In an effort to speed up the testing for people with symptoms of the coronavirus that causes covid-19, the region’s largest health system announced Saturday it has created its own in-house test.

UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh laid out the details at a news conference. Later Saturday, health officials held another news conference to announce that two Pittsburgh residents have tested positive for the coronavirus.

“Developing this test for a never-before-seen virus in the midst of a pandemic was a tremendous challenge, even for our academic medical center with its long history of such developments,” Dr. Alan Wells, medical director of the UPMC Clinical Laboratories, said in a statement. “But testing capabilities are absolutely essential to managing a pandemic. If the communities we serve see a surge in severe illnesses, we must be able to diagnose people quickly to give them the appropriate care while protecting our staff and the broader community.”

No visitors allowed at Kane Community Living Centers

Kane Community Living Centers implemented a no visitor policy Saturday. All resident trips outside of the center are also being canceled, excpet those necessary to the resident’s health.

In instances of end-of-life or severe health concerns where visitation from family members is necessary, visitors will be subjected to a health assessment. They will only have access to their specific resident and the visit must take place in a private area.

Disinfecting buses

Port Authority of Allegheny County said it is disinfecting buses and light-rail train cars every 24 hours.

If the pandemic affects the transportation service’s workforce, the authority may need to reduce service, officials said.

Even with increased cleaning, the reality is that the surfaces of a newly cleaned bus or rail car can no longer be assumed sanitary after passengers have climbed aboard, so you are encouraged practice good hygiene to limit the spread of germs and illness

— Port Authority PGH (@PGHtransit) March 14, 2020

Allegheny County Jail limits visitation

Visitation will be restricted at Allegheny County Jail beginning Monday, March 16. Exceptions will be made for end-of-life visits or when an inmate’s health becomes severely critical.

This visitation suspension will last for two weeks, initially. Legal visits will continue, but the process is being reviewed.

St. Patrick’s party in Pittsburgh

“If you go to Walmart, or Sam’s Club or anything like that, it’s absolutely packed,” said said Mike Cook of Saxonburg. “And people don’t think anything about that, but they think it’s wrong to do something like this.”

That was the rationale of many revelers who shunned social distancing Saturday and headed to Pittsburgh’s South Side or Strip District to drink green beer and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The parade was canceled. The party went on.

‘It’s a mess, shelves are bare’

At Walmart on Saturday, entire freezer cases were bare. The snack aisle was starting to look a little thin.

Target was wiped out of pasta, water, toilet paper, medicine, soap, eggs, frozen meals and bread.

Read a dispatch from the Western Pennsylvania shopping frenzy here.

Is it safe to receive a package from any area where covid-19 has been reported? 

According to the World Health Organization, yes.

From WHO: The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes covid-19 from a package that has been moved, traveled and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.

Allegheny County announces 2 cases of coronavirus

Allegheny County officials on Saturday said two Pittsburgh residents have tested positive for covid-19. Both are adults. Neither affected person is in a hospital. They are in isolation at home. The virus was acquired through out-of-state travel, officials said. Both patients were evaluated at West Penn Hospital in Bloomfield, according to Allegheny Health Network.

“West Penn had advance notice of the patients’ impending arrival to the hospital, and all precautions were taken to effectively prevent exposure of the virus to the hospital’s caregivers and support staff,” AHN officials said in a statement.

Gov. Wolf urges closings of ‘all non-essential public spaces’ in Chester and Bucks counties

Gov. Tom Wolf on Saturday announced that Chester and Bucks Counties should close “all non-essential public spaces.”

Delaware and Montgomery counties are already under similar state shutdown orders.

“If we can slow the spread of the virus, we can flatten the curve,” Wolf said “This is what we need to do and we need to do it now.

Under the orders, essential business like grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations will remain open.

A subsequent press release from the state said, “non-essential businesses include community and recreation centers; gyms, including yoga, barre and spin facilities; hair salons, nail salons and spas; casinos; concert venues; theaters; bars; sporting event venues and golf courses; retail facilities, including shopping malls and except for pharmacy or other health care facilities within retail operations.”

Wolf said: “If we succeed in slowing the spread of covid-19, it will be because we all do our part.”

Today I’m with @PAHealthDept at @PEMAHQ to announce the expansion of social distancing measures to Chester and Bucks counties.

I ask residents to refrain from non-essential travel. I ask non-essential retail facilities to close. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/XcJSqm7cfr

— Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) March 14, 2020

Additional cases in state

There are six more presumptive positive cases of covid-19 in Pennsylvania, health officials said Saturday. Two are from Allegheny County, two are from Montgomery County, one is from Philadelphia County and one is from Chester County. Are all adults. This bring the statewide total to 47 cases. Of those, six cases have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Saturday, more than 340 patients in the state identified for testing, officials said.

The breakdown by county is as follows:

Allegheny (2)

Bucks (3)

Chester (2)

Cumberland (3)

Delaware (6)

Monroe (3)

Montgomery (20)

Northampton (1)

Philadelphia (4)

Pike (1)

Washington (1)

Wayne (1)

In the United States, at least 51 people have died from covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, and 2,572 confirmed cases have been identified, according to Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

A high percentage of people recover from coronavirus. Worldwide, there have been nearly 5,800 deaths and more than 155,000 confirmed infections, according to Johns Hopkins.

Westmoreland officials declare state of emergency

The emergency declaration gives county officials the ability to quickly activate emergency personnel and pay for needed responses, county officials said during a courthouse news conference.

Price-gouging complaints rise

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro says his email tip line has received more than 200 complaints of price gouging by stores around the state. To report suspected price-gouging, consumers can email pricegouging@attorneygeneral.gov.

Giant Eagle adjusts hours

Beginning Sunday, all Giant Eagle and Market District supermarkets will open at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m., seven days a week, the company announced Saturday. When supermarkets are closed, Giant Eagle said, all stores will be sanitized and shelves restocked.

Comcast offers free internet

Comcast announced Saturday it will make its Xfinity Wi-Fi services free for everyone for the next 60 days.

“During this extraordinary time, it is vital that as many Americans as possible stay connected to the internet for education, work, and personal health reasons,” Comcast Cable Chief Executive Officer Dave Watson said in a statement.

No litter pickup

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful announced Saturday it is suspending its annual litter cleanup program, Pick Up Pennsylvania, until May because of coronavirus concerns. The program removes litter from roads and parks.

The program will extend through June 30. Questions can be answered by Michelle Dunn, Pick Up Pennsylvania program coordinator, at 877-772-3673 ext. 113 or mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.

https://t.co/iiDwbuRISz Pick Up Pennsylvania Litter Cleanup Program is Suspended through the end of April! @PennsylvaniaDEP @PennDOTNews

— Keep PA Beautiful (@ABeautifulPA) March 13, 2020

No utility shutoffs

There is a moratorium on utility shutoffs, officials said Saturday.

Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission officials said Chairman Gladys Brown Dutrieuille signed an emergency order prohibiting electric, natural gas, water, wastewater, telecommunication and steam utility shut-offs. The order will be in place for as long as Gov. Tom Wolf’s disaster proclamation related to the coronavirus is in effect.

“I believe that issuance of an emergency order is appropriate under the unique circumstances,” the emergency order, signed by Dutrieuille, said. “It is beyond argument that the provision of public utility service is necessary for the safety of the public. This is especially the case under the current challenges that resulted in the Proclamation of a pandemic emergency.”

Cancellations

From the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show to Western Pennsylvania casinos, more events and business announced cancellations or closures because of fears of the coronavirus.

Even Dairy Queen announced it was postponing Free Cone Day!

Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh’s North Side announced will close for 14 days, beginning midnight Sunday.

“Although there have been no known cases of covid-19 at the property, we are suspending operations out of an abundance of caution and to promote the social distancing recommended by health officials,” Rivers Casino said in a statement.

On Thursday, patrons at Rivers said they were unconcerned about coronavirus and planned to continue rolling the dice, so to speak.

While the casino will be closed, the company said it will continue normal payroll for employees during the temporary closure.

At the Meadows Casino in North Strabane, Washington County, all concerts and live events have been postponed or canceled.

The Home & Garden Show, which started March 6 and was scheduled to run through Sunday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, was halted in response to guidelines issued by the Allegheny County Health Department.

Palace Theatre shows rescheduled

Little Anthony and The Imperials, The Crystals and The Marcels concert scheduled for Sunday at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg has been rescheduled for July 12.

Neal McCoy’s concert scheduled for March 21 at The Palace has been rescheduled for June 28.

All tickets for the original dates will be honored .

For more information, visit thepalacetheatre.org or call 724-836-8000.

Restaurants brace for slowdown

Kevin Joyce said it’s “white knuckle” time for Pittsburgh’s hospitality industry.

The owner of The Carlton Restaurant and Eadie’s Kitchen and Market, both Downtown, said food and beverage establishments across the city are feeling the impact of coronavirus.

“The impact is considerable, and is going to continue to get worse.” Joyce said, adding that he’s cutting shifts for cooks and servers, but plans to remain open. “We’ve been here 36 years. We went through 9/11 and we went through the financial crisis in 2008. You just kind of know you’re in for it.”

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Carnegie Library’s 19 branches shut down, waive late fees

All 19 locations of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will close to the public from Sunday through at least April, the system’s officials said.

The branches will remain open Saturday with limited services. Computer access will be suspended.

Westmoreland County’s libraries and satellite offices will be closed Saturday until March 30, officials announced.

Due dates and late fees at Carnegie Libraries will be suspended on items already borrowed, and library cardholders can continue to remotely access digital materials such as eBooks, audiobooks, video streams and music.

“It is with a heavy heart that we need to take the extraordinary step of closing to the public,” Mary Frances Cooper, president and director of the library system, said in a statement. “In the interest of our public’s health, we cannot in good faith maintain the cleaning routine and enforce the social distancing necessary to combat the spread of this virus.”

Tracy Trotter, library director at the Adams Memorial Library, says they are taking steps to continue providing service in Latrobe. She says as long as it is safe, library staff there will continue to work during the shutdown, adding new titles to its online collection. The library has also turned off overdue fines and turned on automatic renewals, and is hoping to launch a curbside pickup service.

No new trials to be picked in Allegheny Co.

Jurors summoned for service in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas for any day during the coming week will not be required to report for duty.

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