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pennsylvaniaDEPARTMENT OF HEALTHOrder of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department ofHealth Requiring Universal Face CoveringsCOVID-19 is a contagious disease that is rapidly spreading from person to person. Peopleinfected are capable of exposing others to COVID-19 even if their symptoms are mild,such as a cough, or even if they are asymptomatic. Additionally, exposure is possible bytouching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching one's mouth, nose,or eyes. Symptoms of COVID-19 may include fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills,repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste orsmell. Early symptoms may also include chills, body aches, sore throat, headache,diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, and runny nose. Older adults and people who have seriouschronic medical conditions are at a higher risk for serious illness.The first cases of COVID-19 were reported in the United States in January 2020. Sincethen, multiple areas of the United States have experienced "community spread” of COVID-19, meaning that the illness is being transmitted through unknown contact, and not fromcontacts with known cases. On March 6, 2020, after the first cases of COVID-19 in theCommonwealth of Pennsylvania were confirmed, the Governor issued a Proclamation ofDisaster Emergency. Since that date, the number of positive cases has continued to rise,and community spread has continued in the Commonwealth as well. Case counts rapidlyincreased throughout the Commonwealth in March and April, 2020. As of July 1, 2020,every county in the Commonwealth has been affected, the number of cases is 87,242, and6,687 individuals have died from COVID-19.In order to slow the spread and protect the people of the Commonwealth, the Governor andI issued Orders on March 19, 2020, closing all Commonwealth businesses that are not lifesustaining. See Order of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Regardingthe Closure of All Businesses That Are Not Life Sustaining, as amended; Order of theSecretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health Regarding the Closure of AllBusinesses That Are Not Life Sustaining, as amended. On April 1, 2020, the Governor andI issued Orders directing all individuals in Pennsylvania to stay at home. See Order of theGovernor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for Individuals to Stay at Home, asamended; Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health to Stay atHome, as amended.In addition, I issued an Order on April 15, 2020, requiring mitigation measures to beapplied at businesses that are permitted to engage in in-person operations, including arequirement that all customers wear masks while on premises of businesses that serve thepublic within a building or a defined area and directs businesses to deny entry to individualsnot wearing masks, unless the business is providing medication, medical supplies, or food,in which case the business must provide alternative methods of pick-up or delivery of suchgoods. Individuals who cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition (including childrenunder the age of 2 years per CDC guidance) are permitted to enter the premises and are not
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required to provide documentation of such medical condition. See Order of the Secretaryof the Pennsylvania Department of Health Directing Public Health Safety Measures forBusinesses Permitted to Maintain In-person Operations.Those mitigation efforts slowed the spread of the disease, protected our hospitals frombeing overwhelmed, and enabled our hospitals to care for our ill residents. Accordingly,in Orders on May 7, 2020, the Governor and I suspended restrictions for certain areasinstituted in the orders on March 19, 2020, as amended, and April 1, 2020, as amended.See Order of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for Limited Opening ofBusiness, Lifting of Stay at Home Requirements, and Continued Aggressive MitigationEfforts, as amended; Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health fora Limited Opening of Businesses, Lifting of Stay Home Requirements and ContinuedAggressive Mitigation Efforts, as amended.These mitigation strategies, practiced by all persons in the Commonwealth, have beensuccessful in slowing the spread of the virus, and have allowed the phased and consideredreopening of the Commonwealth, see Order of the Governor of the Commonwealth ofPennsylvania for the Continued Reopening of the Commonwealth of May 27, 2020, asamended; Order of the Secretary for the Continued Reopening of the Commonwealth ofMay 27, 2020, as amended. Person-to-person spread does continue however, and with thereopening, the Commonwealth is beginning to see increases in new cases. Mindful of theneed to slow this increase, in order to avoid the types of stringent Commonwealth-widemitigation strategies that were discontinued a short time ago, and in order to avoid theresurgence that is overwhelming the health care systems and public health systems in otherstates, I am ordering that all persons in the Commonwealth wear face coverings inaccordance with this Order. Face coverings can decrease the spread of respiratory dropletsfrom people. See
https://www.cdc.govícoronavirus2019...cloth-face-cover-guidance.html#recent-studies. When used in public settings, face coveringswill work to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth.COVID-19 is a threat to the public's health, for which the Secretary of Health may ordergeneral control measures, including, but not limited to, closure, isolation, and quarantine.This authority is granted to the Secretary of Health pursuant to Pennsylvania law. Seesection 5 of the Disease Prevention and Control Law, 35 P.S. § 521.5; sections 2102(a) and2106 of the Administrative Code of 1929, 71 P.S. $$ 532(a), and 536; and the Departmentof Health's regulations at 28 Pa. Code $$ 27.60-27.68 (relating to disease control measures;isolation; quarantine; movement of persons subject to isolation or quarantine; and releasefrom isolation and quarantine). Particularly, the Department of Health has the authority totake any disease control measure appropriate to protect the public from the spread ofinfectious disease. See 35 P.S. $ 521.5; 71 P.S. $ 532(a), and 1403(a); 28 Pa. Code $ 27.60.Accordingly, on this date, July 1, 2020, to protect the public from the spread of COVID-19, I hereby order:
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Section 1:Face Coverings Defined“Face covering” means a covering of the nose and mouth that is secured to the headwith ties, straps, or loops over the ears or is wrapped around the lower face. A"face covering" can be made of a variety of synthetic or natural fabrics, includingcotton, silk, or linen. For purposes of this order, a face covering includes a plasticface shield that covers the nose and mouth. “Face coverings” may be factory-made,sewn by hand, or be improvised from household items, including but not limited to,scarfs, bandanas, t-shirts, sweatshirts, or towels. While procedural and surgicalmasks intended for healthcare providers and first responders meet theserequirements, such as N95 respirators, these specialized masks should be reservedfor appropriate occupational and health care settings.Section 2:Face Coverings RequiredExcept as provided in Section 3, individuals are required to wear face coverings ifthey are:A. outdoors and unable to consistently maintain a distance of six feet from individualswho are not members of their household;B. in any indoor location where members of the public are generally permitted;C. waiting for, riding on, driving, or operating public transportation or paratransit orwhile in a taxi, private car service or ride-sharing vehicle;D. obtaining services from the healthcare sector in settings including, but not limitedto, a hospital, pharmacy, medical clinic, laboratory, physician or dental office,veterinary clinic, or blood bank; orE. engaged in work, whether at the workplace or performing work off-site, wheninteracting in-person with any member of the public, working in any space visitedby members of the public, working in any space where food is prepared or packagedfor sale or distribution to others, working in or walking through common areas, orin any room or enclosed area where other people, except for members of theperson's own household or residence, are present when unable to physicallydistance.Section 3:Exceptions to Face Covering RequirementA. The following are exceptions to the face covering requirement in Section 2:i.Individuals who cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition, includingthose with respiratory issues that impede breathing, mental health condition,or disability;
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ii.Individuals for whom wearing a mask while working would create an unsafecondition in which to operate equipment or execute a task as determined bylocal, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines;.Individuals who would be unable to remove a mask without assistance;iv.Individuals who are under two years of age;V.Individuals who are communicating or seeking to communicate with someonewho is hearing-impaired or has another disability, where the ability to see themouth is essential for communication;B.Individuals are not required to show documentation that an exception applies.Section 4:Prior OrdersThis Order is intended to be read in concert with my Order Relating to Public HealthSafety Measures for Businesses Permitted to Maintain In-person Operations, datedApril 15, 2020, and with the Governor's and my Orders for the ContinuedReopening of the Commonwealth, dated May 27, 2020.Section 5:Effective DateThis Order is effective immediately and will remain in effect until further notice.ceznyRachel Levine, MDSecretary of Health
