{"id":33541,"date":"2020-12-10T16:55:08","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=33541"},"modified":"2020-12-10T16:55:16","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:55:16","slug":"covid-19-update-dec-10-gov-wolf-orders-3-week-closure-of-indoor-dining-gyms-school-activities-to-slow-virus-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=33541","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19 Update, Dec. 10: Gov. Wolf orders 3 week closure of indoor dining, gyms, school activities to slow virus surge"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mike McGann<\/strong>, Editor, the Times<\/em> @mikemcgannpa<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Gov. Tom Wolf announced a series of new restrictions Thursday afternoon for the three weeks starting at midnight Friday, including a band on indoor dining at restaurants, closure of gyms, music venues, museums, halting of extra-curricular activities and sports in schools and limiting indoor gatherings through Jan. 4, 2021, with the hope of stopping a surge of COVID-19 in the commonwealth.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday I am announcing additional, temporary COVID-19 protective mitigation measures in the commonwealth,\u201d said Gov. Wolf during a press conference. \u201cWith these measures in place, we hope to accomplish three goals: First, stop the devastating spread of COVID-19 in the commonwealth. Second, keep our hospitals and health care workers from becoming overwhelmed. And third, help Pennsylvanians get through the holiday season \u2013 and closer to a widely available vaccine \u2013 as safely as possible. This is a bridge to a better future in Pennsylvania.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wolf said he understood that restaurant owners would suffer through no fault of their own and called on Congress to pass aid to restaurants and bars to help owners and employees get through the pandemic \u2014 but he said he needed to take action before the state\u2019s hospitals get overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that COVID-19 thrives in places where people gather together,\u201d Gov. Wolf said. \u201cTherefore, these mitigation measures target high-risk environments and activities and aim to reduce the spread of this devastating virus.\u201d<\/p>\n

COVID-19 cases in the state have surged of late \u2014 particularly in the middle of the state \u2014 with 11,972 cases reported Wednesday. According to the state Department of Health, there are 5,852 patients hospitalized with 1,191 in intensive care units in the commonwealth. 248 deaths were reported Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Wolf said that he hoped the measures would provide a bridge to the what he called \u201cHoly Grail\u201d \u2014 the vaccines that are expected to roll out later this month. But the new surge, he said, which is now hitting more younger people in the commonwealth, means actions need to be taken immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach of the last two days we have reported the highest number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic,\u201d Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said. \u201cIn the past week, we have reported close to 1,100 new deaths from COVID-19 across Pennsylvania. The virus continues to strain our health care systems and the dramatic rise in cases among all age groups, including among school-age children, is alarming. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been more than 37,500 cases among children age 5 to 18, yet 9,500 of those cases occurred in the past two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The news restrictions are as follows:<\/p>\n

In-Person Dining and Alcohol Sales:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n