Coronavirus updates: Here’s what to know in Centre County on April 5

We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about coronavirus in Centre County. Check back for updates.

Centre County up to 43 coronavirus cases

Centre County added four new cases of the coronavirus Sunday, bringing the total number of cases in the county to 43, the state Department of Health reported.

There are 11,510 cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania as of noon Sunday, an increase of 1,433 since noon Saturday. The mark is the second-highest increase the state has seen, marking the fourth day in a row the number of cases has increased by at least 1,000. The total rose by 1,597 from Friday to Saturday.

-by Jon Sauber

Penn State seniors lament loss of ‘so many lasts’ in university experience cut short by COVID-19

Students dream of it their whole lives — donning their blue caps and gowns, walking across the Bryce Jordan Center stage, and celebrating an end to their formal education with their friends and families. For seniors set to graduate in May, the coronavirus pandemic has changed those plans.

Penn State announced on March 18 that the rest of the spring semester will be conducted online, with classes held virtually and spring commencement postponed until an unspecified date. Because of this, the class of 2020 has had to call off gatherings, change travel arrangements and upend everything they thought their senior year would be.

“There were a lot of tears when I realized there were so many lasts that I wouldn’t get to do, like my last afternoon in Beaver (Stadium) as a student, celebrating with my friends when we’re done with finals, going to the Creamery, getting to follow the basketball team around for March Madness,” senior Nisha Moorthy said. “It was a little overwhelming at first.”

-by Lilly Riddle

State College landlords, PSU tenants are butting heads over rent. Can either side find a solution?

Not a single day has gone by where Penn State junior Alexis Marchioni, a kinesiology major, hasn’t worried about rent.

The 20-year-old bartender, who’s putting herself through school, worked three nights a week during the spring semester. And she usually takes a full-time waitress job during the summer. Or, at least she did — until both businesses closed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, like thousands of other Penn State students and parents, she’s not sure what comes next when the rent comes due. And she’s not sure if anyone can help.

“I have maybe a month or two left in my savings, and then I don’t know,” said Marchioni, who pays $900 a month for her part of a four-person apartment in The Retreat at State College. “Hopefully, it’s over by then. I don’t know. It’s definitely stressful.”

- by Josh Moyer

Business changes

• Weis Markets CEO and Chairman Jonathan Weis announced several changes on Saturday to help ensure the safety of the Pennsylvania-based grocery store chain’s associates and customers. Among those changes are the installation of sneeze guards on all registers and service counters. Plastic face shields, latex gloves, and reusable and disposable surgical masks have also been ordered for Weis’ store, distribution and manufacturing associates.
• Starting Saturday, Walmart is now limiting the number of customers who can be in its stores to no more than five for each 1,000 square feet at a given time. To manage the restriction, associates will mark a queue at a single-entry door (in most cases the grocery entrance) and direct customers there, where they will be admitted one by one and counted.
• Red Horse Tavern in Pleasant Gap will be reopening Wednesday in a limited capacity. Hours will be 3-8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. All food and beer orders will be taken over the phone and only credit card payments will be accepted. There will be a table outside the Red Horse for patrons to pick up their order to limit the amount of contact.
• Koch Funeral Home in State College is extending its preventative changes until April 30, in line with President Donald Trump’s extension of his “15 Days to Slow the Spread” guidance. Included in that guidance is the limiting of all meetings, services and gatherings to 10 people, encouraging delayed memorial services for families who can wait and inviting the use of online condolences and signing of the guest book.
• Steven R. Neff Funeral Home in Millheim is also not allowing any more than 10 people into its facility at time, and asking all visitors and family members of the deceased to remain 6 feet apart during services and visitation, among other changes.

Health care

• As of Saturday, all employees, patients and visitors ware now required to wear a mask while inside a Geisinger facility. The changes reflect “the serious nature of the evolving novel coronavirus pandemic,” according to a release.

Municipal services

• State College borough is asking residents to take a survey to help assess how it can be more responsive to residents’ needs and concerns during the pandemic. The survey can be found here.

Outdoor activities

• Centre Moves kicked off its “Get Moving for a Cause” campaign on Friday. Through the campaign, Centre Moves will host a series of popup challenges through April 16. The first challenge is to move a mile a day. That movement can include running, jogging, walking, crawling, hiking or biking. The first- and second-place winners will get to direct a $50 or $25 donation to one of Centre Moves’ nonprofit partners. Participants are asked to practice social distancing.
• State Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn provided guidance Wednesday on how to safely enjoy the outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic. “Outdoor activities are a great idea to relieve stress and as immunity boosters, but they should not include exposure to high-touch surfaces or other groups of people — we need to spread out,” she said in a statement.

• Centre Region Parks and Recreation Director Pam Salokangas gave a video PSA about avoiding large groups in parks and practicing proper social distancing. Anyone who sees large groups at public parks is asked to call that municipality’s police nonemergency number. CRPR has several scavenger hunt ideas on its website that people can do while social distancing in public parks.

Food truck locations

• Rosie’s Pierogies and BBQ by Clem will be at Bellefonte Area High School from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
• Snyder’s Concessions’ french fry truck is at Zion Mart at 1896 E College Ave. in Walker Township from 4-7 p.m. Fridays and Sundays and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays.

Pennsylvania news

• Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine signed an order Sunday providing direction for maintaining and cleaning buildings for businesses authorized to maintain in-person operations under her and the governor’s life-sustaining business orders announced March 19. The measures outlined in the order are for owners of buildings of at least 50,000 square feet used for commercial, industrial or other enterprises, including but not limited to facilities for warehousing, manufacturing, commercial offices, airports, grocery stores, universities, colleges, government, hotels and residential buildings with at least 50 units. New protocols include cleaning and disinfecting high-touch areas routinely in accordance with CDC guidelines and ensuring that there are enough employees to perform the protocols.

• The coronavirus has shut down golf in Pennsylvania, but not other states. The President of Pennsylvania Golf Course Owners Association wants to change that. Centre County Report’s Jack Hirsh looks at how the sport can still be played amid social distancing.

• Gov. Tom Wolf and religious leaders across the state are encouraging alternative forms of faith gatherings as major religious holidays such as Easter and Passover approach. “I know that we’re nearing several holidays, including major religious holidays like Easter and Passover,” Wolf said in a statement. “I am encouraging religious leaders hosting a holiday celebration to consider an alternative that does not bring people together in-person.”

Community outreach

This story was originally published April 5, 2020 at 8:29 AM.