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Gov. Tom Wolf said he was not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, in spite of testing positive for the virus. Throughout the pandemic, Wolf has consistently advocated for the wearing of face masks to help stop the spread of COVID-19. (FILE PHOTO)
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced Wednesday.
“I have no symptoms and am feeling well,” he said in a statement, adding that he and First Lady Frances Wolf, who is awaiting test results, are quarantining. The governor said he plans to continue working remotely, “as many are doing during the pandemic.”
The announcement comes as daily COVID-19 cases in the state climb higher than ever and hospitals contend with severe shortages of staff needed to care for infected patients as well as Pennsylvanians experiencing other health issues.
Wolf was last seen in public during a Monday news conference with Health Secretary Rachel Levine, where they both wore face masks, even while speaking.
The Department of Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Wolf said his positive test shows “no one is immune from COVID” and “that following all precautions as I have done is not a guarantee.”
But such precautions are “what we know to be vital to stopping the spread of the disease and so I ask all Pennsylvanians to wear a mask, stay home as much as possible, socially distance yourself from those not in your household, and, most of all, take care of each other and stay safe,” he said.
In the spring, as the coronavirus first emerged in Pennsylvania, Wolf and Levine put the state under a stay-at-home order and temporarily closed all non-essential businesses. As cases have surged this fall, the governor has repeatedly said he would not return to the widespread lockdowns seen in early 2020.
But on Monday, as he warned the state’s hospitals were headed toward a “dangerous, disturbing scenario,” he did not rule out instituting additional restrictions and said those decisions would be made “soon.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said there were more than 5,500 people hospitalized with COVID-19. Roughly 20 percent were in an intensive care unit; beds usually reserved for the most critically ill patients.
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