Maximum Occupancy Calculator for outdoor events: 

Venues must require attendees to comply with 6-foot social distancing requirements, to wear masks or face coverings, and to implement best practices such as timed entry, multiple entry and exit points, multiple restrooms and hygiene stations. Venues and event planners can review the CDC Events and Gatherings Readiness and Planning ToolOpens In A New Window for additional information regarding best practices.

When not hosting events, occupancy restrictions outlined in the green phase of reopening continue to apply to businesses in the commonwealth.

Any gathering restrictions established by local authorities, such as the ones established in Philadelphia and State College, remain in effect.

View the governor’s amended order here.

View the secretary’s amended order here.

View frequently asked questions here.

MEDIA CONTACT: April Hutcheson – ra-dhpressoffice@pa.gov

On October 2, 2020, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar signed a renewal of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). It reads:

“As a result of the continued consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, on this date and after consultation with public health officials as necessary, I, Alex M. Azar II, Secretary of Health and Human Services, pursuant to the authority vested in me under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, do hereby renew, effective October 23, 2020, my January 31, 2020, determination, that I previously renewed on April 21, 2020 and July 23, 2020, that a public health emergency exists and has existed since January 27, 2020, nationwide.”

Due to the effective date of this renewal, the COVID-19 PHE is now slated to end January 21, 2021.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that an additional $96 million in state grants have been approved for 5,373 Pennsylvania small businesses that were impacted by the business closure order due to the COVID-19 public health crisis. 

Businesses in every county were approved for grants in this round of funding, and 52 percent are historically disadvantaged businesses.

To date, more than 10,000 businesses were approved for $192 million in grants through the COVID-19 Relief Statewide Small Business Assistance Program.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been caused a lot of hardship for our business community, and it has been particularly difficult for Pennsylvania’s small businesses to weather the economic effects of this crisis. Pennsylvania’s small business owners are community-focused employers, and they drive our economy, so they deserve our support as we continue to navigate this public health crisis,” Gov. Wolf said. “As we seek to recover, and rebuild our economy following the downturn caused by this pandemic, it’s critical that we provide opportunities for these businesses to recover and rebound, and this funding will provide much-needed support for businesses in communities across the state.”

The governor announced this funding at the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg and was joined by public officials and the owners of two local businesses: D.McGee Design Studio, located in the market, which was approved for a $10,000 grant, and Gifted Hands Barber Studio, located on 3^rd Street near the market, which was approved for a $5,000 grant.

The COVID-19 Relief Statewide Small Business Assistance funding was developed in partnership with state lawmakers and allocated through the state budget, which included $2.6 billion in federal stimulus funds through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, of which $225 million was earmarked for relief for small businesses.

The Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) distributed the funds to the Pennsylvania Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), which are administering the grants.

“We’ve seen the impact of this pandemic-fueled economic crisis on the small businesses in our communities. We targeted these funds to reach the smallest and most vulnerable businesses across the state and as CDFIs, we were able to mobilize our networks to reach those who have been hardest hit by the pandemic,” said James Burnett, vice chair of the PA CDFI Network and executive director of the West Philadelphia Financial Services Institution. “The PA CDFI Network is grateful for the partnership of Governor Wolf and the Pennsylvania Legislature as we move quickly to get these resources into the hands of those most impacted by the crisis.”

“I am extremely proud we were able to work together and to get much needed grants to the small businesses across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that serve as the backbone to our economy,” said state Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery). “With that said, this should not be the end of the push to help our small business community. There are still CARES dollars available and thousands of businesses that have applied for this program seeking relief and the General Assembly must prioritize focusing on those needs and getting our people through this pandemic.”

HHS announced an additional $20 billion in funding for providers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Under this Phase 3 General Distribution allocation, providers that have already received Provider Relief Fund payments will be invited to apply for additional funding that considers financial losses and changes in operating expenses caused by the coronavirus.  Application deadline is November 6, 2020.

For the full announcement and information about eligibility and how to apply, click here.

As part of NIOSH’s efforts to keep stakeholders up to date on the CDC and NIOSH COVID-19 response, below is a summary of new information posted:

• A recent NIOSH Science Blog Post, The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Opioid Overdose Epidemic: A Perfect Storm for Workers?, discusses the interlinked nature of the COVID-19 and opioid misuse, opioid use disorder, and overdose. The new challenges and stressors workers face during the pandemic may lead to an increase in substance use.
• CDC has published a new webpage on Optimizing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Supplies. This resource provides links for strategies to optimize the supply of various types of PPE, as well as general PPE information.
• A new infographic on COVID-19 Case Investigation and Contact Tracing in Nonhealthcare Workplaces is available. When a COVID-19 case is identified that impacts a workplace, the health department may ask the employer for help. This infographic provides tips for employers if they are asked to assist a health department with case investigations and contact tracing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Tracker is a tool for sharing maps, charts, and data about COVID-19. COVID-19 Tracker now reports trends in COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates by 2013 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Urban-Rural Classification Scheme for Counties. This scheme classifies all counties in the U.S. into one of six metropolitan categories (4 metropolitan, 1 micropolitan, 1 non-core). Users can focus on one or more of the urban-rural classes and compare them to the national-level rate. Users can also examine the urban-rural trends in incidence and mortality at the national-, state- or Health and Human Services region-level.

The CDC COVID-19 Tracker shows that the national level rates peaked in April, declined and plateaued for several weeks in May and June, and then began to rise again in late June. However, COVID-19 incidence rates among rural, micropolitan, and small metropolitan populations steadily increased since the beginning of the pandemic and surpassed the metropolitan rates in early August and now continues to rise at a faster pace.  Likewise, mortality rates in the more rural parts of the United States began low until mid-August when rates in the more rural areas began to surpass the rates in the more urban areas.

Access the Tracker at https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#pop-factors_newcases

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller sent a letter to Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey and Senator Pat Toomey to urge them to grant DHS continued flexibility to manage changing needs during the COVID-19 health crisis, especially pertaining to Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) waivers.

“The economic impact of this crisis has not yet been fully mitigated and for that reason, we expect SNAP enrollment to continue to grow. We urge you to support the adoption and extension of these waiver flexibilities, which will be necessary to support the provision of critical benefits to Pennsylvania households in need,” wrote Secretary Miller. “Granting Pennsylvania the flexibility of these waivers will ensure that DHS can continue to effectively manage the COVID-19 public health emergency and its ensuing economic impact.”

DHS specifically requested that senators Casey and Toomey pass resolutions that would extend existing waivers DHS has found valuable in managing people’s changing needs during the health crisis, including:

• The ability to extend SNAP benefit certification periods and adjust periodic reporting requirements;
• The ability to allow household reporting through periodic reporting; and
• The ability to adjust interview requirements for SNAP.

Without the continuation of these waivers, DHS may need to authorize overtime or hire additional staff to keep pace with existing work due to an expected increase in need for assistance programs over the fall and winter months. Charitable food networks may also be further stressed, as they play an important intermediary role in keeping people fed as households await SNAP eligibility determinations.

SNAP helps more than 1.9 million Pennsylvanians expand purchasing power by providing money each month to spend on groceries, helping households have resources to purchase enough food to avoid going hungry. Inadequate food and chronic nutrient deficiencies have profound effects on a person’s life and health, including increased risks for chronic diseases, higher chances of hospitalization, poorer overall health, and increased health care costs. As the nation faces the COVID-19 pandemic, access to essential needs like food is more important than ever to help keep vulnerable populations healthy and mitigate co-occurring health risks.

Applications for SNAP and other public assistance programs can be submitted online at www.compass.state.pa.us. Those who prefer to submit paper documentation can print from the website or request an application by phone at 1-800-692-7462 and mail it to their local County Assistance Office (CAO) or place it in a CAO’s secure drop box, if available. While CAOs remain closed, work processing applications, determining eligibility, and issuing benefits continues. Clients should use COMPASS or the MyCOMPASS PA mobile app to submit necessary updates to their case files while CAOs are closed.

Pennsylvanians who need more immediate help feeding themselves or their family should find and contact their local food bank or pantry through Feeding Pennsylvania and Hunger-Free Pennsylvania.

Read a copy of Secretary Miller’s letter here.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that Pennsylvania is prepared with a stockpile of ​personal protective equipment (PPE​) now and should it be needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the coming months.

PPE includes protective clothing, helmets, gloves, face shields, goggles, facemasks and respirators or other equipment designed to protect the wearer from injury or the spread of infection or illness. It is not the same as cloth or paper masks that people are required to wear when they leave their homes to protect them and those they interact with.

“I want all Pennsylvanians to know that the commonwealth is prepared now for battling the ongoing pandemic that is COVID-19 and that preparedness extends to a possible resurgence this fall,” Gov. Wolf said. “There are still many unknowns with this virus, and we can’t control those, but we can control what we know and we know that by being ready with enough PPE, we can protect our health care workers, first responders and other essential workers and not overwhelm our health care system.”

To date, the state has distributed close to 5.4 million N95 masks, more than 736,000 gowns, more than 2.75 million procedure masks, close to 7.7 million gloves, close to 1.3 million face shields and a little less than 1 million bottles of hand sanitizer.

Last week the governor visited Americhem International, a Middletown-based wholesale distributor of janitorial and sanitizing products that serves a variety of industries, to thank businesses that worked to supply PPE during the pandemic and outlined the myriad efforts undertaken to ensure the commonwealth is and will be prepared for all PPE needs.

PPE is necessary to protect health care workers, first responders, those working in long-term living and correctional facilities, and those they care for. It is vital for facilities to have preparedness plans and for the state to assist when needed.

“The state, through procurement, sourcing and buying of PPE, is prepared for fall,” Gov. Wolf said. “We have significantly more PPE on hand to assist those who need it than we had prior to COVID-19. We continue to push PPE to those who need and request it and will work to ensure we keep our stockpile filled.

“In the early days of the pandemic, this administration took numerous steps to secure sources of PPE to ensure that Pennsylvanians were protected and that our health system was not overwhelmed. Our proactive and ongoing efforts to secure PPE, coupled with the flexibility and ingenuity displayed by Pennsylvania’s business community, helped us secure and allocate PPE. Because of the steps we took, our hospitals were not overburdened, and our medical system was not strained. Now, six months after the virus first appeared in the commonwealth, we can say with confidence that we are prepared to stay safe as we continue to fight this pandemic.”

A firm that was among nine companies to receive a reward from the National Institutes of Health is developing a molecular test for COVID that it anticipates will be affordable for rural hospitals and has the potential to broaden testing in an underserved population.

MatMaCorp received part of a $129.3 million NIH award to expand COVID testing and manufacturing capacity.

The Lincoln, Nebraska-based firm did not disclose the amount of the award, it said the money supports a testing platform for agricultural diagnostic applications, such as the detection of congestive heart failure in cattle.

MatMaCorp, founded in 2014, said its platform expedites testing and addresses a shortage of extraction kit reagents.

Though the firm’s testing platform is portable enough for point-of-care use, the company initially is not planning to place the test near patients in clinics and other CLIA-waived settings for which it would need to obtain a specific regulatory approval. Its highest priority is targeting instruments and test placements in CLIA-certified laboratories attached to critical-care hospitals located in rural communities that are a few hours driving distance from a reference laboratory, MatMaCorp CEO Phil Kozera said in an interview.

“Prior to the pandemic, our focus was solely on animal health and veterinary diagnostics,” he said, “but because of the number of calls we received from colleagues in the rural community, we decided to develop a test for COVID-19. Our colleagues were either unable to get testing done because of the lack of availability or they had to wait too long ─ anywhere from seven to ten days ─ to get results.”

The NIH Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative was established to speed innovation in the development, commercialization, and implementation of technologies for COVID-19 testing. As part of the program, the NIH is working to expand testing development and distribution across the country in partnership with other government organizations such as the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and Food and Drug Administration.

The NIH noted in a statement that the pandemic has created a need “for accurate, reliable, and readily accessible testing on a massive scale, and returning safely to normal life depends on the ability to streamline and speed up the testing process,” including in underserved and vulnerable populations in rural areas.

If MatMaCorp obtains emergency use authorization, it plans to manufacture instruments and test kits internally. Leveraging an internal sales team, it will aim to target placements of its molecular test at $9,500 per instrument that runs assays at about $30 per test, Kozera noted.

The firm’s instrument can test six samples per run, a level of throughput far lower than many current RT-PCR machines used in hospitals, which can process thousands of samples per day. But the instrument is still suitable for rural community hospitals that must provide testing but have comparatively lower test volumes, Kozera said. The instrument uses lyophilized reagents that operate at ambient temperatures and don’t require refrigeration, an important consideration for rural point of care use, he noted.

Despite being “pivotal to opening up communities,” most rural hospitals have tighter budgets that preclude them from purchasing more expensive platforms that are on the market, and many are finding it challenging to gain access to the level of testing that meets demand, Kozera noted.

Kearney Regional Medical Center, an acute-care 94-bed hospital in Kearney, Nebraska, is beta testing MatMaCorp’s molecular test system and encountering such challenges.

Use of MatMaCorp’s molecular platform can help the hospital provide better service to its patients “with accurate, timely testing” and the assurance that it is not going to be placed on allocation, Tori Seberger, a medical laboratory technician at the hospital, said.

Kearney Regional is limited in the amount of testing it can do by its reference laboratory, she said.

Its allocation of about 50 tests per week limits the hospital to testing specimens collected from patients being admitted to the hospital to determine whether they need to be isolated. With its weekly allocation, the hospital also needs to test its essential workers to keep staffing levels at appropriate levels for patient care, Seberger added.

The hospital receives most results in between 48 hours and 72 hours from the time the lab receives the specimen. That’s an “unacceptable timeframe for many of those being tested,” Seberger noted.

Kearney Regional can better reduce the rate of infection by rapidly isolating people who have SARS-CoV-2 and “allowing healthy people to return to work and stay productive,” she said.