As Pennsylvania registered 832 additional covid-19 cases, state officials are telling residents to quarantine for 14 days if they are returning from recent pandemic hot spots such as Texas and Florida.
There were 25 new covid-19 deaths and 832 new cases reported in the state by the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday.
The statewide total is now 88,074 cases and 6,712 deaths, with 634 patients considered probable cases.
The Wolf administration announced that Pennsylvania residents traveling home from certain states will need to quarantine for 14 days upon return.
The states include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
The health department reported 505 on Sunday, 492 on Monday, 618 on Tuesday, and 636 new cases on Wednesday, showing a steady rise in cases in Pennsylvania.
According to health department, the most severe cases are seen in patients over the age of 65, and more than half of the cases in Pennsylvania are seen in patients age 50 or older.
In nursing and personal care homes, there have been 17,856 cases in residents, 3,316 cases in employees and 4,590 deaths. These deaths account for 68% of the state’s deaths. At least 702 nursing facilities have been affected by the virus.
The state reports 6,706 coronavirus cases stem from health care workers.
To date, 78% of people have recovered from the virus, with just over 700,000 people testing negative for the virus statewide.
Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan has been enacted in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, which are either in the yellow or green phase.
On Thursday, Wolf reiterated the order residents to wear masks when outside their homes.
“We have seen evidence that indicates Pennsylvania’s recent case increases can be traced to settings where people were not wearing masks or practicing social distancing,” Wolf said in a statement.
According to Dr. Rachel Levine, secretary of health, masks must be worn when:
• Outdoors and unable to consistently maintain a distance of six feet from individuals who are not members of their household;
• In any indoor location where members of the public are generally permitted;
• Waiting for, riding on, driving, or operating public transportation or paratransit or while in a taxi, private car service or ride-sharing vehicle;
• Obtaining services from the health care sector in settings including, but not limited to, a hospital, pharmacy, medical clinic, laboratory, physician or dental office, veterinary clinic, or blood bank;
or
• Engaged in work, whether at the workplace or performing work off-site, when interacting in-person with any member of the public or working in any space visited by members of the public. Also anyone working in any space where food is prepared or packaged for sale or distribution, working in or walking through common areas, or in any room or enclosed area where other people, except for members of the person’s own household or residence, are present when unable to physically distance.
