Chuck Moran, Executive Director

The following is a statement from Chuck Moran, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association, concerning today’s announcement from the Wolf Administration and COVID-19 Joint Task Force that mitigation orders will be listed on May 31.

Today we learned from the Governor’s Office that the Wolf administration in coordination with the COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Task Force will lift mitigation orders with the exception of masking on Monday, May 31, at 12:01 a.m. Masking will continue until 70 percent of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated.

Pennsylvania’s small business taverns and licensed restaurants are certainly ready for this change as the past 14 months have been some of the worst in industry history. There are countless stories of financial ruin and jobs lost.

But now the time has come in which we can move into a full recovery mode. It’s time to make the come back greater than the set back.

In recent months, our state legislature and administration have been working with our industry to help it survive and recover. We’re thankful for that assistance but want to remind both chambers and the Governor’s Office that the help shouldn’t stop just because mitigation orders targeting the industry appear to be coming to a close. There’s more work to be done, moving bills to bring back all patrons and rebuild a healthy industry again.

Speaking of patrons, as many tavern owners know, it was the support of patrons ordering take-out or buying gift cards during the roughest days of mitigation orders that allowed many establishments to keep their heads above water. The Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association thanks all patrons who supported our Member establishments during the past year.

Finally, the PLBTA thanks all of its Members who stood with the Association as we navigated the past year together. We look forward to continuing to work on behalf of our Member establishments.

#     #     #

About the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association
The Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association is a statewide association based in Harrisburg, representing small business taverns and licensed restaurants in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Association formed in 1941, reorganized in 2019, and today advocates for best practices and rights within the industry as well as best experiences for patrons.