Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine argued on Tuesday that the recent decision by U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV does not invalidate the business occupancy restrictions currently in place for indoor recreation facilities such as ice arenas.
Dr. Levine said, “The orders that the governor and I put in place on mask-wearing, mandatory telework, worker safety, building safety and hospital safety are all still in effect to protect Pennsylvanians, especially our frontline workers. These existing – and still valid – orders were put in place in the absence of any federal leadership at a time when life-saving decisions needed to be made. Saving lives has been the cornerstone of all of our decisions, including the orders referenced in the case that have since expired. We must do the right thing and continue to social distance, contain, and mitigate this virus – all vital public health actions that are accepted worldwide to prevent the spread of disease.”
The Department of Health press release where Dr. Levine is quoted goes on to say, “The court ruling also does not impact any of the business occupancy restrictions currently in place, including those applicable to personal care services, indoor recreation and health and wellness facilities, entertainment venues, and bars and restaurants.” {Emphases in the preceding quote were added by RinkAtlas.}
Governor Tom Wolf also commented extensively on Judge Stickman’s ruling, stating, “There’s no sense debating a ruling that will be appealed. Two of three federal judges upheld what we did…. I believe the vast majority of Pennsylvanians understand what we had to do in the beginning was necessary to keep people safe before we had the resources to reopen safely…. And contrary to the misinformation from the legislature, we are reopened. And we’ve been able to manage outbreaks and mitigate risk successfully, while trying to bring some normalcy to our lives. And right now, Pennsylvania is a leader in the region in how we’ve kept deaths and sickness low.”