Reopening updates: Centre County adds 4 new cases of COVID-19, and other updates for June 20

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.

Centre County adds 4 new cases of COVID-19

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is reporting four new cases of COVID-19 in Centre County on Saturday. The increase brings the county’s total to 180, with 171 confirmed cases and nine probable.

An additional 504 positive cases were reported statewide, bringing Pennsylvania’s total to 81,266 since the state began keeping count. DOH estimates a recovery rate of 77%

There were 20 new COVID-19-related deaths reported in Pennsylvania, bringing the statewide total to 6,419. Six of those deaths have been reported in Centre County.

In Centre County, here’s the breakdown by ZIP code (those without cases are not listed):

• 16823 (Bellefonte, Milesburg and Pleasant Gap): 42
• 16801 (State College): 40

• 16803 (State College): 36

• 16827 (Boalsburg): 10
• 16870 (Port Matilda): 9
• 16686 (Tyrone): 7
• 16822 (Beech Creek): 6
• 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 Lauren Muthler

Welch, Park Forest pools set to open next weekend. Here’s what to expect

Two more Centre County public pools — Welch and Park Forest — are set to open next week, although swimmers should notice a few changes due to concerns surrounding COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The two pools, overseen by the Centre Region Parks & Recreation Authority, will officially open June 27 and will be capped at half capacity. The pools will open at 10 a.m. on the weekend for adult lap swim and toddler time, before shifting over to general swim from noon to 8 p.m.

- by Josh Moyer

160th Clearfield County Fair canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic

Clearfield on Friday joined the list of central Pennsylvania county fairs to cancel this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The main factor in the decision, fair organizers wrote in a Facebook post, was the limit on crowds of no more than 250 individuals in the green phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration’s reopening plan.

- by Lauren Muthler

Health care

• A COVID-19 drive-thru testing site has opened in the Walmart parking lot on North Atherton Street, 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. The site is open from 7 to 9 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday 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.
• University Health Services is now offering telemedicine to provide safe and convenient health care for students. Those students who would normally have access to UHS providers and services will still be able to access those providers, with a few exceptions depending on the states they live in, via phone or video interactions. Telemedicine providers can diagnose, suggest follow-up care and prescribe medications. “We’re excited to be able to offer telemedicine visits to our students,” said Robin Oliver-Veronesi, senior director of UHS. “Please reach out to us with your medical concerns. We are here for you, and we will continue to support our students.” Visit the UHS webpage for more information. To make an appointment, call 863-0774.
• All current Penn State employees at all campus locations and their immediate family members are eligible to use University Health Services Pharmacy, the university announced Tuesday. The UHS Pharmacy at University Park offers prescriptions and over-the-counter items by mail (home or campus) and curbside pickup from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Complete the Pharmacy Employee/Retiree Enrollment Form or call a customer service representative at 800-821-7285 to start filling prescriptions.

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 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 studentaid.psu.edu/pubThemeAppsWa/CaresApp.

Community feedback

Pennsylvania news

• Masks must be worn when entering any business in yellow and green counties, Gov. Tom Wolf reminded residents Thursday. The rule included in an order from Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine. “In yellow and green counties, it is required that masks are worn when visiting businesses to protect employees, employees’ families, and communities as a whole,” Wolf said in a release. “Mask-wearing has proven to be an important deterrent to the spread of the virus, and as more counties move to green and more things reopen, we need to be vigilant in our efforts to continue our mitigation efforts.”
• The Department of Health has applied for a $301 million Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant to boost state and local public health capacity, Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said Thursday. “This funding is essential to our future response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania,” Levine said in a release. “In our application, we earmarked about a third of that funding, more than $100 million, to bolster county and municipal public health departments’ response. We intend to use the balance of the grant funding to expand our testing efforts, case investigating and contact tracing and our data infrastructure to improve our response.”

• Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Luzerne, Monroe, Perry, Pike and Schuylkill counties moved into the green phase of the state’s reopening plan on Friday. There are now 54 counties in green and 13 counties in yellow. “While (the green) phase facilitates a return to a ‘new normal,’ it is equally important to continue to monitor public health indicators and adjust orders and restrictions as necessary to ensure the spread of disease remains at a minimum,” Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said in a statement. Green phase guidelines include: telework strongly encouraged; businesses operating at 50% occupancy in the yellow phase can increase to 75% occupancy; gatherings of more than 250 people are prohibited; restaurants and bars can open at 50% occupancy; personal care services (such as hair salons) can open at 50% occupancy and by appointment only; indoor recreation, health and wellness facilities (such as gyms and spas) can open at 50% occupancy with appointments strongly encouraged; and entertainment facilities (such as malls, theaters and casinos) can open at 50% occupancy.

• All driver license and photo centers are closed Friday in observance of Juneteenth, the state Department of Transportation said. Several services, such as license, photo ID and registration renewals, are available online at www.dmv.pa.gov.

• More than 4,000 people with ties to COVID-19 patients have been identified and monitored through contact tracing efforts across the state, the Department of Health said Friday. There are 500 trained contact tracers in Pennsylvania, including 130 state health nurses. More than 800 contract tracers have signed up through ServPA and others have been brought aboard through AmeriCorps as well as other community organizations and colleges.

• The state Department of Aging issued guidelines for counties in the green phase to start opening up senior centers, adult day centers and allowing in-person visits. “The process of reopening will be conducted gradually, strategically and cautiously, while allowing flexibility at the local level to keep older adults and staff safe,” said Secretary of Aging Robert Torres. “There is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach to resuming operations and our overriding objective is to ensure the health and safety of older adults and staff.” Centers that open are required to develop new operational policies to address sanitation practices, social distancing, the number of participants attending at any one time, changes in programming, and communication of the new rules to participants.

Recreation

Things to do

Community outreach/appreciation

Free food options

This story was originally published June 20, 2020 at 10:35 AM.