Free Republic

Students over the age of 2 will be required to wear face coverings for nearly the entire school day under Pennsylvania’s universal mask order, according to a Department of Education memo released this week. There will be a limited number of instances in which students will be allowed to remove their face coverings, according to the memo. These include while eating or drinking, or during an activity that makes mask-wearing unsafe. Students can also take their masks off during 10-minute “face-covering breaks.” “For the safety of students, staff and families and to avoid community spread of COVID-19, students and staff...

Gov. Tom Wolf said this week he’s never been tested for COVID-19. He said so in an offhand remark at a news briefing for reporters and didn’t elaborate. That’s much different than the level of testing for officials such as President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who reportedly are tested daily and sometimes multiple times per day. Their staffers are also tested daily, and people who meet with Trump and Pence are tested in advance. “The Wolf Administration is following the same guidance that we offer to Pennsylvanians on a regular basis. If you are sick, and feel...

HARRISBURG — One day after Pennsylvania’s top health official forcefully denounced transphobic attacks against her, a Republican lawmaker co-opted her call for acceptance to address “hateful and intolerant comments directed towards the unmasked community.” Rep. Russ Diamond of Lebanon County released a statement Wednesday that mimicked remarks Health Secretary Rachel Levine made in response to recent “demonstrations of harassment” against her. Diamond has been one of the loudest opponents of Levine’s order requiring most people, barring a health issue, to wear a mask while in public. “Your actions perpetuate a spirit of intolerance and discrimination against unmasked individuals and specifically...

PITTSBURGH — The Pennsylvania Department of Health will not allow the Toronto Blue Jays to play at PNC Park in Pittsburgh amid the coronavirus pandemic. “In recent weeks, we have seen a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in southwestern Pennsylvania,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “To add travelers to this region for any reason, including for professional sports events, risks residents, visitors and members of both teams. We know that this virus does not discriminate, and can even make professional athletes very sick. We are committed to protecting the health and well-being of all Pennsylvanians.”...

On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Heath Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine made the wearing masks when you leave your home mandatory for all Pennsylvanians - an expansion of the Secretary's order that people must wear a mask when visiting businesses. Dr. Cyril Wecht told KDKA Radio's Wendy Bell that Levine's order is "totally, totally absurd."

Pennsylvania Health Department Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine took to Pittsburgh’s KDKA NewsRadio on Thursday morning to further explain the expanded mask-wearing order she signed on Wednesday. Levine hit on a number of familiar talking points. She repeated her familiar refrain: “my mask protects you and your mask protects me.” And she said that the order, which says citizens should wear a face-covering anytime they leave their home and will be around other people unless they’re under the age of two or have a medical or work-related reason not to, is not political. Rather, it’s meant to help prevent an outburst...

A new order signed Wednesday by state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine makes masks mandatory in Pennsylvania even when you’re outside in a public place. Gov. Tom Wolf said the mandate expands an order signed in April that requires the wearing of masks in businesses. The new order is effective immediately, Wolf said. Masks must be worn whenever anyone leaves home, according to the order, signed under Levine’s authority under the Disease Prevention and Control Act. “This mask-wearing order is essential to stopping the recent increase in covid-19 cases we have seen in Pennsylvania,” Wolf said.