Pennsylvania Lifts COVID-19 Mask Order After More Than a Year

A family wears masks while shopping at a Walmart store in Bradford, Penn., on July 20, 2020. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

Pennsylvania has lifted its universal masking order, more than a year after it was implemented amid the CCP virus pandemic.

The mandate was officially lifted at 12:01 a.m. on June 28.

“Starting today, masks are no longer required in Pennsylvania. Thank you to each and every Pennsylvanian who did their part to get us here,” said Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, in a tweet.

The governor said that businesses and private entities are allowed to implement their own masking rules and that residents can still wear masks if they want to.

Health care workers should also wear masks in health care facilities, the state Department of Health said over the weekend, adding that patients, visitors, and other staff also should wear masks inside those facilities.

It comes as Wolf’s office reported that 75 percent of Pennsylvanians who are aged 18 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and about 60 percent of adults are fully vaccinated.

The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus causes COVID-19.

In May, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance stating that vaccinated individuals don’t need to wear masks in most situations, including in most indoor settings. Masks are still generally required on public transportation.

Pennsylvania removed all of its other COVID-19 restrictions on Memorial Day. Earlier in May, the commonwealth followed the CDC’s guidelines for fully vaccinated people not having to wear masks.

Nearby, Delaware’s mask order was lifted on May 21, and New Jersey’s was lifted on May 28. New York is still mandating that unvaccinated individuals wear a mask, and the state’s Department of Health website recommends that individuals wear a mask in situations where others’ vaccination status isn’t known.

Maryland is slated to lift most COVID-19 restrictions, including its mask requirements, starting July 1, according to Gov. Larry Hogan in a statement issued in mid-June. West Virginia officially lifted its mask mandate last week, and Ohio lifted its mandate earlier this month.

Pennsylvania’s universal mask order was implemented on April 15, 2020.