ALLEGHENY CO., Pa. — Allegheny County health officials held their weekly press conference Wednesday, but this one featured many key items up for discussion.
Health department director Dr. Debra Bogen and County Executive Rich Fitzgerald addressed a few things, including how they plan to respond to the recent federal judge ruling that Gov. Tom Wolf’s early COVID-19 orders were unconstitutional.
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Will the dining rules or gathering limits change because of it?
Also, since several local communities have said they still plan on allowing trick-or-treating for Halloween, Fitzgerald and Bogen were asked if the county’s guidance will change to permit those events.
Here are the three main takeaways from health officials:
1. Gatherings are still limited
Despite the federal judge’s order, the Allegheny County Health Department is still going by the guidance set by Dr. Rachel Levine and the state health department.
Fitzgerald went as far as to say they are not falling into political battles happening in court. Health officials said the virus is spread by crowds, so crowd sizes will be limited.
No mention was made about fans in the stands for sporting events, however.
2. Indoor, outdoor dining rules will remain the same
The county will continue to follow state guidance, which currently allows 50% occupancy with social distancing for indoor dining.
Outdoor dining is still preferred, and alcohol consumption rules aren’t changing.
3. Trick-or-treating is allowed if done safely
The Allegheny County Health Department is urging children to wear masks, families to keep crowd sizes small and carry hand sanitizer this Halloween.
Bogen shared a warning about how much longer we can expect this pandemic to last.
“I wish I could say we’re at the end of this long road, but we’re not. We’re six months in and I expect another six months to go,” she said.
Fitzgerald also addressed the hundreds of people at Tuesday’s rally for President Donald Trump at the airport, saying many were not wearing masks and put the community at risk.
But he stopped short of saying whether the county will hold anyone accountable.
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