HARRISBURG, Pa. — We're a week away from June 28, the day Pennsylvania's mask mandate will be lifted for unvaccinated people. The governor's goal was to have 70% of Pennsylvanians fully vaccinated by that date, however, that goal may not be met.
According to the Department of Health, 57.8% of Pennsylvanians 18 and older are fully vaccinated, and 73.7% have received their first dose.
Initially, the Wolf Administration said the mask mandate would not be lifted until 70% of Pennsylvanians are fully vaccinated. Then, that was changed to 70% or June 28, whichever came first. Now, it appears the state will reach June 28 before 70% of the population is fully vaccinated.
Despite likely not reaching the vaccination goal, the CDC ranks Pennsylvania 5th among all 50 states for total doses of the vaccine administered.
The mask mandate being lifted for unvaccinated people will be one of the last COVID-19 mitigation efforts to end. Last month, all businesses, events, and venues were allowed to return to 100 percent capacity, and guidance was updated to allow fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians to go mask-less. Despite the state loosening restrictions, businesses can still require you to wear a mask despite vaccination status.
On June 19, the state recorded just 95 new cases of COVID-19, which is the lowest number of new cases since March 2020.