PA Has Nation's Second-Most Stringent Coronavirus Restrictions

PENNSYLVANIA — A new study has concluded that Pennsylvania currently has the nation's second-most severe coronavirus restrictions. California was the only state with harsher conditions, the study found.

Personal finance website WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 19 key metrics. The data set ranged from whether the state has any penalties for non-compliance with COVID-19 legislation to whether the state has required face masks in public and health checks at restaurants.

The study was released amid increasing concerns amid Pennsylvania bar and restaurant owners about state-mandated capacity restrictions. Currently, those establishments can only seat patrons at 25 percent capacity.

But such restrictions are positive, WalletHub's Jill Gonzalez said in a release.

“States should strictly enforce their COVID-19 restrictions because otherwise there is no incentive for people to follow the rules. If there are no consequences for disobeying a state's mask mandate, for example,people will be more likely to try to enter crowded areas without masks,
which in turn will contribute to the spread of the virus,” Gonzalez said.

“Fines are a good deterrent to make sure Americans follow COVID-19 restrictions, and enforcement will also minimize the need for citizens to play the police.”

Here is how Pennsylvania ranked in certain metrics in the study:

• Travel restrictions: 15

• Working from home requirements: 16

• Requirements to wear a face mask in public: 18

• Reopening on non-essential businesses: 22

• Workplace temperature screening: 28

• Reopening of child-care programs: 31

• Large gathering restrictions: 32

• Reopening of restaurants and bars: 45

You can see the entire study here.