Pennsylvania will lift all COVID-19 mitigation orders, with the exception of mandatory masking in public, on Memorial Day, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration announced on Tuesday.
May 31 will mark an end to state-mandated capacity restrictions and distancing requirements for gatherings and events, bars and restaurants and other businesses that have been in place and modified throughout most of the pandemic.
The current maximum capacity for businesses including bars, restaurants, gyms and theaters is 75%. Gatherings and events are limited to 25% capacity and outdoor gatherings to 50% capacity.
The mask order will be lifted when 70% of Pennsylvanians 18 and older have been fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the Department of Health. Residents who are fully vaccinated are not required to wear masks during certain activities. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 41.8% of the state’s adult population are fully vaccinated and 63% have received at least one dose of the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
“We continue to make significant progress in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19 and as more Pennsylvania adults get vaccinated and guidance from the CDC evolves, we can continue to move forward with our reopening efforts,” Department of Health Acting Secretary Alison Beam said in a statement. “I encourage Pennsylvanians to take the critical steps needed to put this pandemic behind us by getting vaccinated, follow through with both doses if you receive the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, and continue to take steps like masking, frequent hand washing and sanitizing and social distancing.”
Municipalities and school districts can continue to have their own requirements.
State College Borough Council is expected to vote during its meeting on May 10 whether to extend or amend the borough’s temporary ordinance that limits gatherings at residents and on municipal property and enforces masking requirements. It is currently set to expire on May 31.
College, Ferguson and Patton townships also have temporary ordinances restricting capacities for gatherings at residences and municipal property. College and Patton’s currently are scheduled to expire on July 31 and Ferguson’s on June 30.
Wolf’s disaster emergency proclamation also remains in effect.
