Reopening updates: Centre County adds 1 case of COVID-19, and other updates for Aug. 16
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.
Penn State football parents publish letter Saturday demanding answers from Big Ten
The Penn State Football Parents Association published a letter Saturday night demanding answers from Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren and Penn State President Eric Barron regarding the Big Ten’s decision Tuesday to postpone the fall 2020 college football season.
The parents asked what medical information Warren, the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee gained in the six-day period between releasing the schedule and deeming it unsafe to play this fall.
- by Parth Upadhyaya
The State Theatre, part of State College for 82 years, endangered by coronavirus closure
The State Theatre has been a fixture in downtown State College since 1938, when Warner Bros. opened it as a cinema to test new movies.
After the movie house closed in 2001, the building was refurbished and reopened as a nonprofit community arts center. The 500-seat venue typically hosted singers, dancers, bands, musicals and plays.
But today, months after the pandemic forced it to go dark in March, the historic theater is struggling to survive. It has joined a national coalition of theaters in a #saveourstages campaign, which encourages Congress to pass a bill that would help keep independent venues from closing permanently.
- by Megan Swift
Centre County adds 1 new case of COVID-19
Centre County added one new case of COVID-19, the state Department of Health said Sunday, to bring the total to 392 since the first case was reported March 20. Of that total, 353 cases are confirmed and 39 are probable. There have been 10,630 negative tests.
Pennsylvania reported 660 new cases Sunday, for a statewide total of 124,460. There have been 1.33 million negative tests, and the state estimates 79% of patients have recovered.
Across the state, there have now been 7,468 deaths, including three new fatalities. The Department of Health lists 11 deaths in Centre County, with the most recent one reported Friday.
The age breakdown of patients who have tested positive is:
- 1% are 0-4
- 1% are 5-12
- Nearly 4% are 13-18
- Nearly 10% are 19-24
- Nearly 38% are 25-49
- Nearly 23% are 50-64
- Nearly 24% are 65 or older
The breakdown of confirmed Centre County cases by ZIP code is as follows, according to the DOH:
- 16801 (State College): 80
- 16823 (Bellefonte and Pleasant Gap): 66
- 16803 (State College): 52
- 16875 (Spring Mills): 20
- 16866 (Philipsburg): 19
- 16870 (Port Matilda): 19
- 16841 (Howard): 18
- 16827 (Boalsburg): 16
- 16686 (Tyrone): 15
- 16822 (Beech Creek): 12
- 16828 (Centre Hall): 11
- 16853 (Milesburg): 6
- 16666 (Osceola Mills): 6
- 16865 (Pennsylvania Furnace): 5
- 16820 (Aaronsburg): 5
- 16854 (Millheim): 5
- 16844 (Julian): 5
- 16802, 16804, 16829, 16832, 16845, 16851, 16852, 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.
The state’s dashboard shows there are no patients hospitalized in Centre County due to COVID-19.
- by Matt Hymowitz
Beyond football, here’s all the Penn State teams impacted by the Big Ten’s fall sports decision
When news broke Tuesday that the Big Ten would postpone its 2020-21 fall sports season, the loss of football dominated local and national headlines. But largely missing from the spotlight have been the Olympic sport programs also impacted by the decision.
At Penn State, that includes the reigning Big Ten champion women’s soccer team, the Mid-Atlantic Regional champion women’s cross country team, and more.
- by Parth Upadhyaya
Centre County schools make preparations to reopen this fall. Here’s what you need to know
Centre County schools are set to reopen to students for the first time since March, but learning will be anything but normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
All Pennsylvania schools are required to submit a health and safety plan, a guide for all school activities, to the state Department of Education prior to reopening. As with all school emergency plans, they must be tailored to the unique needs of each school and should be designed with help from health experts. Plans must be approved by the school governing body and posted on each district website.
Plans vary in terms of learning options — in person, remote and virtual — mask requirements, cleaning procedures and other safety practices.
- by Marley Parish
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This story was originally published August 16, 2020 at 10:15 AM.