The Pennsylvania State Health Department announced on Friday (July 10) that there were 1,009 new added cases of COVID-19, the biggest 1-day report since May. 6ABC reports that state officials are blaming the rising numbers on "crowded bars where people aren't wearing masks and on out-of-state travel to virus hot spots."
The 1,009 total on Friday is partly due to a reporting delay, as they add that about 175 of those "arose from private lab results reported together in one batch." However, if that number was even revised down to about 825 new cases on Friday, it would still be on the higher end of what Pennsylvania has been seeing in daily new cases over the last two months.
Officials also reported another 32 deaths related to the virus on Friday, bringing the statewide total to 6,880.
In a news release on Friday, Governor Tom Wolf said: "Risky behavior such as going out without a mask and congregating at a bar or in a crowded setting where social distancing isn't being practiced are leading to spikes in cases and higher percent-positive rate."
Nearly 94,000 people have contracted the virus since the beginning of the pandemic in Pennsylvania.
The statewide testing positivity rate was 4.4%, but the health department said they were concerned about higher ratings of positivity in a dozen counties: Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence, Lebanon, Philadelphia, Washington, Westmoreland and York.