Southwestern Pennsylvania continues its struggle to control the coronavirus as the region saw another spike in cases Monday.

“The recent uptick in cases in southwest Pennsylvania has been traced to people not wearing masks in public places such as bars and restaurants,” said Gov. Tom Wolf in a news release Monday.

According to Monday's report by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, 450 positive cases of COVID-19 were added Monday to the new statewide total of 90,304.

Butler County added 10 confirmed cases since Sunday to its total, which now is 320. The county also has 36 probable cases awaiting test results.

The county's southern neighbor, Allegheny County, added 217 confirmed cases of the virus Monday, a little less than half of the state's new number of cases. Last week, Allegheny County announced a shutdown of sit-down services in bars and restaurants among other restrictions for a one-week period.

While Allegheny County added a little more than 20 times the number of cases Butler County did, the neighboring county also has 10 times the population with roughly 1.22 million residents, compared to Butler County's 187,888. Overall, Allegheny County has 11.2 times more cases than Butler County with a total of 3,595 confirmed cases.

“At this time, other than the masks, which are protective and beneficial, we do not have any plans to emulate Allegheny County in the sense of closing businesses,” said Butler County Commissioner Kim Geyer in an interview Monday.

Butler County Commissioner Kevin Boozel said the commissioners have been tracking numbers and keeping in touch with the Department of Health and local health care system.

“Our numbers did go up a little bit, nothing of concern as of right now, but we're going to continue watching those numbers,” Boozel said.

Boozel said it will be difficult for residents of Butler County to distance themselves from their neighboring county. He said roughly 30 percent of Butler County's workforce travels to Allegheny County for work.

“We already have an intermingling relationship,” Boozel said.

Geyer said people should continue to wear masks as well as social distance when possible. She advised people to steer clear of any place that makes them uncomfortable or feel at risk.

“Be smart and use good judgment,” she said.

In a news release, Wolf connected his recent urgency in mask-wearing to multiple studies establishing the effectiveness of masks.

“Research tells us that masks, while not perfect, make a difference in the spread of COVID-19 and are a simple and effective way to help protect ourselves and others,” Wolf said.

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine signed an order July 1 mandating mask-wearing, extending even to places outdoors when social distancing cannot be practiced.

“Study after study indicates the effectiveness of mask-wearing to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and to keep the curve of cases flattened,” Wolf said.

The following numbers on the coronavirus pandemic were compiled from regular news releases from the state Department of Health and the Butler Health System.Monday’s COVID-19 statistics:Butler CountyConfirmed cases: 320Probable cases: 36Negative tests: 7,440Deaths: 13Butler Memorial hospitalInpatients: 2Suspected: 1Confirmed: 1ICU: 0Total tests: 9,607Outdoor tests: 3,860Positive tests: 266Clarion hospitalInpatients: 2Suspected: 1Confirmed: 1ICU: 0Total tests: 1,710Outdoor tests: 1,132Positive tests: 47PennsylvaniaNew cases: 450Total cases: 90,304New deaths: 1Total deaths: 6,754Recovered: 78 percentSurrounding CountiesAllegheny: 3,595 confirmed cases; 63,077 negative; and 190 deathsArmstrong: 78 confirmed; 2,319 negative; and 6 deathsBeaver: 720 confirmed; 6,680 negative; and 79 deathsClarion: 46 confirmed; 1,077 negative; and 2 deathsLawrence: 109 confirmed; 2,938 negative; and 9 deathsMercer: 137 confirmed; 4,745 negative; and 6 deathsVenango: 10 confirmed and 1,373 negativeWestmoreland: 801 confirmed; 19,599 negative; and 38 deaths.