Coronavirus updates: Here’s what to know in Centre County on April 19

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

Centre County Correctional Facility inmate tests positive for COVID-19, officials say

An inmate at the Centre County Correctional Facility has tested positive for the coronavirus, the county’s prison board of inspectors announced in a press release Sunday.

The inmate — the first at the Bellefonte facility to test positive for COVID-19 — is a Centre County resident and has been incarcerated there since January. According to the release, the inmate has been housed in CCCF’s negative airflow room since exhibiting symptoms.

A “small number” of staff and inmates who may have had contact with the individual are in quarantine while contact tracing and additional testing are conducted.

-By Jessica McAllister

Centre County remains at 73 COVID-19 cases as Pa. surpasses 32,000 total cases

Centre County remained at 73 positive COVID-19 cases and one death from the virus as of Sunday afternoon, according to the state Department of Health. It is the third straight day there has been no increase in positive cases reported in the county.

The statewide case total increased by 1,215 to 32,284 while the number of deaths rose by 276 to 1,112.

-By Jon Sauber

Select Pa. liquor stores will reopen Monday for curbside pickup

State-owned liquor stores across Pennsylvania have been closed for weeks to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, but select stores will reopen Monday for curbside pickup.

In Centre County, two Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores will open for the service: at 1682 N. Atherton St. and 127 Southridge Plaza, both in State College. One store will open in Clearfield County, at 5720 Shaffer Road in DuBois.

Each store will take a limited number of orders by phone from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or until the store reaches the maximum number of orders it can fulfill that day. Orders will be taken Monday through Saturday.

-By CDT news staff

As unemployment claims soar in Pennsylvania, here’s what’s happening in Centre County

Thousands of Centre County residents have filed unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that may just be the tip of the iceberg, a Penn State associate labor and employment relations professor warned.

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate jumped to 6% in March, up from 4.7% in February, according to figures released Friday by the state Department of Labor and Industry. The state’s unemployment rate in March 2019 was 4.1%.

There were 662 initial unemployment claims filed in Centre County for the week ending April 11, according to the DLI. There were 2,395 claims the two weeks prior, bringing the three-week total to 3,057.

-By Bret Pallotto

Big Spring Spirits in Bellefonte to continue making sanitizer ‘as long as there’s a need’

Around the country, distillers are producing a vital product needed to fight the spread of the coronavirus: hand sanitizer. Big Spring Spirits in Bellefonte also joined the effort, producing hand sanitizer over the last several weeks to meet local and regional demand.

Big Spring Spirits co-owner and production manager Kevin Lloyd said he first considered using the distillery’s facilities to make hand sanitizer after seeing distilleries in Washington doing the same following the initial COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. As the pandemic began to spread across the country, Lloyd decided to pursue the project — but first there were some hurdles to overcome.

-By Holly Riddle, for the CDT

Things to do

• The 11th annual Paterno Family Beaver Stadium Run will continue virtually on Sunday. At 11 a.m., virtual participants can tune into Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s Facebook page for the livestream kickoff, featuring runners and guests such as Sue Paterno and Franco Harris. Runners and walkers of all ages and abilities can take part in the 3.1-mile run and 2-mile family-fun walk at any time and place of their choosing. Participants are encouraged to share their progress on social media with the hashtag #VirtualBSR. To register, go to www.StadiumRun.org.

Pennsylvania news

• The Wolf administration announced a new COVID-19 testing site Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre. “From noon to 4 p.m. Monday, the site will be open for 100 first responders and health care workers from northeastern Pennsylvania who are having COVID-19 symptoms to get tested,” Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said in a release. The drive-thru testing site will be held in the parking lot and starting Tuesday will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pre-registration is required a day in advance.
  
  

• Almost $16 million in funding will be directed to Pennsylvania food banks, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Saturday. The state has received $14.9 million in from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide support and food to Pennsylvania’s food banks and emergency food assistance network. The state Agriculture Department also will provide $1 million in emergency funding to Hunger-Free Pennsylvania and its members for food and supplies.

Regional services

• Centre Area Transportation Authority reminds customers that effective Monday, anyone utilizing its services is required to wear a mask, in line with Gov. Tom Wolf’s recent order requiring public masking. The State College borough health office also issued additional guidance on what the order means locally. Among other protocols, the order requires customers and employees at all operating life-sustaining business to wear masks. Those who don’t comply can be subject to citations, fines or license suspension.

Free meal options

This story was originally published April 19, 2020 at 9:18 AM.