Pennsylvania category, Page 196
Pennsylvania eyes later primary as coronavirus outbreak continues
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is confirming another big increase in coronavirus cases Sunday as lawmakers are drafting legislation to delay the state’s April 28 primary election and relax rules around how mail-in ballots can be processed in advance of polls closing. Pennsylvania House State Government Committee Chairman Garth Everett, R-Lycoming, said...
Pa. reports another 108 confirmed cases of coronavirus; state total now 479
Another 108 new confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported in Pennsylvania, the state Department of Health announced Sunday. In all, 479 cases have been confirmed in the state, with 5,443 people having been tested. That means 4,964 people have tested negative. Two people have died as a result of...
Pennsylvania reports 103 new covid-19 cases, large clusters in Allegheny County
Pennsylvania reported more than 100 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the statewide total to 371 confirmed cases and two deaths. Officials expect to see an “exponential increase” in cases in coming days and weeks, said Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine. “What is most important for Pennsylvanians to remember is...
Pa. ‘looking at every option’ to add hospital capacity as coronavirus cases grow
Health officials fear younger Pennsylvanians are ignoring state orders meant to slow the rise of coronavirus cases and could create a strain on the state’s hospitals and health care systems. “We are seriously concerned that individuals in the 20 to 44 age range are not heeding the message to stay...
All Pennsylvania standardized testing canceled amid coronavirus pandemic
All Pennsylvania System of State Assessment (PSSA), Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA) and Keystone exams have been canceled for the 2019-2020 school year amid the covid-19 pandemic, the state Department of Education announced Friday. “Our school communities are operating within unprecedented conditions,” said Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera. “Schools...
Gov. Wolf orders ‘non-life-sustaining’ businesses to close physical locations to halt coronavirus spreadVideo
Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all “non-life-sustaining” businesses in Pennsylvania to close Thursday night in an effort to slow the spread of covid-19. The order took effect at 8 p.m. Businesses that refuse to close down will face “enforcement actions” beginning at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, beer...
Disaster declaration brings low-interest loans for small businesses in Pennsylvania, elsewhere
Small businesses that have lost revenue as a result of the coronavirus will be able to apply for low-interest loans now that Pennsylvania has received a disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The action came a day after Gov. Tom Wolf asked for the declaration for all 67...
‘Significant hospitalization rates’: Coronavirus taking a toll in Pa.
As coronavirus cases continue to rise rapidly across Pennsylvania, the state is seeing “significant hospitalization rates,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Thursday. “It really is varying day to day,” Levine said during a daily covid-19 update. The reported average hospitalization rate is about 10%. Levine said Pennsylvania’s rate...
PHEAA issues temporary waivers for some student grant programs, extends application deadlines
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) Thursday moved to acknowledge sweeping changes that have forced colleges to shutter classrooms and move to online instruction due to coronavirus fears. Thursday, the agency’s board of directors moved to loosen the restrictions on about a half-dozen grant programs that affect about 210,000...
Pa. prisons work to set up video chats for inmates, families
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s prisons are working to set up video conferences between inmates and family members now that visits have been suspended in an effort to keep the coronavirus from spreading to people inside the institutions. Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said this week that the service should be available soon...
State Supreme Court temporarily bans residential evictions, reduces state court functions
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that no state officer or officials conduct any residential evictions for failure to pay rent, a loan or similar payment through at least April 3. “This Court is aware that the economic consequences of the covid-19 pandemic may cause individuals to suffer a...
Bars, restaurants could be cited, lose liquor license for continuing on-premises service
Bars and restaurants that continue to serve on-premises food and alcohol could be cited and possibly lose their liquor license, the state Liquor Control Board announced. “Medical experts and public health professionals from around the world agree the best step we can take to slow the spread of covid-19 is...
Pennsylvania’s porta-potties, highway restrictions rankle truckers; state to reopen some rest stopsVideo
Ohio truck driver Paul Greene said the closure of restroom facilities at 17 Pennsylvania Turnpike service centers and PennDOT’s closure of welcome centers and rest areas was very much on his mind as he carried a duffel bag Wednesday into the Flying J truck stop in South Huntingdon. “They’ve closed...
Citing covid-19, Pa. Supreme Court halts evictions, foreclosures statewide
No landlord or bank can evict a tenant because of a failure to pay rent or mortgage payments for at least the next two weeks, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. “The Court is aware that the economic consequences of the covid-19 pandemic may cause individuals to suffer a loss...
Penn State postpones commencement ceremonies
Penn State University announced Wednesday that it is postponing all spring commencement ceremonies. The university said that it is taking the precaution in order to fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The school is exploring other options for celebrating the achievements of their students, according to a statement. The...
Pennsylvania primary could be postponed due to coronavirus, though law remains murky
With presidential primaries on hold because of public health concerns in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland and Ohio, Pennsylvania’s primary scheduled for April 28 could well be the next postponed because of the coronavirus. As voters undeterred by the threat of exposure cast ballots Tuesday in special elections in three Pennsylvania...
Sen. Pat Toomey: Red tape hampers federal coronavirus response efforts, paid sick leave
The devil is in the details where coronavirus is concerned, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, said Tuesday. Red tape at the National Institutes of Health threatened to slow the certification of hospital-developed tests in Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley Republican said, until he asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the...
Blood donations at critical shortage because of coronavirus pandemic
Blood banks are asking healthy donors to turn out “in full force” as donations drop in the face of the spreading coronavirus. “If we don’t have enough blood to meet the sick patients’ needs, we’ll have another public health crisis on top of the pandemic,” said Kristen Lane, spokeswoman for...
Pa. health secretary: ‘Would not surprise us’ if coronavirus cases start increasingVideo
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said no hospitals are strained under the weight of the coronavirus right now, but she expects numbers to continue rising as the month goes on. “It would not surprise us if we do start to see increasing numbers – probably next week and...
Distilleries using high-proof alcohol to make hand sanitizer
NEW TRIPOLI, Pa. — A Pennsylvania distillery owner who grew increasingly angry as he saw the skyrocketing price of hand sanitizer has decided to do something about it: He’s temporarily converting his operation into a production line for the suddenly hard-to-find, gooey, alcohol-based disinfectant. Eight Oaks Farm Distillery filled its...
Consumers scramble as Pennsylvania liquor stores set to close over coronavirus concerns
All Pennsylvania Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores will close at 9 p.m. Tuesday to help combat the spread of covid-19, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced. Stores in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties in eastern Pennsylvania — among the hardest-hit in the state — already were slated to...
Gov. Wolf orders nonessential Pennsylvania businesses to shut down
Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday ordered nonessential Pennsylvania businesses to shut down to help curb the spread of coronavirus. Wolf said he expects the closures beginning Tuesday to last at least two weeks, but “we will be constantly reevaluating.” Wolf’s order came hours after New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and...
Coronavirus in Pennsylvania: Philadelphia children’s hospital doctor tests positive; cases jump again
All nonessential business activity and city government operations will be halted for two weeks in Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney announced Monday, in an effort to contain the coronavirus from spreading in the city of 1.6 million people. In issuing the order, Kenney asked that residents and businesses observe the restrictions,...
Retrial of U.S. Catholic official delayed over virus concerns
PHILADELPHIA — The retrial of the only church official who has ever gone to prison in the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal was delayed Monday because of the coronavirus outbreak. The retrial of Monsignor William Lynn, the longtime secretary for clergy in the Philadelphia archdiocese, had been to start...
Pa. bumping up outreach to workers left unemployed by coronavirus pandemic
Pennsylvania officials are bumping up outreach efforts to workers facing unemployment from the rising coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, state Secretary of Labor & Industry Jerry Oleksiak said workers facing a job loss may be eligible for unemployment and workers’ compensation benefits. That prospect has hit home for millions nationwide as...
