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Government responses to and political effects of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 (Pennsylvania)

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Responses by state

Ballotpedia’s coverage of COVID-19 includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and how those responses are influencing election rules and operations, political campaigns, the economy, schools, and more.

This article contains coverage of eight kinds of state government responses to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The article tracks developments in these areas that took place between the start of the pandemic in March 2020 through Dec. 4, 2020. The government responses covered here include:

Additionally, the article includes:

To view current coverage areas, including mask requirements, school responses, travel restrictions, and much more, click a state in the map below.

Documenting_STATE%27s_path_to_recovery_from_the_coronavirus_(COVID-19)_pandemic,_2020-2021


Changes to election dates and procedures, March 16 through November 19

General election changes

Pennsylvania modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

  • Absentee/mail-in voting: The mail-in ballot receipt deadline for the general election was extended to November 6, 2020. Drop boxes were made available to return ballots. The state provided prepaid return postage for all mail-in and absentee ballots.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Primary election changes

Pennsylvania modified its primary election process as follows:

  • Election postponements: The primary election was postponed from April 28 to June 2.
  • Voting procedures: The absentee ballot receipt deadline for the primary election was extended to 5:00 p.m. on June 9 (with a postmark deadline of June 2) in Allegheny, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Click the gray bar below for more detailed information.


Statewide stay-at-home order, March 23 through December 4

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
See also: States with lockdown and stay-at-home orders in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

In Pennsylvania, officials at first issued stay-at-home orders at the county level rather than issuing one order statewide. The first order affecting seven counties was issued on March 24. An additional order on March 30 expanded that to 26 counties. On April 1, Gov. Tom Wolf (D) extended the stay-at-home order to affect all 67 counties in the state.[11] The statewide order took effect April 1 and lasted until April 30. On April 20, Wolf extended the stay-at-home order through May 8.[12] On May 8, Wolf announced he was extending the stay-at-home order through June 4 for counties that remain in the red phase of the state's reopening plan. Twenty-four counties entered the yellow phase of the reopening plan May 8, allowing some businesses to reopen.[13] Pennsylvania's stay-at-home order expired June 4.[14]

In a press release, the governor's office outlined allowed activities and essential operations.[15] Those items are detailed below.

“

Individuals may leave their residence only to perform any of the following allowable individual activities and allowable essential travel:

  • Tasks essential to maintain health and safety, or the health and safety of their family or household members (including pets), such as obtaining medicine or medical supplies, visiting a health care professional, or obtaining supplies they need to work from home
  • Getting necessary services or supplies for themselves, for their family or household members, or as part of volunteer efforts, or to deliver those services or supplies to others to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences
  • Engaging in outdoor activity, such as walking, hiking or running if they maintain social distancing
  • To perform work providing essential products and services at a life-sustaining business
  • To care for a family member or pet in another household
  • Any travel related to the provision of or access to the above-mentioned individual activities or life-sustaining business activities
  • Travel to care for elderly, minors, dependents, persons with disabilities, or other vulnerable persons
  • Travel to or from educational institutions for purposes of receiving materials for distance learning, for receiving meals, and any other related services
  • Travel to return to a place of residence from an outside jurisdiction
  • Travel required by law enforcement or court order
  • Travel required for non-residents to return to their place of residence outside the commonwealth
  • Anyone performing life-sustaining travel does not need paperwork to prove the reason for travel.

The following operations are exempt:

  • Life-sustaining business activities
  • Health care or medical services providers
  • Access to life-sustaining services for low-income residents, including food banks
  • Access to child care services for employees of life-sustaining businesses that remain open as follows: child care facilities operating under the Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning waiver process; group and family child care operating in a residence; and part-day school age programs operating under an exemption from the March 19, 2020 business closure Orders
  • News media
  • Law enforcement, emergency medical services personnel, firefighters
  • The federal government
  • Religious institutions

Individuals experiencing homelessness are not subject to this order but are strongly urged to find shelter and government agencies are urged to take steps needed to provide shelter for those individuals.

International students, foster youth, and any other students who would otherwise experience displacement or homelessness as a result of campus closures are exempt and may remain in campus housing.[10]

”

Executive orders, March 30 through June 29

See also: Executive orders issued by governors and state agencies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020


Court closures, March 17 through November 4

See also: State court closures in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
  • June 1, 2020: The statewide judicial emergency ended June 1.[16]
  • April 28, 2020: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued an order that allowed courts to be generally open beginning May 4. The order also extended restrictions on in-person proceedings and suspension of jury trials through June 1.[17]
  • April 1, 2020: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court extended its original order closing all Pennsylvania courts to the public through April 30.[18]
  • March 18, 2020: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered all Pennsylvania courts to close to the public, from March 20 through at least April 3.[19]
  • March 16, 2020: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court declared a judicial state of emergency. Court closures were to be considered on a local basis.[20] For county-specific information, click here.

Legislative session changes, March 20 through October 1

See also: Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

On March 16, 2020, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives adopted temporary rules that would allow members to cast votes remotely.[21]

Proposed and enacted legislation, March 25 through August 19

See also: State laws in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

See below for a complete list of bills related to the coronavirus pandemic in Pennsylvania. To learn more about a particular bill, click its title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Rent, mortgage, eviction, and foreclosure policies, April 9 through November 24

See also: Changes to rent, mortgage, eviction, and foreclosure policies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020


  • August 31, 2020: The statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures expired.[22]
  • July 9, 2020: Gov. Tom Wolf (D) extended the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures through August 31.[23]
  • May 22, 2020: Gov. Tom Wolf (D) modified his May 7 executive order suspending evictions and foreclosures in the state through July 10. An amendment attached to the order specified that it only applied to evictions and foreclosures enacted due to lack of payment or due to a tenant overstaying their lease.[24]
  • May 12, 2020: Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced that he was allocating $10 million in federal relief funds to assist residents who had lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic. The “COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program” would provide rental assistance to nearly 3,000 families in the city.[25]
  • May 7, 2020: Gov. Tom Wolf (D) issued an executive order extending the moratorium on evictions in the state through at least July 10. The original order, issued by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, was set to expire on May 11.[26]
  • April 1, 2020: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court suspended evictions through April 30.[27]


Prison inmate release responses, March 30 through July 1

See also: State and local governments that released prison inmates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
  • April 15, 2020: Gov. Tom Wolf issued temporary reprieves for the first group Pennsylvania state inmates who qualified under criteria established through Wolf’s April 10 order. Inmates considered for release under Wolf’s order are nonviolent inmates due to be released within the next nine months, or vulnerable inmates who are within 12 months of their release date. The inmates would return to prison upon the expiration of the disaster emergency to serve the remainder of their sentences.[28]
  • April 10, 2020: Gov. Tom Wolf announced that certain inmate populations would be released temporarily due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nonviolent inmates due to be released within the next nine months, or vulnerable inmates who are within 12 months of their release date were being considered. The inmates would return to prison upon the expiration of the disaster emergency to serve the remainder of their sentences.[29][30]
  • April 7, 2020: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court declined to release juveniles held in detention, correctional, or other residential facilities. The court directed judges to work with county stakeholders to address the spread of coronavirus where minors were held.[31]
  • April 3, 2020: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court declined to order inmate releases on the state-level, and directed presiding judges in each judicial district to coordinate with county correctional institutions to ensure they were addressing concerns due to coronavirus.[32] A few counties have made the decision to release inmates on the local level.[33]


Debate in Pennsylvania over responses to the coronavirus

See also: Debate in Pennsylvania over responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia is covering the debate over continuing restrictions and closures in Pennsylvania in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Click on the links below to read more about these debates.

Status of industries, May 15 through July 31

Between May 15 and July 31, we conducted detailed tracking of industries and activities in each state daily.

  • "Yes" means an activity was allowed or an industry was permitted to open. "No" means an activity was not allowed or an industry was not permitted to reopen.
  • Some rules were applied regionally rather than statewide. Each cell shows the loosest restriction in place at the time, or the broadest level of an activity permitted in the state, even if that activity was only permitted regionally. Where applicable, we indicated that an activity was only permitted regionally, and provided details in a cell note. For example, if gyms were permitted to open in half of a state, the spreadsheet would say "Yes (regionally)," and differences between the regions would be explained in a note.
  • A lack of detail in a note or parentheses does not necessarily mean that an activity or industry was "back to normal." We did our best to capture caveats, exceptions, and modifications to activities. We acknowledge, though, that states put forth a large number of requirements for many industries and activities.

Initial reopening plan from March and April 2020 closures

Pennsylvania released an initial reopening plan from March and April 2020 closures on April 22, 2020. An analysis of this plan appeared in our Documenting America's Path to Recovery newsletter on May 15. The sections below include an analysis of the plan, the details of the plan, and reactions from officials to the plan.

Summary from Documenting America's Path to Recovery

See also: Documenting America's Path to Recovery: May 15, 2020

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) announced his three-phase, color-coded reopening plan on April 22. It includes allowing regions of the state to reopen at different times depending on public health benchmarks and other data. Thirty-seven of the state's 67 counties have moved from the red phase to the yellow phase—24 counties on May 8 and an additional 13 on May 15. The counties are in the Northwest, Northcentral, and Southwest regions of the state.

The yellow phase allows all businesses except those specified to resume in-person operations as long as they adhere to state Department of Health guidelines. Businesses not allowed to open in the yellow phase include indoor recreation, health and wellness/personal care services (such as gyms, hair salons, massage therapy), entertainment venues (such as casinos and theaters), and restaurants and bars (except for carry-out and delivery). On social and individual behavior restrictions, the plan states:

“All Pennsylvanians should continue to maintain social distancing even as the reopening and easing of restriction process begins. With few exceptions, Pennsylvanians should maintain a distance of six feet from each other, gatherings of more than 25 people will be prohibited, and non-essential travel should be avoided. In addition, individuals should engage in frequent hand washing and sanitizing, and surfaces should be disinfected as often as possible.”

On May 15, Wolf announced an additional 12 counties will move to the yellow phase on May 22. Most of the counties are in the Southcentral and Northeast regions. Wolf said the plan's phases were designed using the following six standards and the White House's Opening Up America Guidelines. Click the links to learn more details about each standard. More details on business guidance and the regional approach are provided below.

Context

  • Wolf issued an order directing all non-life-sustaining businesses to close March 19. On March 23, Wolf issued a stay-at-home order for seven counties in the state. Between then and March 31, Wolf amended the order six times to include a total of 33 counties. On April 1, Wolf issued a statewide stay-at-home order directing residents to stay home except for life-sustaining activities, prohibiting gatherings, and requiring social distancing as defined by the Centers for Disease Control. The original order was set to expire on April 30. On April 20, Wolf extended the order to May 8.
  • On May 7, Wolf issued an order moving 24 counties into the yellow phase of his plan effective May 8 and extended the stay-at-home order for remaining counties to June 4. On May 14, he amended the yellow phase order to include 13 additional counties effective May 15.
  • As of May 14, Pennsylvania had 59,636 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 4,218 deaths. As of July 2019, the state's estimated population was 12.8 million. Pennsylvania had 465.8 cases per 100,000 residents and 32.9 deaths per 100,000 residents.
  • Pennsylvania has a divided government, with a Democratic governor and Republican majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.

Plan details

Wolf's plan contains the following table: Business guidance Businesses must adhere to state guidance as they reopen. Wolf, state Secretary of Health Rachel Levine, the Department of Health, and the Department of State had released the following guidance documents as of May 15:

The May 4 guidance for all businesses with in-person operations includes a number of guidelines on cleaning, operations, providing equipment to employees, and creating a plan in case a business is exposed to COVID-19. Guidelines include:

  • "Conduct business with the public by appointment only, whenever possible"
  • "If appointment-only service is not feasible, limit the number of people inside the building to no more than 50% of the total maximum occupancy"
  • "Designate a specific time for people at high risk, including those over the age of 65 to use the business at least once a week"
  • "Require all customers to wear masks while on the premises" (with exceptions)
  • "Schedule handwashing breaks for employees at least every hour"

Regional approach The state will consider both regional and county data when deciding what may move to the next phase of reopening. Not all counties within a region necessarily move to the next phase at the same time. For example, Beaver County in the Southwest region did not advance to the yellow stage at the same time as the rest of the region. Criteria for moving to the yellow phase include:

  • Fewer than 50 new confirmed cases per 100,000 population reported in the previous 14 days
  • Testing capacity
  • Contact tracing/case investigation ability
  • Adequate safeguards in high-risk settings

In addition to the above criteria, the state will use a modeling dashboard created in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University. Wolf's plan said the tool will "enable a balance between maximizing the results of our economy while minimizing public health risks. This tool will help better understand the current health and economic status, as well as the inherent risks and benefits to easing restrictions by sector and region." The plan includes the following sample image of the dashboard: The secretary of health, secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development, and director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency make recommendations to the governor on when to move a region from one phase to the next. Additional details on Pennsylvania's regional approach can be found here.

Reactions

  • After Wolf released the list of 24 counties allowed to begin reopening on May 8, state Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R) said, "I think it is absolutely ridiculous we are not leaving this up to our county elected officials to decide these things for the good and welfare of their county. … They know what their numbers are accurately and where those numbers come from. … Say, for example, Beaver County [with 426 COVID-19 cases and 67 deaths] almost all those instances came from one nursing home. That does not depict the entire scenario of that county as a whole. We have to take those things into consideration and I think county commissioners have the ability to do that more than anyone."
  • Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D) said, "Moving from red to yellow in many counties in the northcentral and northwest regions of our state is an exciting step, but I would ask residents to still take as much precaution as possible." He said Wolf's and Levine's recommendations "along with those from the CDC are designed to keep everyone healthy. Economic recovery will be a long road, and we need to stay healthy for it to work."


Coronavirus resources

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.

State resources

Twitter feeds for government officials and agencies appear below.

Federal resources

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Supreme Court of the United States, "Republican Party of Pennsylvania v. Boockvar: On Motion to Expedite Consideration of the Petition for Writ of Certiorari," October 28, 2020
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, "In re: November 3, 2020, general election: Opinion," October 23, 2020
  3. ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, "Scarnati v. Boockvar: Order in Pending Case," October 19, 2020
  4. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, "A trio of Pennsylvania Supreme Court rulings will likely boost Biden against Trump in a key state," September 17, 2020
  5. ↑ Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, "Pennsylvania Democratic Party v. Boockvar: Opinion," September 17, 2020
  6. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Guidance Concerning Examination of Absentee and Mail-in Ballot Return Envelopes," September 11, 2020
  7. ↑ Pennsylvania Pressroom, "Pennsylvania Will Provide Postage-Paid Return Envelopes with Mail and Absentee Ballots," July 31, 2020
  8. ↑ Office of the Governor of Pennsylvania, "Gov. Wolf Signs Executive Order Extending Mail Ballot Deadline in Six Counties to June 9," June 1, 2020
  9. ↑ Office of the Governor of Pennsylvania, "Gov. Wolf Signs COVID-19 Response Bills to Bolster Health Care System, Workers, and Education and Reschedule the Primary Election," March 27, 2020
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  11. ↑ WGAL, "Gov. Tom Wolf places all of Pennsylvania under stay-at-home order," April 1, 2020
  12. ↑ Lehigh Valley Live, "Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf extends stay-at-home order to May 8 as he starts to reopen economy," April 20, 2020
  13. ↑ Governor Tom Wolf, "Gov. Wolf Announces 13 Counties will Move to Yellow Phase of Reopening on May 15," May 8, 2020
  14. ↑ WGAL, "Pennsylvania stay-at-home order ends; governor expected to announce more counties can move to green phase," accessed June 7, 2020
  15. ↑ Governor of Pennsylvania, "Gov. Wolf, Sec. of Health: Pennsylvania on Statewide Stay-at-Home Order Beginning at 8 PM Tonight, “Most Prudent Option to Stop the Spread," April 1, 2020
  16. ↑ [http://www.pacourts.us/assets/files/page-1305/file-9376.pdf The Unified JUDICIAL SYSTEM of PENNSYLVANIA, "CESSATION OF STATEWIDE JUDICIAL EMERGENCY AFTER JUNE 1, 2020," accessed July 7, 2020]
  17. ↑ In the Supreme Court of the Pennsylvania, Western District, "Emergency Order of Stste Wide Judicial Emergency applicable from May 1, 2020 to June 1, 2020
  18. ↑ The Morning Call, "Pennsylvania courts to remain closed to public through April 30 to stem coronavirus; evictions halted statewide," April 1, 2020
  19. ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Coronavirus & The Courts," accessed March 19, 2020
  20. ↑ The Legal Intelligencer, "Pa. Supreme Court Declares Statewide Judicial Emergency," March 16, 2020
  21. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Pennsylvania legislature will vote remotely as coronavirus spreads," March 16, 2020
  22. ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Wolf won't extend state's eviction moratorium, office says," August 31, 2020
  23. ↑ 6 ABC, "Pennsylvania to extend eviction, foreclosure moratorium to Aug. 31," July 9, 2020
  24. ↑ Governor Tom Wolf, "Gov. Wolf Modifies Executive Order on Foreclosure and Eviction Suspensions," May 22, 2020
  25. ↑ WHYY, "Philadelphia opens COVID-19 emergency rental assistance program," May 12, 2020
  26. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, "No evictions or foreclosures in Pennsylvania through July 10, officials announce," May 7, 2020
  27. ↑ The Morning Call, "Pennsylvania courts to remain closed to public through April 30 to stem coronavirus; evictions halted statewide," April 1, 2020
  28. ↑ Pennsylvania Pressroom, "Gov. Wolf: Corrections Announces First Group of Inmates Under Temporary Reprieve Program," April 15, 2020
  29. ↑ Governor Tom Wolf, "Gov. Wolf: Department of Corrections to Establish Temporary Program to Reprieve Sentences of Incarceration," April 10, 2020
  30. ↑ The Philadephia Inquirer, "Thousands of state prison inmates in Pa. and N.J. are now eligible for temporary release as governors act to avert coronavirus spread," April 10, 2020
  31. ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Coronavirus and the Courts - April 7, 2020," April 8, 2020
  32. ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Coronavirus and the Courts - April 6, 2020," April 6, 2020
  33. ↑ WPVI-TV, "Philadelphia, Delaware county officials work to thin jail, prison populations amid COVID-19," March 28, 2020
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