New Pa. rules mean fans at sporting events and concerts while N.J. expands vaccines to teachers and essential workers

Pennsylvania on Monday opened the door for fans to return to games, concerts, and other events, loosening limits that could bring crowds back for the Flyers and Sixers, and decreeing that travelers coming over the state borders are no longer required to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival.

While the commonwealth eased restrictions based on declining coronavirus case counts and hospitalizations, New Jersey’s good news came in the form of an expanding vaccine pool: Teachers and other essential workers will be eligible for shots on March 15, with more workers joining two weeks later. And officials said the state is on track to hit its goal of having 70% of adults vaccinated by this summer.

Amid the relief was caution. Officials in both states warned that the evolving variants of the virus mean mask-wearing, social distancing, and handwashing remain key to keeping case counts down. As the vaccine rollout marches on, the variants have stoked fear of another possible surge. And while New Jersey said more people there would soon be vaccinated, some Congress members asked Pennsylvania to speed up its process and prepare for expanding the pool, something state health officials have been unable to put on a timeline.

“We need to balance protecting public health with leading the state to a robust economic recovery,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement that announced the easing of the event and travel rules but noted the CDC guidance to limit major reopening moves while the variants are circulating.

Pennsylvania’s new rules allow all indoor events to operate at 15% of maximum occupancy and all outdoor events at 20% occupancy, regardless of venue size. In addition to eliminating a 14-day quarantine for out-of-state travelers, the state also lifted its testing requirement for people crossing into Pennsylvania.

» READ MORE: The Flyers and Sixers could soon have fans at Wells Fargo Center as the state loosens COVID-19 restrictions

In Philadelphia, where some relaxing of pandemic restrictions went into effect Monday, a Health Department spokesperson said the city would align with the state’s new event rules but did not offer a time frame for officially adopting them.

Once the city does, Sixers and Flyers fans would be able to return to the Wells Fargo Center “within days,” said Valerie Camillo, president of business operations for the Philadelphia Flyers and Wells Fargo Center, in a statement.

» READ MORE: Philly’s FEMA mass vaccination site soft-opened Monday. It's already having to fend off people who aren’t eligible

With higher occupancy permitted outdoors, the Phillies were already set to be able to bring back about 1,500 fans when their season opens next month but could welcome larger crowds under the state’s new rules.

The Wells Fargo Center could bring in up to roughly 3,000 people under the state’s rules, including hundreds of part-time workers. The sports teams will release more information about how many fans will be able to attend after Philadelphia adopts the rules.

“Today’s announcement by Governor Wolf is an important step forward,” said 76ers president of business operations Chris Heck. “It leaves us hopeful that we will be able to hear the unmistakable, passionate roar of a 76ers crowd again very soon.”

New Jersey’s teachers, childcare workers, migrant workers, transportation workers, and airport employees will be eligible to get vaccines starting on March 15, along with people experiencing homelessness and residents of shelters.

Two weeks later, the eligibility list will grow to include other essential workers, including those employed by restaurants, grocery stores, and warehouses, as well as clergy, other hospitality workers, and judicial and election staff.

Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said she believed the state would have enough doses “for almost everyone” by May. .

Though demand for shots continues to outpace supply, officials said they expect the state’s weekly shipments of doses from the federal government to grow. The state is expecting about 70,000 doses of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week, but Murphy said the deliveries expected in the weeks after that are up in the air.

New Jersey has now administered more than 2 million vaccine doses, and more than 691,000 people have now received both first and second shots.

As New Jersey expanded its eligibility list, four Pennsylvania members of Congress asked Wolf to look at strategies being used in other states that could speed up the commonwealth’s vaccine distribution, which critics have called slow, disorganized, and confusing.

Through Sunday, 2.4 million vaccine doses had been administered in Pennsylvania, with 3.7 million doses allocated to the state through March 6.

» READ MORE: U.S. Rep. Scanlon: Pa. admits vaccine undersupply in Philadelphia suburbs, promises to fix it with extra doses immediately

The state lowered Philadelphia and Chester County’s community transmission level, declaring them “moderate” after months in the “substantial” range. Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties remain in the “substantial” level.

Reps. Madeleine Dean, Chrissy Houlahan, Mary Gay Scanlon, and Susan Wild, all Democrats, asked Wolf to begin planning for the commonwealth’s next phase of the vaccine rollout, known as 1B, saying teachers and other frontline workers needed more certainty about when they would be able to get vaccinated. In a letter, they asked the state to involve representatives from essential worker groups eligible in 1B in the planning.

They also told the governor people who are not yet eligible for the vaccine are concerned the rollout will take months to reach them as the state struggles to vaccinate those now eligible in 1A. “Although we are making some progress vaccinating the 1A population,” they wrote, “a lot of obstacles and questions remain.”

Philadelphia hit a reopening milestone as negotiators struck a deal to begin returning city students to classrooms starting Monday, with some teachers reporting to school buildings Wednesday. And universities were also planning — or hoping — for more normal days ahead.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia School District is reopening. Here's the plan

In a message to the campus community Monday, Temple University President Richard M. Englert said the school is planning for a “primarily in-person” fall semester “with a substantial number of students returning to campus.”

“Yes, the pandemic will still be with us, and some classes and activities will be online, but there are reasons to be hopeful,” Englert said.

At Pennsylvania State University, President Eric J. Barron sent a similar message last week, saying the university is planning for “a full on-campus learning environment” for the fall.

Some students already have returned to both campuses, but many classes remain online. At Temple, 87% of classes are being conducted remotely this spring. About 1,660 students are living on campus; Englert said the campus has conducted 50,000 COVID-19 tests this semester with the positivity rate remaining below 1%.

Staff writers Susan Snyder, Kristen A. Graham, Rob Tornoe, Sam Carchidi, and Maria Panaritis contributed to this article.