Pennsylvania to ban the sale of alcohol in bars and restaurants on Thanksgiving eve in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus

Gov. Tom Wolf and Health Secretary Dr Rachel Levine announced that the temporary suspension will take effect Wednesday at 5 p.m. and will remain in place until 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning.

“Turns out the biggest say for drinking is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving,” Wolf said. “When people get together in this situation, it leads to an increase in the exchange of fluids, which leads to an increase in infection.”

As of Saturday alone, there were more than 7,000 new cases of Covid-19, according to state data, and more than 4,000 additional new cases on Sunday.

“The transmission of Covid-19 is reaching new heights that we have yet to meet,” Levine said.

Levine and Wolf also announced a new stay-at-home notice for residents starting Monday, although they clarified that it was not a closing order.

Meals inside remain at 25-50% capacity, while retail can continue at 75% capacity, Levine said. Gyms, salons and other personal care businesses can continue to operate at 50% of capacity.

As of November 27, companies must allow employees to work from home. Large gatherings are reduced, with bans against events with more than 500 people inside or 2,500 outside, according to Levine.

The suspension comes as many Americans travel on Thanksgiving, against the advice of some public health experts. More than one million U.S. travelers went through airport security on Sunday, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

At the same time, Covid-19 hospitalizations are climbing at unprecedented rates across the country – threatening cutbacks in care even for those without coronavirus.

On Monday, the United States reported more than 12 million cases of Covid-19 and more than 257,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

CNN’s Holly Yan and Madeline Holcombe contributed to this report.