Will PA Adopt Mask Or Vaccine Mandate? Gov. Wolf Responds

PENNSYVLANIA — Amid the latest coronavirus surge and the looming presence of the omicron variant, Pennsylvania is not considering any "draconian" mitigation measures.

No statewide mask or vaccine mandate is forthcoming anytime soon from the Department of Health, according to Gov. Tom Wolf.

"Different municipalities are going to handle it differently," the governor told the KDKA morning radio show in Pittsburgh. "The state’s strategy is the vaccine.”

The statement regarding local control comes just weeks after Gov. Wolf said the power over school mask mandates would be returned to local districts in January, and just days after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed a lower court's ruling that the control must be returned immediately.

The state's vaccine-first strategy has been consistent for months now, even amid the latest spike. Other states have been far more aggressive in their response. New York has issued an indoor mask mandate. Nearby, New Jersey's school mask mandate will be in place through at least Jan. 11, and New Jersey is apparently considering a similarly indoor mandate statewide to New York.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health says that the vaccine-first strategy is important to prioritize because the vaccine limits the overall number of hospitalizations. The pressure on hospital capacity in systems around the state has been one of the most significant consequences of the latest surge in the virus.

Meanwhile, some local municipalities are still implementing stricter mitigation measures. Philadelphia, for instance, will soon require a vaccine card for anyone patronizing a restaurant or bar in the city.