Retail shopping malls, amusement parks & bowling alleys to close by 8 p.m.

Follows directive Monday limiting crowd capacity for recreational & social gatherings to 50 people, temporary closure of movie theaters, gyms and casinos as well as on-premise service at restaurants & bars

Uniform approach to social distancing designed to slow spread of COVID-19

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday announced Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf joined their coalition to implement a regional approach to combatting COVID-19.

The four governors announced indoor portions of retail shopping malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys in the four states will close by 8 p.m. Thursday – an expansion of the guidance that the three governors from the tri-state area issued Monday.

The guidance issued Monday – which Pennsylvania also adopted – limits crowd capacity for social and recreational gatherings to 50 people. The governors also announced restaurants and bars would close for on-premise service and move to takeout and delivery services only. The governors also temporarily closed movie theaters, gyms and casinos.

"We are doing everything we can as states to reduce density and contain the spread of the virus," Cuomo said. "It is critical that we remain on the same page as our neighboring states, and so far we are the only region in the country partnering to create uniform, regional density reduction policies that prevent 'state shopping.' We will continue working together to update our regulations and guidance as the situation evolves while keeping a consistent standard across the region."