Coronavirus updates: Here’s what to know in Centre County on April 24
We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about coronavirus in Centre County. Check back for updates.
More Centre County liquor stores to reopen for curbside pickup
As state-owned liquor stores remain closed to the public during the coronavirus pandemic, hundreds more will begin offering curbside pickup next week, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board said Friday.
Beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, 389 more Fine Wine & Good Spirits locations across the state will accept phone orders — the first 50 to 100 placed each day, according to the PLCB. Most stores will offer curbside service Monday through Saturday with pickups scheduled between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
- by Matt Hymowitz
Geography and population complicate Pennsylvania’s reopening
Some regions of Pennsylvania are tantalizingly close to escaping some pandemic restrictions. Other parts of the state could have a long way to go before residents and businesses begin getting back to normal.
As the administration of Gov. Tom Wolf considers when to allow residents to leave their homes and shuttered businesses to reopen, an analysis by The Associated Press shows how the state’s sprawling geography and highly variable population density are playing a big role in the shutdown calculus.
Wolf says a swath of rural northern Pennsylvania — spanning some 230 miles (370 kilometers) from east to west — is set to begin moving out from under his shutdown orders on May 8. That is partly based on a metric in the state’s reopening plan that says new infections of the coronavirus must total no more than 50 for every 100,000 residents over a two-week period.
- Associated Press
Broadcaster sues AccuWeather after being laid off due to the coronavirus pandemic
An AccuWeather broadcaster who was laid off because of the COVID-19 pandemic filed a lawsuit Monday arguing that decision was a violation of her contract with the media company.
The two-count, 33-page lawsuit filed by senior television broadcaster Laura Velasquez is seeking to recoup unpaid salary and several lost benefits.
Velasquez, of Boalsburg, signed a five-year contract with AccuWeather in September 2017.
- by Bret Pallotto
Centre County reports one new COVID-19 case as Pennsylvania’s total reaches 38,000
Centre County added one new coronavirus case Friday, according to the state Department of Health.
As of noon Friday, there are 77 reported COVID-19 cases in the county. There are 38,652 total cases of the coronavirus statewide, meaning 1,599 cases are new since Thursday.
“As we see the number of new COVID-19 cases continuously change across the state, that does not mean we can stop practicing social distancing,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said in a statement. “We must continue to stay home to protect ourselves, our families and our community.”
- by Marley Parish
Garden centers, growers struggle in planting-season shutdown
With outdoor planting season in full swing for much of Pennsylvania, many garden centers and the farms that supply their vegetable seedlings and flowers are buckling under the pain of Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders to tens of thousands of businesses to shut down to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Garden centers that remain shuttered under Wolf’s statewide March 19 order for “non-life-sustaining” businesses to close say they are losing out during a crucial eight-week stretch before June.
With the last frost likely past, home gardeners are planting outdoors in earnest for the summer growing season, and a relaxed shutdown order could be weeks away for most parts of Pennsylvania.
- Associated Press
Swing-state Republicans pin virus fallout on Democrats
With legions out of work, Republicans across the critical battleground states are trying to lay blame for the economic wreckage of the coronavirus outbreak on Democratic governors, ramping up a political strategy that is likely to shape the debate in the run-up to the presidential election.
In Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — all three swing states with Democrats in charge — state Republican lawmakers, after an initial detente, have grown fiercely critical of the stay-at-home orders or business shutdowns imposed by governors to limit the spread of the coronavirus, casting them as the work of overzealous, nanny-state Democrats.
In Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, GOP legislators have gone so far as to try to strip the Democratic governors of the power to enforce the restrictions on businesses.
- Associated Press
Coronavirus testing now available by Geisinger in Philipsburg
Philipsburg residents won’t have to travel quite so far anymore for COVID-19 testing, as Geisinger announced Thursday it has made nasal-swab testing available at its location on Medical Center Drive.
Testing is available by appointment only, and results from Geisinger’s lab typically take between three and 24 hours.
Those interested in getting tested should call Geisinger’s nurse triage line at 570-284-3657 or make an appointment through a primary care physician. According to the health system, Geisinger will test “anyone who meets screening criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.”
- by Josh Moyer
Things to do
- Relay For Life of Penn State will host its annual event virtually on its website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Participants are encouraged to sign up to walk in 30-minute shifts and take photos. To register for the event, buy raffle tickets or sponsor a luminaria bag, go to psurelay.org. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society.
- The YMCA of Centre County is holding its Run for Our Heroes virtual 5K run/walk anytime on Saturday. Participants can run or walk the 3.1 miles, then log their workout on Strava or email their time, along with their name, gender and age, to jcone@ymcaocc.org. Results will be posted at www.ymcaocc.org. While the event is free, a donation of food or money to the YMCA’s Anti-Hunger Program is encourages.
- The Penn State All-Sports Museum will host a virtual chat at 1:30 p.m. Friday with former Nittany Lion athletes Rich Makover (lacrosse) and Janae Whittaker Ali (gymnastics). Register for the event at https://bit.ly/3cjBsvC.
James Kastings, Evan Pugh professor of geosciences at Penn State, will lead a panel discussion on climate change impacts such as human heat stress and food security, as well as strategies to mitigate these challenges, at 4 p.m. Monday via Zoom.
Health care
- In line with Gov. Tom Wolf’s extension of the stay-at-home order, Mount Nittany Health is continuing to reschedule nonessential and elective surgeries and services through that time. Mount Nittany will contact patients if there is a need to reschedule. The health system has also canceled all in-person community events in May.
MedExpress is now offering COVID-19 testing at its 1613 N. Atherton St. location in State College. Starting Friday, it will also offer Centre County patients the option to schedule virtual visit appointments with a licensed MedExpress health care professional. Tests are being completed from the individuals’ cars to further limit exposure, and are only available for those who meet CDC-based screening criteria. Those who believe they meet the criteria, which can be found at www.medexpress.com/covid19, can call their local MedExpress to set up an appointment. To schedule a virtual appointment, call 888-759-1868.
Courts
- President Judge Pamela A. Ruest has extended the judicial emergency for Centre County courts through May 31. Jury selection scheduled for June 1 and 2 has been canceled.
Pennsylvania news
- Gov. Tom Wolf issued guidance Thursday for construction businesses and employees for how to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 when they return to work May 1, a week before the governor’s three-phased reopening begins. Under the guidance, all construction projects must maintain proper social distancing and provide hand-washing and sanitizing stations for workers. Residential construction projects may not permit more than four people on the site at any time, not including those who need temporary access to the site and are not directly engaged in the construction, and all workers must adhere to the statewide public masking order.
- Gov. Tom Wolf used the daily COVID-19 press briefing to highlight his mental health campaign — Reach Out PA: Your Mental Health Matters — aimed at increasing access to mental health services and reducing stigma. “We’re all in this fight against COVID-19 together and, as I’ve said many times, we all have a part to play,” Wolf said. “To be the strongest we can be in our efforts to ward off COVID-19, we need to ensure we are taking care of our mental health. So, please, if you need assistance, reach out.” Here are some way to get help:
Community outreach
Free meal options
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 10:13 AM.