Governor Wolf to reopen bars and rollback dining restrictions
On March 15, Gov. Wolf announced beginning April 4, after a year in lockdown, full bar service can resume once again with last call extended to 2 a.m. To make matters merrier, Pennsylvania’s indoor dining capacity will increase from 50% to 75% while sidewalk dining will continue to be permitted.
“It’s time to allow our restaurants, bars and other service businesses to get back to more normal operations,” Wolf said. West Chester students are finally getting a break.
In addition to bars and restaurants, other in-person venues like gyms, casinos and movie theaters may increase their capacities to 75% as well. Event venues are opening up too. “We are seeing light at the end of the tunnel,” Wolf said. As long as people continue to wear their masks and stay socially distanced, West Chester students are poised to reenter the workforce just in time.
According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a quarter of all students nationwide were employed in the hospitality industry when the pandemic hit. West Chester students filled positions in over 80 local dining establishments alone. As restrictive measures progressed, and consumer confidence declined, bars and restaurants shuttered, taking their jobs with them.
By May 2020, the student unemployment rate had risen to almost 25%, leaving West Chester a ghost town and the student body marginalized. Under President Trump’s Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) passed last March, student workers on furlough didn’t even qualify for unemployment benefits. This March, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), delivering much needed relief to cash-strapped businesses and workers, including students, and, more importantly, bringing shots to the arms of millions of Pennsylvania diners. With every vaccine, consumer confidence grows.
Last week, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health, Alison Beam, announced over 4.5 million vaccines have been administered across the state so far. To date, 24% of all Pennsylvanians have received at least one dose, with more than 1.3 million residents fully vaccinated, including 100,000 teachers and supportive staff. Since the vaccinations have started, Beam reported a 7% increase in restaurant patronage.
As businesses start to reopen and students return to work, Beam strongly encouraged people over the age of 65 to be fully vaccinated before visiting dining establishments. She reminded residents to remain cautious; just because people are vaccinated does not mean the virus is gone. Take-out and outdoor dining are still preferable. Student workers should expect business to be unpredictable as customers renegotiate their favorite watering holes.
Those workers looking to return to businesses in the city may be disappointed. Due to a rising number of cases and hospitalizations in Philadelphia, jobs in the city remain severely limited. Mayor Kinney did expand outdoor catering from 100 to 250 people and will allow food to be served at business meetings, but indoor dining capacity will remain at 25% until further notice.
Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said he continues to monitor COVID-19 cases daily and will move to expand dining services by the end of April if hospitalizations trend downward and vaccinations significantly increase. West Chester students may find their best employment opportunities remain here in town where the bars are open and the lights stay on until 11.
As Pennsylvania’s 47th governor, Wolf is a different kind of leader. Since taking office in 2015, Wolf has been fighting against a strong opposition in Harrisburg. By taking on the status quo in exchange for the practical needs of middle class families, Wolf works hard to make Pennsylvania a better place to live every day.
For more information on vaccinations, employment issues and all things impacting Pennsylvanians, visit the governor’s website at https://www.pa.gov/.
April Strunk is a fourth-year with majors in Political Science and Media & Culture. AS938710@wcupa.edu