Update On PA Mask Mandate Status

PENNSYLVANIA — Case numbers may be rising and some jurisdictions may be sounding the alarm over the more contagious delta variant, but Pennsylvania officials said the state has no plans to bring back its mask mandate or other mitigation measures in the immediate future.

"The administration is not considering reinstating a statewide mandate," Department of Health spokesperson Maggi Barton told Patch in an email. "However, we recommend Pennsylvanians, including schools, follow CDC guidance. Further, businesses and local governments may adopt stricter COVID prevention strategies, including mask requirements."

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday issued new guidance recommending vaccinated Americans resume mask-wearing indoors in certain circumstances.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the change comes after seeing new scientific data from recent outbreak investigations which shows that the Delta variant is much more contagious and transmissible than previous strains of the virus.

>>PA's COVID-19 Positivity Rate Shoots Up As Delta Variant Spreads

The state has seen a resurgence of the virus in recent days, in what officials have termed a "pandemic of the unvaccinated." The statewide percent positivity rate is up to 2.8 percent, after sitting at 1.7 percent last week. It's the first notable increase in weeks, and has led health experts in places like Philadelphia to call for universal mask usage while in public indoor spaces.

Other recommendations from Philadelphia health officials include choosing outdoor rather than indoor spaces; avoiding crowded indoor spaces; wearing masks while indoors around people you don't know are vaccinated; and considering double masking for unvaccinated people while in indoor public spaces.

Pennsylvania's mask mandate expired on June 28, after being in place for more than a year. It was one of the final and most visible signs of the pandemic that persisted in daily life, and, at the time, the lifting of the order seemed to signify that a page had been turned.

In the month that's passed since, this was reaffirmed by plummeting case numbers and skyrocketing vaccination rates. But the latest surge, driven by the more contagious delta variant, has brought the question of masking and other mitigation measures back to the forefront.

The state-issued guidelines for the coming 2021-22 school year this week, noting that they planned to follow CDC guidance. The latest recommendation calls for unvaccinated individuals to wear masks indoors in schools (and elsewhere), although exact policies and enforcement of any mandates are being left up to local districts.

The Department of Health did note that increasing the vaccination rate was crucial to ending the pandemic.

"Data has shown that there is a correlation between increased vaccination rates and lower COVID-19 case counts," Barton added. "We cannot stress enough the importance of eligible Pennsylvanians getting vaccinated to stop the spread of COVID-19."