may be pursued in court. “The majority of our community members are doing everything they can to keep each other safe. I believe it is possible to operate a business responsibly during the pandemic. This will just provide the rules in writing so we are all on the same page,” said Snyder.

PCHP also urges the community to limit private gatherings. Places or events that are not open to the public are excluded from the new advisory outlining public gathering restrictions (i.e. an invitation-only wedding); however, COVID-19 is not only spreading in public settings. Snyder said “We can all save lives in our own community by choosing to forgo gatherings with extended family over the holidays.”

The number of COVID-19 cases per week has jumped from 40 in the first week of October, to 449 the week of November 8th. Since our first Pierce County resident tested positive for COVID-19 in March, 19 Pierce County residents have died from COVID-19. Eleven of those deaths occurred in the past ten days.