Reopening updates: Centre County adds 3 new COVID-19 cases, and other updates for July 9
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.
Big Ten reportedly set to announce conference-only schedule this season due to COVID-19
If Penn State sports happen this fall, they will be playing conference-only schedules, the Big Ten announced Thursday.
That model will affect men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. Details for each of those sports will be forthcoming, and decisions on sports not listed will continue to be evaluated.
“By limiting competition to other Big Ten institutions, the conference will have the greatest flexibility to adjust its own operations throughout the season and make quick decisions in real-time based on the most current evolving medical advice and the fluid nature of the pandemic,” Adam Augustine, the Big Ten’s assistant commissioner of communications wrote in an email.
- By Jon Sauber
Centre County adds 3 COVID-19 cases
Centre County reported three new positive cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing its overall total to 235 since the first was reported March 20.
Statewide, there are now 92,867 cases, an increase of 719 positive cases since Wednesday, according to the state Department of Health. The state estimates that 77% of those patients have recovered.
Of Centre County’s cases, 219 are confirmed and 16 are probable. There have been 5,124 negative tests.
The state added 36 new COVID-19-related deaths on Thursday, bringing its total to 6,848. The DOH reported eight deaths in Centre County, while the coroner’s office has only confirmed six.
In Centre County, here’s the breakdown by ZIP code:
- 16801 (State College): 52
- 16823 (Bellefonte and Pleasant Gap): 47
- 16803 (State College): 42
- 16827 (Boalsburg): 12
- 16822 (Beech Creek): 11
- 16870 (Port Matilda): 9
- 16841 (Howard): 10
- 16875 (Spring Mills): 9
- 16686 (Tyrone): 7
- 16828 (Centre Hall): 6
- 16853 (Milesburg): 6
- 16666, 16820, 16829, 16844, 16845, 16851, 16852, 16860, 16865, 16866, 16868, 16872: 1-4 cases each (The state does not give specific numbers when there are fewer than five cases to protect patient privacy. The state does not identify exactly where a case occurred in a ZIP code that spans multiple counties.)
-By Jessica McAllister
Pennsylvania to extend eviction moratorium to Aug. 31
Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday extended a statewide moratorium on foreclosures and evictions until Aug. 31, saying renters need more breathing room in the midst of the pandemic.
The Wolf administration has been facing growing calls to extend the 4-month-old moratorium — which had been set to lapse Friday — with housing advocates and others predicting a rush to the courthouse and a wave of evictions and homelessness. House and Senate Democrats had also been pressing the Democratic governor for an extension.
“I am taking this action to help families know they will have a roof over their heads and a place to live while all of us fight the COVID-19 pandemic,” Wolf said in a news release. “It takes one more burden off of people who are struggling and ensures that families can remain in their homes so they can protect their health and well-being.”
-Associated Press
BEA’s preliminary reopening plan: Masking, temperature checks and sanitation
With safety as the top priority, the Bald Eagle Area School District released preliminary reopening plans as students and staff are expected to return for in-person learning this fall.
In a letter sent to district families, BEA Superintendent Scott Graham described an outline of the school’s safety and instructional plan for the 2020-21 school year, which was developed in-part by a team of 40 and includes administrators, staff and one board member.
“The Bald Eagle Area School District’s number one priority is the safety and well-being of our students and staff,” Graham wrote. “We are committed to working with parents and staff to have a smooth transition back to school. We live in uncertain times, but I hope that this letter gives you some comfort in knowing we are committed to creating a safety and instructional plan that meets the needs of all students and staff.”
-By Marley Parish
Arts Fest enters uncharted territory for vendors, staff, customers. Here’s what to know
The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts is ready to operate solely online for the first time in its 54-year history.
The experience will intrinsically be new for everyone involved, but that doesn’t mean it’s expected to be a complicated process. All would-be attendees need is internet access.
After all, there’s a reason the nonprofit’s collectible 2020 poster simply reads, “Happening Wherever You Are.”
-By Bret Pallotto
PSU’s president denounces change that could see international students deported if class moves online
Penn State President Eric Barron railed Wednesday night against “very harmful” changes surrounding the Student and Exchange Visitor’s Program (SEVP) that would see international students deported if they cannot take at least one in-person class.
Barron released an open letter to the Penn State community in which he denounced the program’s Monday modifications. Under the program, overseen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students could not take a full online course load and remain in the U.S.
In other words, if Penn State would move to online-only classes — something it’s not planning on but hasn’t ruled out — many of its international students would be forced to transfer to a school with in-person classes or return home. More than 7,000 international students were enrolled at University Park in 2018, according to the university.
-By Josh Moyer
What Centre County businesses received COVID-19 aid, and how much did they get? Here’s a closer look
More than 1,400 Centre County businesses received a combined total of more than $135 million in funding from the Paycheck Protection Program, based on data released Monday by the Small Business Administration and Treasury Department.
Exact numbers are difficult to come by since more than 140,000 businesses in Pennsylvania received the loans, which were part of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, the major coronavirus relief package passed by Congress in the spring. But the Centre Daily Times combed through several databases, gleaning information involving businesses from every listed area in the county with a population above 1,000.
Among the findings? Four businesses received between $5 million and $10 million — AccuWeather, Best Line and Minitab in State College; Restek in Bellefonte — while 24 more received at least $1 million. There are several ways the loan can be forgiven but, essentially, borrowers won’t have to repay the loans if they’re used toward payroll.
-by Josh Moyer
Penn State
- As fall nears and Penn State’s 16 task forces continue to work through various scenarios and aspects for how to deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, more COVID-19-related directives and restrictions have emerged. Among those recent directives, employee and visitor meetings of more than 10 but less than 250 people must be submitted for a approval. Existing visiting scholars whose applications have already been approved and have a visa stamp can come to Penn State as planned, but the university is not accepting new visiting scholar applications until further notice. University faculty and staff are asked to limit travel this summer, and must seek approval for university-affiliated domestic travel, including air travel. New classroom guidance for students, faculty and staff includes required face masks and social distancing. Faculty members are asked to refer students who don’t comply with guidelines to the Office of Student Conduct.
Campus check-in
- Dartmouth is eliminating five varsity sports teams and several staff positions. The Ivy League school announced Thursday that men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s golf, and men’s lightweight rowing, have been cut, effective immediately. That drops to 30 the number of varsity teams and will reduce the number of recruited athletes in incoming classes by 10%. A total of about 110 student-athletes are affected.
- The Atlantic Coast Conference is putting fall competitions on hold until at least Sept. 1 due to the coronavirus pandemic, a move that won’t affect football as of now. The league announced the decision Thursday impacting non-revenue sports such as soccer, volleyball, field hockey and cross country.
- North Carolina State says five people tied to Wolfpack sports have tested positive for the new coronavirus. Athletics spokesman Fred Demarest said Thursday those positives came after the school tested 315 athletes, coaches and staff starting May 29. That’s a positive rate of roughly 1.6%.
- Ohio State has paused voluntary workouts by athletes of seven sports on campus after getting the results of its most recent coronavirus testing. The school said in a statement Wednesday night that workouts have been paused for football, men’s and women’s basketball, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.
- Wisconsin says seven of its athletes have tested positive for the new coronavirus since the school started testing them a month ago. School officials previously had said two tested positive out of the 117 athletes who were part of the initial group of tests. The school now has conducted 428 total tests.
- Stanford will eliminate 11 varsity sports programs after the 2020-21 academic year. The affected programs are men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling.
Northwestern’s game against Wisconsin scheduled for Nov. 7 at Wrigley Field is being moved on campus to Ryan Field because of uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Northwestern announced the decision Wednesday after consulting with the Chicago Cubs, state and local authorities and the Big Ten Conference.
North Carolina says it has paused voluntary football workouts for at least a week after reporting 37 positive test results for the new coronavirus among school athletes, coaches and staff. The school announced results Wednesday following 429 tests administered to athletes, coaches and athletics staff as they began returning to campus last month.
The Ivy League on Wednesday became the first Division I conference to say it will not play sports this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. The league left open the possibility of moving some seasons to the spring if the outbreak is better controlled by then. The decision was described to the AP by a person speaking on the condition of anonymity in advance of the official announcement.
Pennsylvania news
- Both of Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators have issued support for Gov. Tom Wolf’s mask-wearing order. “When you wear a mask, you are sending a clear message to others in your community that you care about them and their well-being as much as your own,” Democratic Sen. Bob Casey said in a news release form the governor’s office. Added Republican Sen. Pat Toomey: “Put simply, wearing a mask is an important step that we, as Pennsylvanians, can take to protect one another — as my mask protects you, and your mask protects me.”
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This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 8:05 AM.