Pennsylvania's hospitals are headed toward a "dangerous, disturbing scenario" if COVID-19 cases continue to surge at the current rate, Gov. Tom Wolf warned Monday.

But even with that dire warning, Wolf ruled out the widespread lockdowns and closures seen this spring, the Associated Press reported. Instead, the governor warned additional restrictions may be on the way, though he did not specify what they could look like. 

THE CONTEXT: The state still has a number of mitigation measures in place, from restrictions on bars and restaurants to a statewide mask-wearing order.

Those efforts have failed to slow a fall surge that has seen the state's daily hospitalization rate climb from roughly 500 people in the summer to more than 5,000 this month, as Spotlight PA's tracker shows. That's left a growing number of hospitals facing a staffing shortage.

At the same time, more than 500,000 people in the state are set to lose their unemployment benefits when two federal programs expire later this month, WHYY reports.

“It now becomes incumbent upon the community to watch out for each other. If the families are struggling, if caregivers are having a hard time with children, can their neighbor step up and be of help?”

— Sam Harrison, deputy commissioner at the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, on the rise of child abuse and neglect during the pandemic