Pennsylvania announced statewide restrictions on Thursday that ban indoor dining and close gyms, theaters and casinos for three weeks to stem a “dire” surge in coronavirus cases, and Virginians were asked to stay home from midnight to 5 a.m. until the new year.
The clampdowns came as states across the country reported deaths and cases in numbers never seen before, and hospitals filled beyond capacity. Through Wednesday, there were seven-day records in both cases and deaths.
In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf was unsparing Thursday in his characterization of the threat facing his state.
“This virus continues to rage in Pennsylvania,” Mr. Wolf said at a news conference. “Clearly we need to take future mitigation actions and stop the spread of Covid-19. We all hoped it would not come to this. The current state of the surge in Pennsylvania will not allow us to wait.”
And in Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam announced a new executive order that imposes a nightly curfew, but it was unclear how — and how vigorously — it would be enforced.
The order lists categories of activity that will still be permitted during the curfew, including obtaining food, goods or services; seeking medical or law enforcement help; taking care of people or animals; child care; exercise; traveling to work, school or a house of worship; volunteering for charity; and leaving home to seek safety.
The governor urged residents not to go out without good reason. “We need to take this seriously,” Mr. Northam said. “We need to stay at home.”
But asked how the curfew would be enforced, the governor said it was “about messaging.”
Virginia reported at least 21 new coronavirus deaths and 4,398 new cases on Wednesday. Over the past week, the state has reported an average of 3,521 cases a day, an increase of 41 percent from the average two weeks earlier.
The new order also prohibits all public and private in-person gatherings of more than 10 people who do not live together, with exceptions for work and education, and requires people to wear masks “if they are in an indoor setting shared by others.” The state already requires masks outdoors.
Oklahoma also limited indoor activity, restricting indoor youth sporting events and public gatherings — which includes weddings, funerals and holiday parties held at event centers — to 50 percent capacity for the next 30 days. Places of worship are excluded.
On Wednesday, Pennsylvania reported 8,626 new cases and an additional 247 coronavirus deaths. The daily average over the past week has hovered near 10,000 cases per day, an increase of 51 percent from the average two weeks earlier.
Dr. Jaewon Ryu, the president and chief executive officer of Geisinger Health System, a regional hospital system, said the network was “operating…
Read More: States Announce Crackdowns as Virus Numbers Reach New Highs