Reopening updates: Centre County adds 9 new COVID-19 cases, PSU reports 0 positives among student-athletes
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.
PIAA is moving forward with its fall sports seasons amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Pennsylvania is on track to have high school sports this fall, barring a directive from the state government to shut down.
The PIAA — Pennsylvania’s governing body over high school sports — announced Wednesday evening that it will move forward with its fall sports seasons despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and increasing COVID-19 cases.
Football will begin “heat acclimatization” Aug. 10 and other fall sports will begin practice Aug. 17.
The governing body released a statement on its Twitter account saying it’s committed to providing a season for sports in the upcoming school year, but will be flexible if conditions change.
“Our focus is the health and safety of student athletes which is paramount in moving forward with athletics,” the statement read. “Each member school has developed health and safety guidelines to allow athletics to continue as an important part of the school day. Participation in athletics has known health benefits, including promoting physical fitness and mental wellness which is necessary in a time of uncertainty for our student athletes.”
- by Jon Sauber
Toomey, Keller visit Centre County to discuss COVID-19 response efforts
Hospitals, schools, businesses, government and workers have all felt financial impacts of COVID-19, and as counties across the United States begin to reopen, elected officials are re-evaluating how best to respond to the pandemic.
With options like a second stimulus check and additional business loans under consideration, Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey said Wednesday morning that he doesn’t think borrowing or printing more money is the best way to solve challenges created by the pandemic.
“There is no free lunch,” he said.
- by Marley Parish
Wolf announces stricter COVID-19 mitigation efforts for Pa. bars, restaurants. Here’s what to know
With a steady rise in COVID-19 cases throughout Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf announced stricter mitigation efforts for bars and restaurants Wednesday.
As some ignore the masking mandate and continue to travel out of state, Wolf said Pennsylvania has seen an “unsettling climb” in new cases. To slow the spread of the virus, Wolf has signed an executive order that will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday and further limits restaurant and bar operations.
Under the new order, Pennsylvania bars and restaurants must limit indoor dining occupancy to 25%, and alcohol consumption is reserved for meals and carry-out only. Nightclubs are prohibited from conducting operations.
- by Marley Parish
Centre County reports 9 new cases of COVID-19 while Pennsylvania adds nearly 1,000
Centre County reported nine new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, one of the largest single-day increases since the first case of the new coronavirus was reported in the county March 20.
The county has 262 confirmed or probable positive tests as of noon, according to the state Health Department. More than 5,900 tests were negative.
Five Centre Crest employees and three residents have tested positive for COVID-19, administrator Andrew Naugle said Wednesday. Only one case is active and all residents were asymptomatic.
Two Windy Hill Village residents and two employees tested positive for COVID-19 last week, according to the facility.
Overall, DOH data shows that 25 nursing or personal care homes residents and 16 employees across three facilities in Centre County have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday.
Pennsylvania added 994 new cases Wednesday, bringing the Keystone State’s total to 97,665. The state estimated about 76% of patients recovered.
Nearly 28,800 test results were reported Tuesday to the DOH — the most ever in a single day.
Nearly 6,960 deaths were attributed to COVID-19, an increase of 26 since Tuesday. Eight deaths are reported in Centre County, though the county coroner’s office has confirmed only six.
Here’s the breakdown of confirmed Centre County cases by ZIP code:
- 16801 (State College): 59
- 16823 (Bellefonte and Pleasant Gap): 50
- 16803 (State College): 42
- 16827 (Boalsburg): 13
- 16822 (Beech Creek): 12
16841 (Howard): 12
- 16870 (Port Matilda): 10
- 16875 (Spring Mills): 9
16828 (Centre Hall): 8
- 16686 (Tyrone): 7
- 16866 (Philipsburg): 6
- 16666, 16820, 16829, 16844, 16845, 16851, 16852, 16860, 16865, 16868, 16872: 1-4 cases each
The state does not give specific numbers when there are fewer than five cases to protect patient privacy and does not identify exactly where a case occurred in a ZIP code that spans multiple counties.
- by Bret Pallotto
Penn State has tested 176 student-athletes for COVID-19 as of Wednesday with 0 positives
Penn State Athletics released its second round of testing results Wednesday afternoon. The Nittany Lions had no positive results among the 76 new tests as of July 10, with 31 tests still pending. In total, Penn State has so far tested 176 student-athletes.
The athletic department previously announced no positives among 102 tests after its initial round of testing. Those results were announced via conference call July 1 when Athletic Director Sandy Barbour said the department would follow a schedule for when it would release new results.
“We have been testing our student-athletes and staff upon their return,” Barbour told reporters. “As a university and an athletic department, we’ve decided that we’ll report those results every two weeks.”
- by Jon Sauber
Penn State ‘very pleased’ after White House, ICE rescind rule that threatened international students
The Trump administration reversed course Tuesday on a rule that could’ve potentially deported international students at Penn State, and other universities across the country, if the school moved to online-only instruction.
“We are very pleased with this outcome, which we supported in an amicus brief submitted to the court yesterday,” Penn State spokeswoman Rachel Pell said, referring to the formal show of support for Harvard and MIT’s federal lawsuit against the rule. “We hope this news will come as a relief to our international community, and we look forward to welcoming them back to our campuses this fall.”
The main campus at University Park — which boasts more than 7,000 international students, based on 2018 data — saw anxiety permeate the international community last week. The Student and Exchange Visitor’s Program, overseen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced July 6 that nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students could not take a full online course load and remain in the U.S. — meaning, if Penn State eventually moved to online-only classes, such students would be forced to transfer or return home.
In an open letter July 8, Penn State President Eric Barron denounced the “very harmful” changes to the program, writing that such an edict would have a “disastrous and unfair impact on thousands of our students.”
- by Josh Moyer
Republicans mount new challenge to governor’s pandemic power
The Republican-controlled Legislature on Tuesday mounted another effort to strip some emergency disaster powers from Gov. Tom Wolf, as well as future governors, in the latest partisan fight over how the Democrat has handled the coronavirus pandemic in Pennsylvania.
The House of Representatives passed two bills, largely along partisan lines, to allow counties to shed Wolf’s existing restrictions and give power to counties to determine which businesses must close or can stay open under a future state health emergency disaster.
The bills still require passage in the Senate. Wolf will veto both, his office said.
- Associated Press
Penn State football players continue annual tradition with virtual visit to children’s hospital
Penn State football players Sean Clifford, Pat Freiermuth, Fred Hansard, Tariq Castro-Fields, Aeneas Hawkins, PJ Mustipher, and head coach James Franklin would not let the coronavirus pandemic keep them from visiting pediatric patients at the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital on Tuesday.
The visit, which has been done annually in person since July 2014, was done virtually over Facebook Live, Periscope, and Twitter.
While previous visits included games, coloring, and hugs, the fun was still brought to Sawyer, Devin and Owen virtually through charades, silly questions and virtual hugs.
“I think that this is obviously one of the most important days of the year for everybody involved,” Clifford said. “We get to play this game that we love, and I think the best way to do it is through giving back to as many people as possible, and I think that that’s one of the things that we can do with this hospital visit. I think it’s great that we’re doing this virtual visit since we can’t do it in person.”
- by Acacia Aster Broder
Sports
- Philadelphia city officials said Tuesday that fans will not be allowed to attend professional sports games in 2020, meaning there will be no fans at home Eagles games this year, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Phillies had already announced that they would play without fans in attendance. “I do think that games can be played with the kind of safety precautions that they’re proposing. I do not think that they can have spectators at those games,” Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is set to announce Wednesday that it won’t be playing fall sports in 2020 due to COVID-19, according to multiple reports. The PSAC includes 18 schools — West Chester, Kutztown, Bloomsburg, Shippensburg, Millersville, Lock Haven, East Stroudsburg, Slippery Rock, IUP, Cal U, Edinboro, Merychurst, Clarion, Gannon, Seton Hill, Mansfield, Shepherd and Pitt-Johnstown.
Business updates
Community outreach/appreciation
Things to do
Free food options
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 8:06 AM.