“You could be shut down:” Local counties plan to enforce new COVID-19 guidelines in Pennsylvania

ALLEGHENY CO., Pa. — Despite the new COVID-19 orders going into effect in Pennsylvania at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, some businesses said they will continue as normal.

The Crack’d Egg in Brentwood has been in the news before for filing a lawsuit against the county after it had ordered the restaurant to temporarily shut down for violating previous mitigation orders. It just posted that it will still be open and business as usual, despite Gov. Tom Wolf’s order to prohibit indoor dining for the next three weeks.

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Another business, Pinball PA in Aliquippa, wrote on its Facebook page that it will be open normal hours all the way up to Jan. 4 -- which is when the governor’s order is set to expire.

However, there are plenty of businesses that have been closed for months to help slow down the spread of coronavirus.

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The spinning bikes at Club Cycle in downtown Pittsburgh are all pushed in a corner and haven’t been used since July. They have been that way since owner Stacie Adams decided to close down the studio.

“We saw how bad it’s getting and we just wanted to do what we could to protect our community and come out stronger,” Adams said.

She’s not only a spin instructor but also a home health nurse, and she told Channel 11 she has seen the devastation COVID-19 can cause firsthand.

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Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald isn’t taking any chances when it comes to the spread of coronavirus and said the county will be enforcing the new mitigation efforts put in place.

“These enforcements are in place, and there can be fines and such for people who don’t follow the regulations. Certainly, businesses know what they have to follow and the permits they have whether it’s restaurants, bars or what have you -- or any type of store,” Fitzgerald said.

In Allegheny County, the field response team will be out to make sure restaurants are complying and provide education to them.

If the restaurant doesn’t make changes, food inspection will get involved and can enforce with fines and other measures, including ordering them to close.

“You could be shut down. And the health department and the state has shut down businesses that have flaunted those regulations,” said Fitzgerald.

In Butler County, things are different because they don’t have a health department.

A Beaver County Commissioner told Channel 11 other counties without health departments don’t have proper authority, so it would be up to the municipalities and state police to monitor those businesses.

Person in their 30’s among new COVID-19 deaths reported in Allegheny County, hospitalizations continue to increase