Citing a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases and the rising number of vaccinations, Gov. Tom Wolf is easing restrictions on dining and other businesses in time for Easter.

Effective April 4, restaurants may resume serving alcohol without the purchase of food and the curfew for removing alcoholic drinks from tables will be lifted, Wolf said Monday.

The capacity for restaurants that are self-certified will be raised to 75%, and capacity for restaurants that don't self-certify will increase to 50%.

Self-certification involves agreeing to strictly comply with all public health safety guidelines and orders, including the cleaning and mitigation protocols and other operational requirements contained in the governor and secretary of health's mitigation and enforcement orders issued on Nov. 23.

The state is encouraging outdoor dining, curbside pickup and takeout.

Requirements such as mask-wearing and social distancing, including 6 feet between diners, remain in place.

“Restaurants going from 50 to 75, that's a big deal,” said Jack Cohen, president of the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau. “That means they can make some money. It's hard to make a profit on 50% of your revenue.”

The timing will allow people to make reservations for Easter dinner at restaurants and give restaurants time to prepare for the holiday, Cohen said.

He said he believes all remaining restrictions on restaurants and businesses will be lifted in the near future.

“I'm glad to hear he's lifting those restrictions,” said Patty Denny, owner of Burger Hut restaurants in Butler and Butler Township. “I think it's great that they're increasing it.”

Business at her restaurants has been improving lately. Denny said she attributes the improvement to warmer weather and people being less apprehensive about going outside.

She said she will continue implementing thorough cleaning and sanitizing practices and requiring employees to wear face masks.

Wolf also increased occupancy limits for other businesses, including personal services facilities, gyms and entertainment facilities, like casinos, theaters and malls, to 75%.

Previously, Wolf revised indoor event occupancy limits to 25% of capacity and outdoor event occupancy to 50% if attendees and workers comply with the 6-foot physical distancing requirement.

COVID-19 update

Monday's coronavirus update from the Pennsylvania Department of Health shows 96 new cases were reported in the county over the weekend, rasing the total to 9,214, and in the state, 6,142 new cases raised the total to 967,598 since the pandemic began.

The department also reported 43 new deaths Friday, 13 on Saturday and one on Sunday, raising the total to 24,587 statewide. No new deaths were reported in the county over the weekend.

There are 1,433 people hospitalized, including 295 people in intensive care. The 14-day average number of hospitalized people per day is about 4,500 lower than it was at the peak on Dec. 25, 2020, and below what it was at the height of the spring peak on May 3, 2020.

The number of vaccine doses administered in the state include 2,459,430 first doses and 1,282,679 second doses.

In the county, 21,988 people are partially vaccinated and 27,019 are fully vaccinated.