essentially a technicality that we don’t want voters to get disenfranchised with,” said Allegheny County solicitor Andy Szefi, according to a report from the CBS Pittsburgh. The report added that “those dateless ballots will undergo further analysis to make sure they are...

President Trump is refusing to concede the election to Joe Biden, insisting “this election is far from over.” A statement signed by the president said Biden “has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.” Neither candidate has been certified as the winner in any state, as all 50 continue to wrap up their vote counts. The statement singled out Pennsylvania, whose 20 electoral votes put Biden over 270 Electoral...

Two more batches of Pennsylvania vote were reported: -23,277 votes in Philadelphia, all for Biden -about 5,300 votes in Luzerne County, nearly 4,000 of which were for Biden *With 83% of the expected vote in, Trump’s lead in PA is now just below 6 points.

President Donald Trump and his reelection campaign are signaling they will pursue an aggressive legal strategy to try to prevent Pennsylvania from counting mailed ballots that are received in the three days after the election. The matter could find its way to the Supreme Court, especially if those ballots could tip the outcome in the battleground state. The three-day extension was ordered by Pennsylvania’s top court. The Supreme Court refused to block it, but several conservative justices have indicated they could revisit the issue after the election. Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar, a Democrat, already has told local elections...

Pennsylvania restaurant owners who were fined roughly $10,000 for opening their doors in defiance of coronavirus restrictions have been deemed not guilty. A judge in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, found Taste of Sicily not guilty in its fight against the Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s coronavirus restrictions, according to Local 21 News Harrisburg. “The crux of the legal argument is that orders that have been issued by the Governor and The Department of Health are legally unenforceable. Judge Garvey agreed with that argument,” the restaurant’s lawyer Eric Winter said. The restaurant, co-owned by siblings Michael Mangano and Christine Wartluft, opened in May...

Pennsylvania restaurant owners have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and were hoping to see restrictions relaxed on their businesses. An effort in the General Assembly failed again Tuesday, albeit just barely. The state House of Representatives fell short in a bid to override Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto of a bill that would have eased rules on restaurants. The effort needed two-thirds of the House and fell short by two votes. John Longstreet, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, said the defeat of the bill (HB 2513) was a blow for the industry. “The failure...

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has vetoed a key bill that would loosen restrictions on restaurants and bars in the state. House Bill 2513 would set minimum capacity for restaurants and taverns at a minimum of 50% and even beyond that if the premises allow. It further would allow establishments to permit patrons to sit at bars, provided they socially distance, and would eliminate the requirement that a meal must be purchased to buy an alcoholic beverage. “This bill jeopardizes public health and safety as it permits eating establishments, including restaurants, bars, clubs and banquet halls, to operate up to 100%...

Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf and Health Department Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine have changed their order related to gathering limitations in the state. Originally, indoor events were restricted to just 25 people, while outdoor events could have up to 250. Now, however, the maximum capacity will be determined based on a venue’s maximum occupancy. It breaks down like this: Maximum Occupancy - Allowable Indoor Rate 0-2,000 people - 20% of Maximum Occupancy 2,001 - 10,000 people - 15% of Maximum Occupancy Over 10,000 people - 10% of Maximum Occupancy up to 3,750 people Maximum Occupancy - Allowable Outdoor Rate 0-2,000 people...

Gathering limits are back in Pennsylvania, at least for now, following the latest federal court ruling on the topic. What does it mean for schools that host high school football games or other such events Friday night or this weekend? Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf’s advice is to stay tuned. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Thursday that the Wolf administration’s coronavirus mitigation gathering limits -- 250 people at outdoor events and 25 at indoor ones -- are back in play again while the appeal process works itself through the court system. The news comes after U.S. District Judge...

U.S. Senator Pat Toomey and other Pa. Republicans in Washington, D.C., have sent a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf asking that he permit fans to attend sporting events in the state this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic. Fellow members of Congress Dr. Jim Joyce, Brian Fitzpatrick, Fred Keller, Mike Kelly, Dan Meuser, Scott Perry, Guy Reschenthaler, Lloyd Smucker, and Glen Thompson also signed the letter, which reads in part: “We write today urging you to reconsider your opposition to allowing in-person attendance at school sporting events during the 2020-2021 school year, and with collegiate and professional football safely resuming across...

There were plenty of red MAGA hats and T-shirts on Saturday at President Donald Trump’s campaign rally at Harrisburg International Airport. But the one thing conspicuously missing from the majority of people? Face masks. Thousands stood shoulder to shoulder, packed even beyond the immediate capacity of the private hangar, and most were without masks. Among those who had masks, many had them pulled down to their chins. “I’m over it,” Jackie Logsdon of Chambersburg said about the coronavirus and wearing masks, one of the major pieces of guidances from health officials. “Nope, I’m over it. I do believe in it,...

Trump is set to hold another rally at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Harrisburg International Airport, despite Wolf’s public pleas for the president not to endanger Pennsylvanians. The governor said he sent a letter to the president earlier this month asking that he abide by public health guidance in visits to the commonwealth. Wolf called Trump’s insistence on holding Saturday’s event “gravely concerning.” “No matter what party you support, all Americans should be very concerned that the President has put headlines and publicity above the health and safety of our families and communities," said Wolf, a Democrat. “It is dangerous...