CARLISLE, Pa. — For more than a year the Wolf administration followed World Health Organization guidelines not to reopen until the COVID positivity rate fell below 5 percent. Despite hitting that goal this week, however, officials announced mitigation measures would not be lifted until the end of Memorial Day Weekend.
Statewide PCR positivity was 4.5 percent the week of May 14 to 20, down from 5.3 percent the week of May 7 to 13, according to the Department of Health.
The state’s current restrictions limit business and restaurant capacity to 75 percent. The Wolf administration announced restrictions would be relaxed on Memorial Day, May 31.
Mask requirements will continue to stay in place for those who are not fully vaccinated until 70 percent of Pennsylvanians are vaccinated, which officials said they expected to happen in about a month.
State Senate Republicans had asked the Wolf administration to lift the restrictions three days earlier, saying Memorial Day weekend business would help the hospitality industry.
But Department of Health officials said the extra days could allow as many as 200,000 more Pennsylvanians to get vaccinated, based on the current 66,000 average daily vaccination rate over a seven-day average.
DOH wrote in a statement,
“We will continue to monitor vaccination rates and adjust mitigation orders accordingly. Pennsylvania continues to make significant progress in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19… We will continue to monitor vaccination rates and evaluate dates accordingly. All Pennsylvanians can help by encouraging their neighbors and loved ones who are eligible to get vaccinated to do so to help protect themselves and their communities.”
Some in the service industry said they were glad more Pennsylvanians could get vaccinated, but didn’t understand why three days more of restrictions would matter.
“That seems like a low number to make a decision on,” said Aaron Faulls, doorman at Gingerbread Man restaurant in Carlisle.
On the other hand, Faulls said, he didn’t mind waiting a little bit longer if it means reopening soon.
“What’s another week?” he said. “At this point everybody has been kind of itching, but I think another week isn’t going to make that much of a difference right now.”