Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is seen at the State Capitol in Harrisburg in this file photo.
AP file photo
As you likely have read by now, Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday announced a series of new coronavirus restrictions that will have a significant impact on school sports and activities, bars and restaurants, gatherings and more.
How will these restrictions affect your work and social activities? Here is a summary of what you need to know.
When do they take effect?
The orders take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, and will remain in effect until 8 a.m. on January 4, 2021.
How are school activities and sports affected?
• School extracurricular activities, including sports, will be prohibited. This includes includes K-12 public schools, nonpublic schools, private schools and sports at the club, travel, recreational and intramural levels.
• Regarding non-sports, the ban covers, but is not limited to, musical ensembles, school plays, student council, clubs, and school dances.
What about other sports?
Professional and collegiate sports may continue without spectators.
How are restaurants and bars affected?
• All in-person indoor dining at businesses in the retail food services industry, including, but not limited to, bars, restaurants, breweries, wineries, distilleries, social clubs, and private catered events is prohibited, the orders state.
• Outdoor dining, take-out food service, and take-out alcohol sales are permitted and may continue, subject to existing limitations or restrictions.
What about gatherings?
Indoor gatherings and events will be limited to 10 people. Outdoor gatherings will be limited t0 50 people.
Are religious gatherings affected?
Churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other places of congregate worship are specifically excluded from those limitations during religious services, state officials say, but “these institutions are strongly encouraged to find alternative methods for worship, as in person gatherings pose a significant risk to participants at this time.”
“While this an incredibly difficult recommendation to make, particularly at this time of year, faith leaders must carefully weigh the health risks to their congregants given the immense amount of community spread of COVID-19,” the governor’s office says.
What about gyms?
• Indoor operations at gyms and fitness facilities are prohibited.
• Outdoor facilities and outdoor classes can continue, but all participants must wear face coverings and practice physical distancing requirements.
Will indoor entertainment activities be permitted?
No. All in-person businesses in the entertainment industry serving the public within a building or indoor defined area, including, but not limited to, theaters, concert venues, museums, movie theaters, arcades, casinos, bowling alleys, private clubs, and all other similar entertainment, recreational or social facilities, are prohibited from operation, the state says.
How are other businesses affected?
All in-person businesses serving the public may only operate at up to 50% of the maximum capacity stated on the applicable certificate of occupancy, except as limited by existing orders to a smaller capacity limit.
Are other businesses required to have their employees work from home?
“Telework is to be utilized unless it is not possible to do so,” the state says, adding that “there are no exemptions to the telework requirement,” and that includes “life-sustaining” or “essential” business or those that received exemptions during the color phases earlier this year.
Read the details in full
Here are links to the state’s official guidance, which include inline links to studies Wolf cited providing scientific data to support the new orders:
