PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Pennsylvania is taking additional steps to address a sharp increase in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations, officials said Tuesday.
The state health secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, announced "targeted efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania,” the Health Department said.
Dr. Levine announced an order that takes effect on Friday, November 20 that will require travelers to have a negative COVID-19 test result 72 hours prior to arriving in the Commonwealth.
Dr. Levine said if that person does not get a test, they must quarantine for 14 days.
There are some exemptions, such as people seeking medical treatment and people who must commute to and from PA. However, commuters are encouraged to work from home when possible.
Dr. Levine said people who travel by plane will not have their COVID-19 tests results checked nor will authorities pull every person over who drives into the Commonwealth. The recommendation is no traveling, and she said she hopes people will be responsible and stop the spread of COVID-19.
It's important to note: Mask requirements are still in place. However, Dr. Levine signed an order to require them more often.
It is now required that you wear a mask anytime you are with people outside your home. Dr. Levine gave places such as gyms, schools, and public transportation as examples of spaces that would require masks.
She expects those businesses to enforce the rule.
People must also wear masks inside homes if they are not part of the household.
According to a model from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, Pennsylvania will run out of ICU beds in December, Dr. Levine said.
It has been recommended that hospitals move up elective procedures if they are overwhelmed. Dr. Levine says hospitals should also postpone some elective procedures if deemed appropriate by health officials.
Dr. Levine warned Pennsylvania's COVID-19 death count could double from more than 9,000 to 18,000 by March.
You can read the full press release from the Department of Health here:
As Pennsylvania experiences a resurgence of COVID-19 cases with significantly higher daily case counts than in the spring and hospitalizations on the rise, the Wolf Administration has identified four new mitigation efforts, which Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine announced today.
“It is our collective responsibility to protect our communities and our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians from COVID-19 and to continue to work together to get through this pandemic. These targeted mitigation efforts, combined with existing ones, are paramount to saving lives and protecting our economy,” Gov. Wolf said. “The administration will continue to monitor the risks posed by COVID-19 across the commonwealth and will reinstate or institute new targeted mitigation tactics as necessary.”
The efforts announced today include:
Protecting Our Health Care System
Dr. Levine issued a memorandum to acute care hospitals outlining expectations to care for Pennsylvanians who need care during the pandemic.
Hospitals are to work through the established health care coalitions and other partnerships to prepare for how they will support one another in the event that a hospital becomes overwhelmed during the pandemic. Hospitals should also be working to move up elective procedures necessary to protect a person’s health and prepare to suspend them if our health care system becomes strained.
Restrictions on elective surgeries put into effect in March and lifted in April were to help with both PPE and bed capacity and were considered successful.
Hospitalizations are increasing, as are ICU patients, and according to modeling from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, which does not take into account hospitalizations from influenza, Pennsylvania will run out of intensive care beds in December if ICU admissions continue at the current rate.
The same modeling indicates we will have sufficient medical-surgical beds with some uncertainty as to capacity from region to region.
Traveler Testing
Dr. Levine issued an order requiring anyone who visits from another state to have a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to entering the commonwealth.
If someone cannot get a test or chooses not to, they must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvanians visiting other states are required to have a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to their return to the commonwealth or to quarantine for 14 days upon return to Pennsylvania.
This order, which takes effect on Friday, November 20, does not apply to people who commute to and from another state for work or medical treatment.
Strengthened Masking Order
Dr. Levine first issued a masking order on April 15. The order signed today strengthens this initial order with these inclusions:
- Masks are required to be worn indoors and outdoors if you are away from your home.
- When outdoors, a mask must be worn if you are not able to remain physically distant (at least 6 feet away) from someone not in your household the entire time you are outdoors.
- When indoors, masks will now be required even if you are physically distant from members not in your household. This means that even if you are able to be 6 feet apart, you will need to wear a mask while inside if with people other than members of your household.
- This order applies to every indoor facility, including homes, retail establishments, gyms, doctors’ offices, public transportation, and anywhere food is prepared, packaged or served.
Colleges and Universities
The departments of Health and Education issued recommendations for colleges and universities to implement a testing plan for when students return to campus following the holidays.
These recommendations include establishing routine protocols for testing.
Colleges and universities should have adequate capacity for isolation and quarantine and should be prepared to enforce violations of established policies such as mask wearing and physical distancing.
Every college and university should test all students at the beginning of each term, when returning to campus after a break and to have regular screening testing throughout the semester/term.
“We must remain united in stopping COVID-19,” Dr. Levine said. “Wear a mask, wash your hands, stay apart and download the COVID Alert PA app. If you test positive, please answer the call of the case reviewer and provide information that can help protect others. It’s the selfless, right thing to do.”
Like the rest of the nation, Pennsylvania has seen coronavirus infections explode in recent weeks. The state is reporting more than 5,000 new infections per day, up more than 115% in just two weeks, and hospitalizations and the percentage of tests coming back positive are up sharply. Deaths are on the rise, as well.
Governors and mayors around the country have been tightening restrictions in response to the worsening pandemic.
On Monday, Philadelphia said it would ban indoor gatherings and indoor dining and shutter casinos, gyms, museums, and libraries.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf imposed a state-at-home order and shuttered businesses deemed “non-life-sustaining” early in the pandemic, but Wolf and Levine have consistently said they have no intention of implementing another broad-based shutdown.