Pennsylvanians can prepare to ditch their face masks in most situations by June 28.
Department of Health Acting Secretary Alison Beam announced that the commonwealth’s mask order is set to be lifted by this date.
“After reviewing the vaccination data for people 18 and over and discussing it with the COVID-19 Vaccine Legislative Task Force, we have determined that the commonwealth’s mask order can be lifted on June 28, or when 70 percent of adults get their second dose, whichever comes first,” she said. “Pennsylvanians are realizing that they have the power to stop COVID-19 and they are stepping up to get vaccinated.
“Yesterday we hit a milestone with 70 percent of adults receiving at least one dose of vaccine. That’s a strong indicator that we are on track to get at least that many getting both doses by the end of June.
“The Department of Health will continue to make getting a vaccine as convenient as possible by making it widely available and supporting equitable and effective efforts to reach every Pennsylvanian who wants it.”
To date, 52.7 percent of the 18 and older population are fully vaccinated. According to the CDC, 97.7 percent of Pennsylvanians over 65 have received at least one dose of vaccine.
All Pennsylvanians age 12 and older are eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine. People can find vaccination locations near them using vaccines.gov, also known as Vaccine Finder. Individuals can also text their zip code to GETVAX (438829) for English, or VACUNA (822862) for Spanish and receive three possible vaccination sites in their area.
In Bucks County, the mass vaccination clinic at the Bristol campus of Bucks County Community College, which has been operating since early February, will close on Saturday. The other four county-run locations – the Newtown and Perkasie community college campuses, Neshaminy Mall and the Warwick Square shopping center – will continue.
Almost 531,000 doses of vaccine have been administered by providers throughout Bucks County, about 140,000 of them at county-run sites. More than 232,000 people have been fully vaccinated in Bucks, and more than 320,000 have received at least a first dose of vaccine.
Beginning June 1, Bucks County’s four mass vaccination sites will operate Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Walk-ins are welcomed at all sites, and the public will have a choice between the two-dose Pfizer vaccine and the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
According to Bucks health officials, vaccines have helped push down new COVID cases to levels not seen for seven months in the county. A total of 334 new cases were reported in the county last week, dropping the seven-day average to 53 cases per day. The week ended with 37 COVID patients in local hospitals, the fewest since the week before Thanksgiving. Four patients were on ventilators.
The county’s test positivity rate also dropped to 3.4 percent last week, well below the state average of 5.3 percent.
Once the statewide masking order is lifted, Pennsylvania will continue to follow the CDC guidance for wearing a mask where required by law, rule and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. The CDC requires individuals to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within or out of the United States, and in U.S. transportation hubs, such as airports and stations. In addition, all individuals should still follow guidance at workplaces, local businesses, long-term care facilities, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.
