Coronavirus updates: Here’s what to know in Centre County on May 6

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

Centre County stores add employees, reward front-line workers during COVID-19 pandemic

Employers have taken steps to show appreciation for staff members who have been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including bonuses for Centre County grocery store workers and new hires at local stores.

While many businesses closed following Gov. Tom Wolf’s statewide shutdown, grocery stores remained open as employees provide life-sustaining services. In March, companies took precautions to protect staff and customers by shortening hours, increasing cleaning and providing PPE to associates.

To thank their front-line workers, Walmart and Wegmans announced increased pay and thousands of new hires to meet community needs amid the coronavirus outbreak.

- by Marley Parish

Centre County reports 7 new COVID-19 cases in nursing and personal care homes

A day after the third known nursing or personal care home in Centre County confirmed a new case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the county Wednesday reported seven new positive cases in such homes — the largest single-day increase in county nursing homes since the pandemic began.

So far, according to the state Department of Health, 10 nursing/personal care home residents have tested positive in addition to five employees over three different homes. That’s an increase from Tuesday’s numbers of four residents and four employees.

- by Josh Moyer

Pa. state liquor stores, including 6 in Centre County, to partially reopen for in-person sales

As parts of Pennsylvania move from the red to “yellow” phase, state liquor stores are gearing up for partial reopening.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced Wednesday that 77 Fine Wine & Good Spirits locations will resume limited in-person sales, beginning Friday. Six of those stores are located in Centre County:

• 15 W. Olive St., Snow Shoe
• Hamilton Square Shopping Center, 230 Hamilton Square, State College
• 1682 N. Atherton St., State College
• The Benner Pike Shops, 323 Benner Pike, State College
• Weis Markets Shopping Center, 178 Buckaroo Lane, Bellefonte

• 127 Southridge Plaza, State College

- by Marley Parish

How Centre County has stepped up to provide PPE for organizations in need during the pandemic

Whether it’s sewing, donating or 3D printing, residents around Centre County have stepped up to address the community’s shortage of personal protective equipment — so much that even local nonprofits and medical centers have been caught off-guard by the outpouring.

At the Julian home of 3D-printing hobbyist Greg Jeffries, for example, his printers alone have accounted for 135 face shields, 400 shield frames and 200 ear savers. Elsewhere, sewing groups like State College Mask Makers and Makery Mask Makers! have combined to create several thousand Level 1 surgical masks, Penn State’s main campus donated 10,000 pieces of PPE to four local health providers, and local nonprofit organizations — such as Centre Volunteers in Medicine, which helps uninsured/low-income residents — have seen a noticeable uptick in donations.

According to Monica Wright, CVIM’s director of development, the nonprofit has earned enough donations — about $10,000 in all — in just under two weeks to keep it going for another two months. (The final day of its PPE fundraiser is Wednesday, and those interested can donate to its online GoFundMe.) It’s hoping to get as close to $15,000 as possible, to make it through the fiscal year’s end on June 30.

- by Josh Moyer

DRPA to reopen cash toll lanes on bridges connecting NJ, PA

The Delaware River Port Authority will soon reopen cash toll lanes on its four bridges that connect Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.

The Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Betsy Ross and Commodore Barry bridges will begin accepting cash tolls again at 6 a.m. Monday. Toll collectors will be wearing face coverings and there will be a protective plastic shield in the toll booth window.

- The Associated Press

Community outreach/appreciation

• Mount Nittany Health is saluting its nurses during National Nurses Day and National Nurses Week, which starts Wednesday with National Nurses Day. “During this National Nurses Week, I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to each of our more than 700 Mount Nittany Health nurses for the outstanding care they provide to our patients and their families. Their compassion, optimism and kindness, especially during this unprecedented time, do not go unnoticed,” Mount Nittany Health President and CEO Kathleen Rhine said in a release.
• Dunkin’ Donuts is giving all health care workers a free coffee and doughnut on Wednesday for National Nurses Day.

Help for businesses

• The Central PA Chapter of SCORE will assist companies and nonprofits with developing a reopening strategy in Centre, Mifflin, Clearfield, Clinton and Huntingdon counties. To sign up for this free, confidential service, visit www.score.org, go to the Find a Mentor tab and provide the required information. The chapter is usually notified within 24 hours, and requests are handled on a first-come, first-served basis. “We realize that, especially with small businesses, management may not have a team of individuals from various business backgrounds who can help to create a strategy for getting the business back on track,” said Ken Manno, the chapter’s immediate past chair and a SCORE certified business mentor. “For the vast majority of these entities, this process will need to be multifaceted and progressive. We can provide assistance for whatever period of time it is needed.”
  
  
• First Commonwealth Bank will give away $10,000 to a small business in Pennsylvania and another in Ohio. Businesses with 50 or fewer employees can enter the contest at www.fcbanking.com/small-business-giveaway through May 15. The winners will be chosen randomly on May 18 and announced on the bank’s LinkedIn and Facebook pages. “Small Business Week in the United States was originally scheduled to be held May 3-9 and while that has been postponed until the fall, we feel the need to help our fellow businesses is greater now than ever,” said Joe Culos, First Commonwealth executive vice president and financial solutions leader. “Our hope is that this small gesture can help some of our neighbors during these trying times.”

Pennsylvania news

• The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced that 77 Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores in counties moving into the yellow phase will resume limited in-store public access beginning Friday. In Centre County, six stores will be reopening. Stores will limit the number of people, including employees, inside to 25 at a time, reserve the first hour of operation each day to those at a higher risk for COVID-19 and will not accept returns, among other coronavirus mitigation measures.

• Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday the creation of the Commonwealth Civilian Coronavirus Corps. Details, including scale, timeline and funding remained unclear. Part of what the corps would be tasked with includes expanding existing contract tracing efforts and leveraging additional resources to fund the expanded testing and contact tracing efforts. “The Commonwealth Civilian Coronavirus Corps will serve as a public service program that will expand our ability to conduct contact tracing and testing and mobilize Pennsylvanians to contain COVID-19,” Wolf said in a release.

Municipal services

Things to do

• The Bryce Jordan Center will celebrate the class of 2020 on Facebook Live with Virtual Backstage Pass at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Special guests will share stories, congratulate graduates and look back at notable moments at the BJC from the past school year. Join the event at www.facebook.com/jordancenter.

• Happy Valley Improv will perform virtually at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday starting this week on the streaming platform Mixer. The show is free but donations will be accepted; 25% will go to The State Theatre with another 25% to a local business or nonprofit each week. The group will also hold a monthly late night show, with this month’s set for 9:30 p.m. May 28. All shows will be streamed at www.mixer.com/happyvalleyimprov. Additionally, the group will offer virtual improv classes starting this week. For information on schedules, fees and registration, visit www.happyvalleyimprov.com/eprova.html. Happy Valley Improv also hosts a free practice group at 7 p.m. Sundays. For more, or to join the group’s mailing list, email RichD.HVI@gmail.com.

• Happy Valley’s Got Talent will be held virtually this year. The show, which benefits Tides, will be presented on Facebook at 7 p.m. May 12 and will feature performers from previous years. There will also be discussions about grief and loss during the pandemic.

• A community rock garden has been set up in Greenbriar Saybrook Park, 1386 N. Foxpointe Drive, State College, and is open to anyone who wants to paint a rock and share it in the garden. The rock garden started in March, with people leaving rocks that have messages of encouragement or art for others to enjoy. The garden is located in the middle of the park, with rocks placed in the barked/natural areas (not grass) around the trees.

Free meal options

This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 10:35 AM.