Regardless Of Vaccination Status, Governor Orders State Employees To Wear Masks


By Stephen Caruso | Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Gov. Tom Wolf speaking earlier in 2021. File photo.

Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered Pennsylvania state employees to once again wear masks at work starting Monday.

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All state employees, vaccinated or not, must wear a face covering while working indoors, the administration said in an email to staff on Friday morning.

โ€œWith nearly all Pennsylvania counties now with high or substantial levels of COVID-19 in their communities, the commonwealth will be reinstating measures to reduce potential spread in our workplaces,โ€ the email reads.

Visitors to state offices also should be encouraged to wear a mask, but will not be required to do so, the email adds.

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Wolf announced earlier this month that heโ€™d give a paid day off to state employees who get vaccinated as well. The extra day off is also available to those who already were vaccinated.

The order only applies to the stateโ€™s roughly 115,000 employees, as well as state contractors. It does not apply to school districts.

โ€œThis is an employment policy for commonwealth employees and contracted staff under the governorโ€™s jurisdiction,โ€ Wolf spokesperson Daniel Egan said in an email. โ€œThe commonwealth continues to encourage all Pennsylvanians to follow CDC guidelines, including wearing masks indoors in counties with high or substantial rates of COVID-19 transmission.โ€

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COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in Pennsylvania, but are still low compared to other states.

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