Mask policies are here to stay -- for now, Pa. officials say

Mar. 5—Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made headlines this week by lifting his state's mask mandate and declaring Texas "100% open" against advice of federal health agencies.

Pennsylvania should not expect any such declarations any time soon.

"At this time, mask-wearing is abundantly important," said acting state Secretary of Health Alison Beam. "I want to make sure to emphasize this. While we know we're making progress and we continue to invest in the vaccine rollout, we have to keep Pennsylvania safe while we progress through this rollout so we don't have to go back into the mitigation efforts."

Wearing a mask, she said, is still mandatory, and there is no time frame on lifting any mitigation measures.

Gov. Tom Wolf also cautioned against dropping too many mitigation measures too soon.

Wolf said the country as a whole has made progress in lowering rates of covid-19 but "we're still at unacceptably high levels, and we seem to have reached a plateau."

He said it is too soon to throw caution to the wind.

"If I were in Texas, I might be concerned that this is just a little too soon," he said.

Masks have been required in public in Pennsylvania since July. In November, mask orders were strengthened, mandating them anytime someone is outside their home and cannot be 6 feet away from others at all time. They're also required indoors when with people who aren't part of one's immediate household, regardless of distance.

Eleven states never mandated face coverings: Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee.

Abbott said the state mandates on mitigation measures "are no longer needed."

"It is now time to open Texas 100%," he said, and businesses can open without restrictions March 10, according to CNBC.

Texas becomes the fifth state to lift a statewide requirement, joining Mississippi, Iowa, Montana and North Dakota, according to ABC News.

Hours before Abbott's announcement, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned at a White House briefing that a weekslong decline in daily new cases seems to have reached a plateau.

"At this level of cases, with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained," she said. "With these statistics, I am really worried about more states rolling back the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people from covid-19."

In Pennsylvania, Beam pointed to a Monday announcement by Wolf that slightly eased restrictions on indoor and outdoor event spaces, raising the capacity at which they can operate. This made a difference for professional sports, with the Penguins and Pirates announcing they would begin welcoming fans to PPG Paints Arena and PNC Park, respectively.

"I think that is indicative of the progress the state is making on key factors," she said. "We've talked through covid cases, hospitalizations, deaths and the presence of the variant. Understanding how the vaccine plays into and supports those relaxation of mitigation efforts is something we are consistently evaluating."

She said that type of incremental progress is likely how state officials will operate through the course of spring and into summer.

Wolf said Tuesday no considerations are off the table as virus-related numbers continue to decrease and vaccine numbers increase.

"The question is how fast can we move in a safe manner to get back to normal," he said.

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, mguza@triblive.com or via Twitter .