Coronavirus

Coronavirus updates: Here’s what to know in Centre County on April 13

By CDT news staff

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

As some Centre County projects move ahead with waivers, should Pa. open all construction activity?

As the coronavirus continues to spread throughout Pennsylvania and non-life sustaining businesses remain closed, Republican leaders are pushing legislation to waive Gov. Tom Wolf’s order and open all public and private construction projects.

Last week, the House State Government Committee approved a bill in a 15-10 vote that would allow all residential and commercial construction projects to resume if workers take precautions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, called the governor’s “one-size fits all” approach to shutting down businesses “a failure” and said businesses that can operate safely should be able to open amid the pandemic.

-by Marley Parish

No new COVID-19 cases reported in Centre County

For the first time since March 22, no new cases of the coronavirus were reported in Centre County on Monday, according to the state Department of Health.

With 70 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Centre County, there are 24,199 cases of in Pennsylvania as of noon Monday, an increase of 1,366 since noon Sunday.

The coronavirus first appeared in the state March 6; Centre County reported its first case March 20; and all 67 of the state’s counties reported a case by April 7.

-by Marley Parish

Drive-in service brings Julian congregation together for Easter while social distancing

Dozens of vehicles filled the Brookside Wesleyan Church parking lot Sunday morning as parishioners attended a very different kind of Easter service amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Pastor Mike Fisher said the church’s first ever drive-in service, featuring a sound system and broadcast on an FM radio frequency provided to parishioners, “inspired my heart.”

For the past few weeks, the church has been posting its services on Facebook, where Fisher has also posted daily devotionals from his tree stand. But members were able to worship together for the first time since COVID-19 precautions were put in place, all while abiding by social distancing restrictions and not leaving their vehicles.

- by Abby Drey

Allegheny County seeks all-mail election in Pennsylvania

The top government official in Pennsylvania’s second-most populous county said Monday that he wants the authority from the state to conduct the June 2 primary election entirely by mail.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said holding an in-person election in the midst of the coronavirus crisis would be a “disaster.”

He wants Gov. Tom Wolf to expand the state’s emergency declaration to allow Allegheny County to mail ballots to every registered voter and avoid the legal requirement that it open hundreds of polling places staffed by thousands of poll workers.

Officials in a pair of heavily populated suburban Philadelphia counties, Montgomery and Chester, are also backing the idea of an all-mail election, while Philadelphia is making preparations for it in case an all-mail election is ordered.

- The Associated Press

Government

  • The USDA on Monday issued a guide to federal programs that are available for rural communities and residents during the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Penn State Extension will host a webinar focusing on virtual local government operations. “Pennsylvania Legislation Update: How Local Governments Can Now Conduct Business” will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday.

Business changes

  • Giant Co. announced that starting Monday, the Pennsylvania-based supermarket chain will limit the amount of customers who can be in its store at a time. A Giant employee will be stationed at the front entrance to monitor shopper flow, according to a release. when the store reaches capacity, shoppers will be asked to form a line outside while maintaining social distancing. Customers are also asked to limit the size of their shopping party to one member per household as much as possible.

Closings and cancellations

  • The State College Borough Council regular meeting that was originally scheduled for Monday has been canceled. Borough Council will hold a regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, April 20.

Pennsylvania news

  • Gov. Tom Wolf will speak about COVID-19 and ongoing mitigation efforts at 7 p.m. Monday. The speech can be viewed at governor.pa.gov/live, facebook.com/governorwolf, facebook.com/pennsylvaniadepartmentofhealth and pacast.com/live/doh.
  • The Department of Corrections on Monday announced the first inmate death related to COVID-19. The inmate at Phoenix state prison in Montgomery County was serving a life sentence for a first-degree murder conviction in Philadelphia. The 67-year-old African American died April 8 at a hospital and had underlying health conditions, according to DOC.
  • The Department of Labor and Industry debuted a COVID-19 jobs portal for life-sustaining businesses Monday. Businesses in the portal must be defined as life-sustaining and have more than 10 job openings. The information will be updated on a daily basis.

Free meal options

  • The State College Area School District is offering free meal kits each Wednesday at the high school parking lot for children ages 18 and younger. The weekly meal kits will have enough food for breakfast and lunch for five. days. Families who are interested in the service are asked to place an order by 8 a.m. each Monday by filling out an online form. A limited number of meals will be available on a first-come-first-served basis for those who did not order ahead of time.
  • The YMCA of Centre County is continuing to provide free bags of food for children 18 years and younger through its Anti-Hunger program. Drive-thru locations throughout the county and pickup times can be found on the YMCA’s website, as well as how to donate to the program.
  • The YMCA of Centre County holds a soup drive-thru for veterans and seniors. The location of the next drive-thru will be posted at www.ymcaofcentrecounty.org/ymca/anti-hunger-program-updates.

Community outreach

This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 9:03 AM.

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