COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Pennsylvania in March 2020. , the Pennsylvania Department of Health has confirmed 1,464,264 cumulative cases and 29,814 deaths in the state. , Pennsylvania has administered 6,238,812 partial vaccinations, and 5,983,128 full vaccinations. Government response. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Governor Wolf has implemented social distancing measures in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties in the Philadelphia suburbs along with Allegheny County in the Pittsburgh area, which urges non-essential businesses operations and services to close, such as malls, movie theaters, and casinos. Essential businesses  such as gas stations, grocery stores, and pharmacies will remain open. Essential services such as police, fire, and emergency medical services will be available. Starting March 16, 2020, bars and restaurants will be ordered to close to dine-in customers in those counties. In addition, non-essential travel is discouraged. A no visitor policy was implemented for correctional facilities and nursing homes statewide. On March 17, 2020, all Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores across the state closed at the end of the business day. On March 19, 2020, Governor Wolf ordered all non-life sustaining businesses to close. On March  22, 2020, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney issued a stay-at-home order for the city, set to take effect the following day at 8:00 am. On March 23, 2020, Governor Wolf issued additional stay at home orders for seven counties: Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Monroe, and a redundant order for Philadelphia County, to go into effect at 8:00 pm the same day. Stay-at-home orders were issued for Erie County on March 24, 2020; Lehigh and Northampton counties on March 25, 2020; Berks, Butler, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Luzerne, Pike, Wayne, Westmoreland, and York counties on March 27, 2020; Beaver , Centre, and Washington counties on March 28, 2020; and the entire state on April 1, 2020. Impact on economy. On March 19, 2020, Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf ordered a closure of all non-life-sustaining businesses in the state to close physical locations in order to slow the spread of the virus. Following the closure and into the second week of April 2020, 1.7 million residents had filed unemployment claims. The most affected sectors included the construction sector and the accommodation and food services sector. As of February 2021, over 2 million unemployment claims have been filed in the state . 1.1 million of those have been approved and paid. Impact on communities. Pennsylvania businesses were impacted by COVID-19 beginning early in the pandemic. All non-life-sustaining businesses were ordered to close by 8 pm March 19, 2020 by Gov. Tom Wolf. As a result, restaurants, small businesses, theaters, galleries, and performance spaces were temporarily shuttered to stem the spread of the virus. The economic impact of closures and related measures became apparent later in the year. GDP decreased by 34% statewide between Q1 and Q2 2020, and employment decreased by 503,600 (8.2%) jobs between February and December 2020. Beginning  in March 2020, remote work was advised where possible. In an effort to aid small and locally owned businesses, Pennsylvania legislators created funds for proprietors. The Statewide Small Business Assistance program made $225 million available for small businesses as part of the $2.6 billion CARES Act. Businesses, which apply through Community Development Financial Institutions, were eligible for grants of $5,000 to $50,000. Wolf's office reported $192 million has been provided through grants to more than 10,000 businesses. In October 2020, another $96 million was allocated to more than $5,000 businesses. As of  February 2021, businesses can operate at 75% capacity, casinos, malls, theaters, gyms, spas, and salons at 50%, and indoor dining in restaurants at 50% capacity. Gatherings for parties, funerals, or weddings were limited in number. As of November 2020, maximum occupancy limits (including staff) were set for indoor and outdoor settings. These range from no more than 500 people in an indoor space with a maximum occupancy of more than 10,000, 10% of 2,000 maximum occupancy, 5% of 2,000-10,000 maximum occupancy. Outdoor events were limited to 5% or up to 2,500 with a maximum occupancy of more than 10,000 , 15% of 2,000 maximum occupancy, and 10% of 2,000-10,000 maximum occupancy. In October 2020, lawmakers introduced “Save the Stages” legislation (PA House Bill 2894) designed to provide $200 million of the CARES Act to performance venues or associated businesses impacted by COVID-19. As gyms and recreational spaces were shuttered, Pennsylvanians took to outdoor trails. A survey of Pennsylvania Environmental Council's trails’ operators reported an increase of trail usage by 100% to 200% in spring 2020 as stay-at-home orders were implemented. Increased usage delayed planned projects and strained resources for management of the trail systems. In  November 2020, Gov, Wolf issued a travel order requiring those arriving in Pennsylvania from another state or country, or residents returning to the state, to test negative to a COVID-19 test or to quarantine for 10 days after arrival. Impact on education. On March 13, 2020, Governor Wolf ordered all Pennsylvania schools to close for at least two weeks. The Pennsylvania Department of Education canceled all statewide school assessments including the PSSA testing, Keystone exams, and the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA) for the remainder of the 2019–2020 school year. On April 9, 2020, Governor Wolf ordered all Pennsylvania  schools to remain closed through the end of the academic school year, with schools holding all classes through means of Google Classroom and other online classroom tools. In August 2020, Governor Wolf set forth criteria to reopen schools for the 2020–2021 school year based on community transmission of COVID-19. In counties with low transmission, schools are recommended to reopen with full in-person instruction or hybrid instruction using a mix of in-person and virtual learning. In counties with moderate transmission, schools are recommended to reopen with hybrid instruction or all-virtual learning. In counties with substantial transmission, schools are  recommended to reopen with all-virtual learning. On November 13, 2020, Montgomery County health officials ordered schools to go all-virtual for two weeks starting November 23, 2020 due to a rise in cases and hospitalizations. In January 2022, many schools temporarily switched to virtual learning due to an increase in COVID-19 cases among students and staff caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. In March 2020, many colleges and universities throughout Pennsylvania suspended in-person classes and moved to virtual learning in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some universities such as West Chester University of Pennsylvania, East Stroudsburg University  of Pennsylvania, and the University of Pennsylvania continued to utilize virtual learning for most classes for the fall 2020 semester. Other universities such as Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and Temple University started the fall 2020 semester with in-person classes but reverted to virtual learning after a rise in COVID-19 cases on campus. Temple University and Lehigh University will start the spring 2022 semester virtually due to the rise in COVID-19 cases caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. As elsewhere in the U.S., the pandemic has placed significant economic stress on public school districts across the state of Pennsylvania . Despite funding from the CARES ACT, many districts have had to increase taxes, make budgets, or draw from reserves, or some combination of the three strategies. Many of the districts facing the most difficult economic challenges are also those that serve low-income areas. Impact on voting. in 2019, PA General Assembly's Act 77 amended voting laws in the state to allow for "no excuse" mail in ballots, making mail-in ballots accessible to a greater number of residents, and aligning with similar practices in 31 states. In March 2020 with the passage of 2020 Act 12, the primary  election was postponed to June 2, 2020, to allow for mail in ballots and pre-canvassing. Immediately before the November 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, 27% of likely voters identified the virus as "the most pressing issue for the state." COVID-19 led to a surge in registrations for mail-in voting for the general election. In response to the pandemic, certain modifications were made to mail-in voting. Prepaid return postage was provided for both mail-in and absentee ballots in the general election. Additionally, the deadline for receipt of mail-in ballots was extended to November 6, 2020, if the  ballot was postmarked by November 3, 2020. The three-day extension was petitioned in the state Supreme Court in September 2020, and stated to be based on the delay in US Postal Service deliveries due to the pandemic. Following legal challenge, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the extended period of receipt of mail in ballots. In late October 2020, Kathryn Boockvar, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, ordered the mail in ballots received after November 3 to be kept separate from those received prior due to pending legislation in the US Supreme Court. Several appeals were made to the US  Supreme Court regarding the recent legislative decisions. The US Supreme Court declined to hear the cases. Impact on sports. Most of the state's sports teams were affected. Several leagues began postponing or suspending their seasons starting March 12, 2020. Major League Baseball cancelled the remainder of spring training on that date, and on March 16, 2020, they announced that the season will be postponed indefinitely, after the recommendations from the CDC to restrict events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks, affecting the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates. Also on March 12, 2020, the National Basketball  Association announced the season would be suspended for 30 days, affecting the Philadelphia 76ers. In the National Hockey League, the season was suspended for an indefinite amount of time, affecting the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. The NBA and NHL seasons have since resumed with a modified schedule. The Pittsburgh Penguins were unexpectedly eliminated in the qualifying round, while the Flyers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the New York Islanders. The 76ers completed the regular season after the restart and ended up as the 6 seed in the East; the 76ers were swept in the  first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics. On June 24, 2020, it was announced that the 2020 MLB season of 60 games will begin July 23 and 24 with players returning to spring training on July 1. On July 27, 2020, National Football League preseason games, which usually take place in August, were cancelled by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell due to the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The regular season began as scheduled, although the Eagles and Steelers played behind closed doors for the first part of the season. The Steelers allowed a  limited number of fans starting with their October 11, 2020 game against the Eagles while the Eagles allowed a limited number of fans starting with their October 18, 2020 game against the Baltimore Ravens. After the city of Philadelphia announced restrictions on November 16, 2020, due to a rise in cases, the Eagles were again not allowed to have any fans at games. After the state imposed restrictions on outdoor gatherings, the Steelers restricted attendance at games to family and friends of players and the organization starting with their December 2, 2020 game against the Ravens. The state originally planned  to allow a limited number of spectators for the Steelers home playoff game(s). On January 7, 2021, the Steelers announced that attendance at home playoff game(s) would be limited to family and associates. In college sports, the National Collegiate Athletic Association cancelled all winter and spring tournaments, most notably the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, affecting colleges and universities statewide. On March 16, 2020, the National Junior College Athletic Association also canceled the remainder of the winter seasons as well as the spring seasons. On August 11, the Big Ten Conference, which includes the Penn State  Nittany Lions, postponed their fall 2020 sports seasons. On September 16, 2020, it was announced the 2020 football season will start on October 24 with an eight-game schedule. The Army–Navy Game, which was scheduled to take place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on December 12, 2020, was moved to Michie Stadium on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York due to attendance limits on outdoor events imposed by the state. In auto racing, the NASCAR race weekend at Pocono Raceway from June 26–28, 2020, which included the first NASCAR Cup Series  doubleheader in history, took place as scheduled but without fans in attendance. Vaccination. The Pennsylvania Department of Health organized the state vaccine rollout into four phases. As of February 1, one million residents had received the vaccine. Phase 1A. In the first phase, or Phase 1A, eligible persons included long-term care facility residents, health care personnel, persons exposed to infectious materials, persons aged 65 and older, and high-risk persons aged 16–64. Phase 1A began December 14, 2020, with the first vaccines being distributed to frontline healthcare workers in Pittsburgh. Phase 1B. In Phase 1B, the following groups are  eligible for the vaccine: individuals in group settings beyond long-term care, first responders, correctional officers, food and agricultural workers, U.S. postal workers, manufacturing workers, educators, clergy, public transit workers, and childcare professionals. Phase 1C. In the third phase, essential workers in a number of sectors not already mentioned, including sectors such as transportation, energy, media, and legal services became eligible. Phase 2. In Phase 2, all (16 and older) persons not previously covered are eligible for the vaccine. Challenges to rollout. As of January 2021, Pennsylvania ranks "second-to-last among the states in vaccine administration," a condition which  has prompted state Republicans to criticize Democratic Governor Tom Wolf's management of the situation. Among other challenges, Wolf has cited a lack of supply from federal agencies in preventing quicker and more widespread inoculation. While older populations are targeted in Phase 1A, elderly residents of rural Pennsylvania in particular have had limited access to the vaccine, as limited supplies as inadequate facilities hinder the roll-out in these areas. Graphs. Sources: