Wolf said today during a press conference that the state has "begun to flatten the curve" as the reason why he is following the script on ending the temporary restrictions.
"We’ve begun to flatten the curve of new cases. But we're not out of the woods yet," Wolf tweeted today.
Nearly 9,000 new coronavirus cases were tallied today in Pennsylvania, including 6,022 patients hospitalized because of the peak. That hospitalization rate is double the peak the state experienced this spring. Today in Allegheny County, 525 new COVID-19 cases were reported, as well as 47 new deaths.COVID-19 update: At 8AM on January 4, as planned, we will be lifting the time-limited mitigation orders that went into effect on December 12.
— Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) December 30, 2020
Our efforts over the past several weeks are working. We’ve begun to flatten the curve of new cases.
But we're not out of the woods yet. pic.twitter.com/NQzXKcH1lT
Wolf said that all coronavirus mitigation efforts put in place prior to Dec. 12, such as mask-wearing requirements, gathering limits based on venue size, business capacity limits, and restaurant self-certifications, will continue beyond Jan. 4. Even through the restrictions, some restaurants, including some in the Pittsburgh area, stayed open in defiance of the orders.
Wolf added that his administration will continue to monitor COVID-19 cases to see if further mitigation is necessary.
"Thank you to everyone who has done their part to protect our communities, our families, and our health care system," Wolf tweeted. "We all need to continue to work together to slow the spread of COVID-19."
Wolf also gave tempered exceptions to Pennsylvanians about the roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine, and he said that it will likely take months until the vaccinations are widely distributed across the commonwealth.
