Gov. Tom Wolf wears a mask during a briefing at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management headquarters in Harrisburg.
As cases of the new, highly-transmissible omicron variant and hospitalizations continue to rise to record levels, the Wolf administration, with its limited emergency powers, is not considering any statewide masking or vaccine mandate.
They’re trusting Pennsylvanians to do what’s right, acting state Health Secretary Keara Klinepeter told reporters during a Tuesday press conference in Harrisburg, emphasizing the importance of getting vaccinated and boosted, testing, and masking in public.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began nearly two years ago, Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, enacted a statewide shutdown and mask mandate to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. He’s since had his emergency response powers curtailed, following a voter-approved constitutional change that limits the governor’s disaster declarations to 21 days and gives extension authority to the Legislature.
“We’ve always had the opinion that Pennsylvanians will do the right thing,” she said. “I think certainly the constitutional authorities that the governor, and that the secretary of health, have are different at this time, and we’ve certainly heard people’s perspective that they would like to be able to make local decisions. And so, that’s really what we’re leaning on — is for people in local places of authority to make good public health decisions.”
A Call for a State of Emergency Declaration
Despite the Wolf Administration’s policy, some elected officials, including Democratic state Rep. Napoleon Nelson in Montgomery County, are calling for more to be done.
In an open letter to Governor Wolf on Tuesday, Nelson called for a state of emergency declaration on Omicron.
“It is time for Gov. Tom Wolf to declare a state of emergency to address the presently dominant Omicron variant and its impact on our school and health care capacity,” reads a portion of Nelson’s letter. “Maryland has done so. Delaware has done so. Several counties here in Pennsylvania have done so. What is more alarming is the haphazard guidance and decision-making provided to school leaders throughout the commonwealth and the pleas for help that I am regularly hearing from those leaders.”
Nelson’s call for a state of emergency declaration comes as Pennsylvania reported a record-breaking average of more than 27,000 new cases per day over the last seven days. Additionally, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Pennsylvania were at a record high of 7,149 on Tuesday, and they are expected to continue to increase through February.
“Governor Wolf, I am certain that you have heard these calls, as well. Heed the call and step into this moment, not with an extension of the previous mandates or required closures, but with the resources and regulatory flexibility that can be marshalled through a Pennsylvania Emergency Declaration with the narrow focus of supporting our education and health institution capacity during this month of high positivity rates, high contact-tracing backlog, and low staff availability,” said Nelson. “We are all eager to care for our communities and provide safe learning spaces for our young people. These next few weeks will go a long way to ensuring our ability to make it through winter.”
Vaccinations and Hospitalizations
State data shows that nearly 75 percent of Pennsylvanians are vaccinated against COVID-19. And while the Wolf administration is waiting to see how the U.S. Supreme Court rules in the case against President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate, particularly for healthcare workers, Klinepeter said state officials “are not considering further vaccine mandates at this time.”
The Biden administration recently approved a request from Wolf for additional relief for Pennsylvania medical facilities most affected by the surge in cases and hospitalizations. Two “strike teams” are already deployed at Wellspan York and Scranton Regional Hospital and helped make about 30 beds available.
But those resources are “definitely not sufficient” to deal with existing hospitalizations, Klinepeter said.
The state Health Department expects Pennsylvania will see a peak in hospitalizations in early February, citing a two-week lag between cases and hospitalizations. Additional resources, including an anticipated four regional support sites, are expected to be operational next month, using existing healthcare infrastructure.
“We are still selecting where those sites will be,” Klinepeter said. “We’ll likely make that determination toward the end of this week based on this week’s data of both hospitalizations and case counts across the commonwealth.”
North Penn Now editor Keith Heffintrayer contributed to this report.
See also:
As COVID-19 Cases Climb, Wolf Calls on Feds for Health Care Support
First Case of Omicron Variant Detected in a Montgomery County Resident
Everything You Need to Know to Stay COVID-Safe During a Second Pandemic Winter
Teens Aged 16 and 17 Years Old Now Eligible For COVID-19 Booster
Poll Shows Pennsylvanians Less Concerned About COVID Pandemic
