We Rebuild

Reopening updates: Centre County adds 6 new cases of COVID-19, and other updates for June 16

CDT staff reports

Updated June 16, 2020 4:59 PM

We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date coronavirus news now that Centre County is in the green phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to reopen Pennsylvania. Check back for updates.

What would a socially-distanced downtown State College look like? Options are in the works

Downtown State College could look a lot different come fall with the return of Penn State students and in pursuit of accommodating social distancing recommendations.

During Monday’s virtual State College Borough Council, a plan was presented for potential infrastructure adjustments to downtown as the COVID-19 pandemic persists.

Edward LeClear, the planning director for the borough, gave a brief presentation to the council on the “State College Pedestrian Safety & Social Distancing Project,” which was not up for a vote but rather a conceptual-level brainstorm for council members to think about and provide feedback.

The purpose of the project, according to LeClear, is to utilize space adjacent to the curb on existing streets to make social distancing easier and “make downtown a comfortable, safe destination to visit until issues surrounding the pandemic decrease.”

- by Michael Sneff, for the CDT

Centre County adds 6 new cases of COVID-19

Centre County added six cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 177, the state Department of Health said Tuesday. Five of those were reported in long-term care facilities. The county now has 28 cases among residents of three nursing or personal care homes.

Statewide, there are 79,483 cases with 362 additional cases reported Tuesday. DOH estimates 75% of patients have recovered. There are 6,276 deaths across the state, an increase of 33 from Monday. There have been six Centre County deaths.

Five of the new Centre County cases are in the 16803 ZIP code. Six new cases were reported in the ZIP code Friday. A DOH spokesperson said the department does not issue information about specific cases but is “not aware of any particular incident or cluster that would have led to this increase.” In Centre County, here’s the full breakdown by ZIP code (those without cases are not listed):

16823 (Bellefonte, Milesburg and Pleasant Gap): 41
16803 (State College): 40
16801 (State College): 35
16827 (Boalsburg): 10
16870 (Port Matilda): 9
16686 (Tyrone): 7
16822 (Beech Creek): 5
16841 (Howard): 5
16666, 16828, 16844, 16845, 16852, 16860, 16865, 16866, 16872, 16875: 1-4 cases each (The state does not give specific numbers when there are fewer than five cases to protect patient privacy.)

- by Matt Hymowitz

Oral argument scheduled for shutdown lawsuit

Commonwealth Court on Tuesday scheduled oral argument for later this month regarding the Senate Republicans’ lawsuit to enforce a Legislature-approved resolution that aims to end Pennsylvania’s pandemic shutdown.

The court set the hearing for 9:30 a.m. Monday, June 29 and will use video conferencing.

- The Associated Press

Here’s how the State College Spikes are adapting to a summer that’s anything but typical

Baseball may be on hold for now, but the State College Spikes are exploring other ways to connect with fans.

General manager Scott Walker said Monday that the team is still preparing for the season to take place in some form, but the organization is “disappointed we won’t be able to see all of our friends, fans, season ticket holders, ushers and everybody at the ballpark this week and what would have been opening night on Thursday.”

The New York-Penn League last week announced the season’s start would be “delayed indefinitely” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With that in mind, the team is planning other activities to draw people to the ballpark this summer. The first one is Father’s Day Family Catch on the Field from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

- by Matt Hymowitz

State distributes aid for intellectually disabled, autistic

Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said Monday it has begun distributing $260 million in federal emergency coronavirus aid to agencies that receive Medicaid funding to provide services to more than 40,000 intellectually disabled or autistic people.

Lawmakers approved the use of the money in late May from the nearly $4 billion that the state received through the federal Cares Act.

- The Associated Press

Penn State announces in-person classes will resume for the fall semester

To the relief of students, downtown businesses and university employees, Penn State announced Sunday evening that it would officially resume in-person instruction for the fall semester.

Penn State initially suspended in-person classes March 11 during spring break, due to concerns surrounding COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Classes quickly moved online, and it was unknown until Sunday whether the fall semester would feature in-person instruction and a buzzing University Park campus.

Fall classes will start as originally scheduled on Aug. 24. But campus-based, residential instruction will end Friday, Nov. 20. The remainder of the semester — including final examinations — will be delivered remotely and online when classes resume after Thanksgiving break on Nov. 30 to minimize travel and the potential spread of the coronavirus.

-by Josh Moyer

Health care

A COVID-19 drive-thru testing site will open in the Walmart parking lot on North Atherton Street beginning Wednesday, according to a news release from Gov. Tom Wolf’s office. Quest Diagnostics and Walmart are working with the department to provide no-cost testing for residents living in areas where there are fewer testing sites. Starting Wednesday, the sites will be open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7-9 a.m. to test up to 50 registered patients daily. Registration is required one day in advance. For more information, visit www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Symptoms-Testing.aspx.

Penn State

Penn State will hold a pair of virtual town halls Monday to address questions and concerns related to its plan to return students, faculty and staff to campus and resume in-person learning in the fall. The first hourlong town hall is set for 2 p.m. and will be focused on faculty and staff. The second town hall, devoted to students and their families, will begin at 3:30 p.m. President Eric Barron will host both events, and will be joined by Executive Vice President and Provost Nick Jones, Vice President for Human Resources Lorraine Goffe, Vice President for Student Affairs Damon Sims and Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics researcher Matt Ferrari. The town halls can be viewed at liveevents.psu.edu and will be recorded and archived for later viewing. Faculty and staff and students can submit questions online.
Penn State is now accepting applications from students for the second round of funding from the university’s share of the federal Higher Education Relief Fund. The funding is available for students who incurred expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Penn State awarded up to $1,000 to more than 25,000 students to help pay for things such as course material, food, housing and child care with the first round of funding. Students who did not receive a grant in the first round can apply at https://studentaid.psu.edu/pubThemeAppsWa/CaresApp.

Community outreach/appreciation

Since March, Rutter’s has donated $1,000 in gift cards to the YMCA of Centre County. The Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain also teamed up with Australian food company Four ‘N Twenty to donate 180 cases of their beef and cheese travellers to help stock the YMCA’s Travelin’ Table during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our company understands the importance of providing for our communities, especially during these difficult times,” said Rutter’s President and CEO Scott Hartman. “We’re fortunate to be able to help these children and have great partners willing to step up, too.” Added Mel Curtis, director of the YMCA’s Anti-Hunger Program: “This partnership with Rutter’s has made a major impact in allowing us to reach children and families facing food insecurity and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to work with them.”

Pennsylvania news

Schools are eligible to apply for $157.5 million in health and safety grants related to COVID-19, Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday. The funds are available through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s School Safety and Security Committee. School districts, career and technical centers, intermediate units and charter schools must apply by June 30 to receive a share of $150 million in federal CARES Act funding. Intermediate units can apply on behalf of nonpublic schools by July 8 for another $7.5 million. The funds can be used for programs or items to address the pandemic, such as purchasing cleaning products, training staff on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious disease, and modifying existing areas to promote social distancing.
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday announced that $40 million from the federal CARES Act is available to support the state’s dairy industry and food security programs. The state has set aside $15 million to provide direct relief to dairy farmers and $5 million to reimburse farmers who participate in the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System by donating excess product to the state’s charitable food system. Any dairy farm that experienced losses due to discarded or displaced milk during the COVID-19 emergency disaster can apply for aid by Sept. 30. Additionally, $15 million will be allocated to the State Food Purchase Program, which provides grants for counties to purchase and distribute food to low-income residents.
Some symptoms of Lyme disease resemble those of COVID-19, Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said Tuesday. “Over the past several months, we have seen an increase in the number of emergency department visits related to tick bites,” Levine said in a release. “Some symptoms of Lyme disease, such as fever, chills and headache, are similar to symptoms of COVID-19. It is essential that all residents know the proper ways to protect themselves against ticks and are aware of the dangerous diseases they can carry. We want all Pennsylvanians to get outside and be healthy but do so in the safest way possible.” More than 8,500 cases of Lyme disease were reported in Pennsylvania in 2019, according to the Department of Health. Reduce the risk of a tick bite by: walking in the center of trails and avoiding areas with high grass; using a repellent with at least 20% DEET; wearing light-colored clothing; conducting full-body tick checks on yourself and your pets after being outdoors; and bathing within two hours after returning indoors.