Pennsylvania's Secretary of Health announced four new COVID-19 mitigation efforts.
Face Masks
New requirements have been added to the mask order put into place earlier this year. Face masks must now be worn indoors and outdoors when you are away from home. When indoors, a mask must be worn at all times, regardless of physical distance with others that are not members of your same household.
The indoor mask requirements apply to homes, businesses, medical facilities, public transportation as well as food service and prep facilities.
Travelers
All visitors from other states are required to have a negative COVID test within 72 hours before entering Pennsylvania.
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Hospitals
The Wolf administration says hospitals must work through coalitions and partnerships to prepare to offer support to each other if the need arises. Elective surgeries are to be moved up. While elective surgeries are not yet prohibited again, the administration says that restriction in March and April was considered successful.
Colleges and Universities
The heath department recommends that colleges and universities develop and implement a testing plan for the return of students after the holidays.
“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.”
In recent weeks, the number of positive COVID-19 cases throughout the state has increased. Daily case counts began to rise in late September and with a dramatic increase beginning in late October, according to data from the Dept. of Health.
As of Tuesday, Nov. 17, the total number of cases in the state stands at 275,513.