Coronavirus category, Page 214

The days of lingering over a cup of java inside Commonplace Coffee are gone, at least for the near future. But the ownership has adjusted its operations, showing how retail businesses are adapting for for the covid-19 economy of social distancing. “We very much wish it was still a place...

Rebecca Taquino says she knows it’s difficult to stay home, to forgo seeing family and friends, to sit still as spring fever sets in. It’s an inconvenience, she knows. But it’s not like planning your husband’s funeral. Devin Taquino, of Donora, died April 10, a little more than two weeks...

Those entering federal courthouses in the Western District of Pennsylvania will have to wear face coverings, according to an order issued Tuesday by Chief Judge Mark R. Hornak. Hornak said the order is meant to protect the health and safety of those doing business in the courthouses. It is in...

NEW YORK — A medical supply company in Delaware is questioning the legality of federal seizures of N95 respirator masks destined for medical workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. George Gianforcaro, owner of Indutex USA, told the New York Daily News the Federal Emergency Management Agency confiscated 400,000 masks in two...

The economic uncertainty of the covid-19 crisis is not only making it difficult for people to buy necessities for themselves, but also for their pets. But now, the Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team (PAART) and the Allegheny County Airport Authority are teaming up to ease the burden of pet care,...

After the Great Pandemic has passed and we emerge from Great Depression II, what will be America’s mission in the world? What will be America’s cause? We have been at such a turning point before. After World War II, Americans wanted to come home. But we put aside our nation-building...

A Westmoreland County nursing home already infected with the coronavirus now has tested positive for the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ Disease. Department of Health officials on Tuesday confirmed that a water sample recently tested at the Loyalhanna Care Center in Derry Township was positive for Legionella, a bacteria that causes...

The Richard King Mellon Foundation has approved a $1.3 million grant for the Pittsburgh Promise to help high school seniors and college students navigate the coronavirus pandemic. Pittsburgh Promise Executive Director Saleem Ghubril said Tuesday that the money would help Pittsburgh high school seniors complete college applications. It will also...

A Carnegie Mellon University professor has created a smartphone app to trace people’s exposure to covid-19, using a technology that he says is more accurate than software proposed by tech giants. Known as “contact tracing,” the process has been widely debated in the U.S., especially after tech companies Apple and...

Brentwood Borough announced the cancelation of its three-day Fourth of July Celebration, including the parade and 37th Annual Firecracker 5K, via a Facebook post Monday night. Brentwood Police Chief Adam Zeppuhar, who wrote the post, said that it was a decision made by borough council. “Depending on what kind of...

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department will consider taking legal action against governors who continue to impose stringent rules for dealing with the coronavirus that infringe on constitutional rights once the crisis subsides in their states, Attorney General William Barr said. Blunt means to deal with the pandemic, such as stay-at-home...

Nearly all Pennsylvania restaurants have laid off employees during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey by the National Restaurant Association. Primanti Brothers furloughed more than 1,500 employees across its nearly 40 locations, though it has since hired several hundred back, according to Adam Golomb, the Pittsburgh-based chain’s chief marketing...

McDonald’s will give out free breakfasts, lunches and dinners to first responders and health care workers to thank them for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic. The restaurant chain said it will provide the Thank You Meals from Wednesday through May 5 at participating restaurants. The meals will be served...

State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, will hold a telephone town hall Wednesday afternoon about the coronavirus pandemic in Westmoreland County. Ward said she will be joined by Coroner Ken Bacha and Excela Health emergency medicine Dr. Heather Walker at 2:40 p.m. Constituents can listen to the discussion by phone or...

Health giant UPMC will begin testing all asymptomatic patients for covid-19 as it looks to clear the way for restarting some of its shuttered but medically necessary surgeries. Officials at the Pittsburgh-based health system announced Tuesday the universal testing will begin with all patients requiring hospitalization for surgery or other...

A Mt. Lebanon college student and three of his friends have a noble goal: To raise enough money to buy and distribute 100,000 disposable masks by June 1 to those who need them. As of Tuesday, the Covid Response Network had distributed 38,000 masks that it was able to get...

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus is now being released by ZIP code in Pennsylvania. The state Department of Health map includes information for all 67 counties. The ZIP codes in Westmoreland County with the highest numbers of confirmed cases are Latrobe (15650) with 68, Greensburg (15601) with...

A day after Gov. Tom Wolf laid the groundwork for a gradual reopening of businesses in Pennsylvania, he warned in a call with reporters Tuesday that a much more robust coronavirus testing system will need to be in place for any wide reopening of the state. “We are working with...

PHILADELPHIA — Transporting bodies from a hospital to the medical examiner’s office in Philadelphia in the back of a pickup truck is “unacceptable,” a city Department of Public Health spokesman said after images of a contractor stepping on the bodies while unloading them from the truck bed were captured over...