Not wearing a mask? Hosting a small party? Under a new State College ordinance, you’ll face fines
Visitors, students and residents of State College will have to immediately take heed of a new borough law that requires mask-wearing and severely limits gathering size — or they’ll face $300 fines.
In a bid to better fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the State College Borough Council unanimously voted Tuesday to pass an ordinance that would require a mask when in public, forbid long lines and cap gatherings in residences at 10 people. Those who refuse to comply will be hit with a $300 fine by police (or other officials).
The local law officially went into effect Wednesday afternoon.
“We’ve got to try something. And, if that doesn’t work, we have to try something else,” councilman Evan Myers said Tuesday night. “We need to act like our lives depend upon what we do — because they do.”
Masks will essentially have to be worn at all times indoors, when in public, and will also have to be worn outside when social distancing is not possible — like on a crowded downtown sidewalk or while waiting to board a bus. Likewise, in perhaps the most drastic measure, gatherings will be considerably limited, in part to prevent parties that can act as super-spreader events.
The state Department of Health restricts outdoor gatherings to 250 people; the borough council reduced that number locally to 25 — although residences, such as homes and fraternities, are still limited to 10 whether indoors or outdoors, per the understanding of two local officials. So, not only would a fraternity in violation of the ordinance potentially face discipline by Penn State and/or the Interfraternity Council, it would also face fines of up to $300 per tenant per incident.
In an open letter to the Penn State community on Monday, university President Eric Barron expressed support for the draft ordinance, calling it “a strong and appropriate step in the right direction.”
“The combination of a strong ordinance, an active communications campaign that supports it and enforcement is the best way to promote the health and safety of our community,” he wrote.
Long lines, like the shoulder-to-shoulder queues seen last month during Arts Fest weekend, are also now forbidden. According to the ordinance, no more than 10 people will be allowed to wait outside of an establishment.
If customers don’t comply, businesses have been instructed to call police.
Rob Schmidt, executive director of the Downtown State College Improvement District, told the Centre Daily Times last month that he had already spoken with bar owners about implementing better wait systems, like smartphone apps such as Waitlist and NextMe — apps that virtually hold customers’ places so they don’t have to physically stand in line.
Schmidt declined to comment ahead of Tuesday’s council meeting, saying a statement could instead be forthcoming at a later time. A spokesperson from the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The council intimated it’s attempted to take local businesses into account as much as possible while focusing primarily on safety.
“The borough is working on small-business loans, and they may or may not get them in time, but we are addressing that,” councilwoman Theresa Lafer said. “I want them to stay alive and well, too.”
With the exception of gathering size, the ordinance is not all that different from the measures that Gov. Tom Wolf has already implemented, nor does it stray far from the recommendations of the state DOH and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the ordinance does give the borough the power to fine, or enforce the law — meaning there are now consequences in the borough for those who host parties, form long lines or refuse to wear masks.
Talk of the ordinance first started to form several months ago, before fact-finding and research led to the ordinance being co-written by the borough manager and solicitor. The State College Borough Board of Health made recommendations to the ordinance Friday morning, before the council amended and passed the ordinance Tuesday.
To date, there have been 361 positive cases of the coronavirus in Centre County. In late May, the county boasted roughly 10 new cases per 100,000 residents over a two-week span. Currently, the county has 35 new cases per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks.
Penn State’s first day of class is Aug. 24.
“The virus has started to spread to more rural counties, and Penn State is going to at least start to resume in-person classes very soon,” council President Jesse Barlow said. “The one measure we have is more or less what we passed in this ordinance.”
The ordinance is considered temporary and will be rescinded either on Jan. 31, 2021, or when the state DOH and the Centre Region Council of Governments rescind their emergency declarations — whichever comes first.
This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 7:09 AM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story indicated that the ordinance is currently in effect. As of Wednesday morning, the ordinance is not in effect and won’t be until signed by the State College mayor and borough council president.
