Wolf: Pennsylvania has no plans to issue new mask mandates. Here's what he said
Candy WoodallGov. Tom Wolf said late Tuesday he will not issue new mask mandates in schools or other public places in Pennsylvania, despite increasing positive cases of COVID-19 and a new omicron variant reaching the state.
The focus will be bolstering the state's vaccine rate and working to strengthen staffing in hospitals as capacity becomes more strained, he said in an interview with the USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania Capital Bureau.
"I don’t see any mask mandate coming back," Wolf said. "Vaccines are our strategy. They are working."
Nearly 70% of Pennsylvanians have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, and more than 60% are fully vaccinated, state health data shows.
Most COVID hospitalizations in Pennsylvania are patients who haven't been vaccinated, he also noted.
Positive cases and hospitalizations have been increasing since before Thanksgiving, mostly because of the delta variant. Now, omicron is spreading, too.
If a person wants to avoid severe illness, a hospital stay or time in an intensive care unit, they should get the vaccine, Wolf said.
But he said there's no threshold of increased cases where he can see putting a mask order in place, like neighboring New York did on Monday by requiring masks in all indoor public spaces
'The primary strategy is the vaccine," Wolf continued, adding, "We have it in our power to actually address this."
His comments come a few days after the state Supreme Court said a school mask mandate from the Department of Health was invalid.
Wolf had planned to lift the school mask order on Jan. 17, which is about a month away, so from now on it will be up to to school districts, he said.
Many districts in Pennsylvania are continuing policies that require masks in school buildings.
And all students are required to wear masks on transportation until Jan. 17 due to a federal policy from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Wolf's choice stands in contrast to Gov. Kathy Hochul in neighboring New York. Hochul on Friday ordered masks to be worn in all indoor public spaces in the state, unless a business has a vaccine requirement.
Some New York counties are already saying they won't comply.
Across the country, governors in both parties have faced pushback to their mandates and COVID mitigation orders.
In Pennsylvania, Wolf, a Democrat, has been called a "tyrant" or "power hungry" by some of his Republican critics.
And a slim majority of voters last May chose to strip some of his executive powers to respond to the pandemic and instead give the Republican-led Legislature more control over disaster declarations.
But Wolf said the political climate is not a factor in his decision on masks.
The state has vaccines now, which weren't available early in the pandemic when he issued the most mandates, he said.
Pennsylvania cases are climbing, however, with high or substantial transmission of infections in most of the state's 67 counties.
UPMC doctors last week urged masks and household-only holiday gatherings during the surge of cases, which is expected to worsen after Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations.
Philadelphia officials on Monday moved to require a COVID vaccine to eat inside a restaurant or food establishment in Pennsylvania's largest city.
The rule will also apply to sports venues, casinos, bowling alleys, movie theaters and other entertainment venues and conventions that serve food, according to city Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole.
Infection rates have doubled in the city within the last few weeks, and hospitalization rates have increased by about 50%, she said.
What doctors are saying:UPMC doctors issue new warnings as omicron spreads in Pa., urging household-only gatherings
More:Philadelphia to require proof of vaccine for indoor dining
Candy Woodall is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania Capital Bureau. She can be reached at 717-480-1783 or on Twitter at @candynotcandace.