Gathering limits are back in Pennsylvania, at least for now, following the latest federal court ruling on the topic.
What does it mean for schools that host high school football games or other such events Friday night or this weekend?
Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf’s advice is to stay tuned.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Thursday that the Wolf administration’s coronavirus mitigation gathering limits -- 250 people at outdoor events and 25 at indoor ones -- are back in play again while the appeal process works itself through the court system. The news comes after U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV said in mid-September that the gathering limits were unconstitutional.
Stickman IV later denied the Wolf administration’s request for a stay on that ruling, leading to an appeal to the circuit court and the most recent decision.
“I keep working with the schools,” Wolf said. "We have to recognize we have a virus out there. That virus is out to get us, and so we have to be careful about how we gather together, and I think that’s the important thing.
“At the same time, we’ve got to make sure that we’re being reasonable and realistic about how we do things. I’m doing everything I can listening to folks, and continue to change as I did with restaurants, and we’ll continue to look and make sure that the guidelines we have in place are reasonable.”
It’s unclear when new guidance could come from either Wolf or the Pa. Department of Health. He noted during a news conference that “today is Thursday” when asked about what the court’s decision means for Friday night football.
“Right now, we’re back to the 250, but as I say, I’m working right now with school districts and others to do what we can to recognize the contexts that are different in every community,” Wolf said.
“Stay tuned, we’re working on it as we speak.”
More coverage:
- Where are Pennsylvania’s 160,123 coronavirus cases? Oct. 1 map, county-by-county breakdown
- 13 cited for breaking State College’s face mask ordinance