Reopening updates: Centre County adds 1 COVID-19 case, and other updates for Aug. 3

We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date coronavirus news as Penn State and local schools prepare to reopen. Check back for updates.

Centre County libraries resume limited in-person services. Here’s what to know about the changes

After being closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centre County Library and Historical Museum opened its doors Monday to community members.

The library branches — located in Bellefonte, Centre Hall and Philipsburg — have reopened, but due to coronavirus mitigation efforts, residents must adhere to mandatory health guidelines to access in-person services. All facilities have been equipped with plexiglass guards, and furniture has been moved to accommodate social distancing. Increased cleaning procedures have been put in place to mitigate the spread of germs.

Universal masking will be enforced, according to the library’s reopening plan. Disposable masks will be made available to anyone entering a branch without a face covering; customers with medical exemptions may request staff assistance. Visits must be limited to 45 minutes or less, and restrictions may be put in place to limit the number of patrons inside a branch at a time.

-by Marley Parish

Centre County adds 1 COVID-19 case

Centre County added one COVID-19 cases to its overall total Monday as the state added 565 cases but reported no new deaths.

The new case makes Centre County’s total 358 cases since March 20. Of those, 320 are confirmed and 38 are probable, with 8,895 negative tests. According to the state Department of Health, there are no hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the county.

Statewide, the total is up to 114,155 in all 67 counties. There have been 1,142,414 negative tests and the state estimates that a 76% recovery rate.

Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

• 1% are ages 0-4;
• 1% are ages 5-12;
• 3% are ages 13-18;
• 9% are ages 19-24;
• 37% are ages 25-49;
• Nearly 23% are ages 50-64; and
• 24% are ages 65 or older.

The state reported no new deaths Monday. The state counts 10 deaths in Centre County, though only seven have been confirmed by the county coroner’s office. Cases and deaths are reported by county of residence. There have been 7,209 deaths attributed to COVID-19 statewide.

The breakdown of confirmed Centre County cases by ZIP code is as follows, according to the DOH:

• 16801 (State College): 74
• 16823 (Bellefonte and Pleasant Gap): 63
• 16803 (State College): 49
• 16875 (Spring Mills): 20
• 16841 (Howard): 16
• 16827 (Boalsburg): 15
• 16866 (Philipsburg): 16

• 16870 (Port Matilda): 12

• 16822 (Beech Creek): 12
• 16828 (Centre Hall): 9
• 16686 (Tyrone): 9
• 16853 (Milesburg): 6
• 16865 (Pennsylvania Furnace): 5
• 16666, 16802, 16820, 16829, 16832, 16844, 16845, 16851, 16852, 16854, 16860, 16868, 16872, 16874, 16877, 16882: 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 Jessica McAllister

What happens after a Penn State student, faculty or staff member tests positive for COVID-19?

Penn State revealed Thursday its plans for quarantining or isolating students, faculty and staff who test positive for the new coronavirus, contact tracing, and how the university will publicly report the information.

The university’s multipronged approach to mitigating the potential spread of COVID-19 in Happy Valley starts with contact tracing, which health experts have said is a key strategy to containing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19.

- by Bret Pallotto

Community outreach/appreciation

Reopenings

Things to do

Campus check-in

• As August arrives, Michigan has forged ahead as if its season would begin at some point in the late summer or early fall. Players went through their steps in walkthroughs even though it’s not quite certain who they’ll face in their first game or where they’ll play. One Wolverines staffer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, admitted he was as clueless as anybody about his team’s order of opponents, unsure if U-M will still match up against Wisconsin in its Sept. 26 opener or some other team on another date. Not long thereafter, the Big Ten sent a letter Thursday to athletic directors at its member schools that did little to clarify the situation.
• The Pac-12 on Friday set Sept. 26 as the start of its 10-game, conference-only football schedule, joining the Southeastern Conference in pushing back its season by nearly a month because of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Indiana University’s football team has resumed voluntary workouts after a two-week pause following six positive COVID-19 tests.
• George Washington is discontinuing seven sports programs, three that compete at the NCAA level and four non-NCAA sports, as part of the university’s attempt to address an expected $200 million budget shortfall because of the coronavirus pandemic.
• The sideline area college football teams use to congregate will be extended by 20 yards this season and only one captain from each team will be permitted to participate in the pregame or overtime coin toss.
• There has been a spike in the number of Rutgers’ football players who have tested positive for COVID-19. New Jersey Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said the number is now 15 and noted that even smaller gatherings can lead to positive tests.
• Georgia Tech has moved this season’s home game against Notre Dame to its campus stadium, citing uncertainty over scheduling because of the coronavirus pandemic.

• The Southeastern Conference reconfigured its schedule Thursday to include only league games in 2020, a pandemic-forced decision that pushes major college football closer to a siloed regular season in which none of the power conferences cross paths.

This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 9:51 AM.