March 15, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
No visitors are being admitted to Allegheny County’s four Kane Community Living Centers, until further notice, except on an emergency basis, a spokeswoman said.
Amie Downs, county director of communications, said the decision was made based on recommendations from the state Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The county’s four skilled nursing facilities in McKeesport, Glen Hazel and Scott and Ross townships serve elderly patients and people with long-term medical conditions. According to health experts, the elderly and those with serious underlying conditions are most at risk of serious complications from COVID-19.
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March 15, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Carnegie Library of McKeesport and its branches in Duquesne and White Oak are closed through March 29, a spokeswoman said Saturday.
All programming at the library and its branches is also cancelled through March 29. The closure was recommended by the state Office of Commonwealth Libraries, CLM said.
While the library is closed, there will be no overdue fines on items that are checked out, and any items that were requested to be held will remain held until the library reopens.
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March 15, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements
(This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.)
Clairton officials announced Sunday afternoon that a city resident who may be suffering symptoms of COVID-19 has been treated at AHN Jefferson Hospital.
Clairton Councilwoman Denise L. Johnson-Clemmons and Councilman Tony Kurta said via Facebook the city was notified and is working with Allegheny County Health Department to get additional information.
At a joint news conference Saturday, health officials from the county, AHN and UPMC reported Allegheny County’s first two confirmed cases of COVID-19. The patients were both adults, one in their 70s and one in their 60s, who were exposed to the virus during travel out of state.
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March 14, 2020 |
By Charles Ornstein | Posted in: Commentary-Editorial
Empty streets in Milan, Italy, caused by partial quarantine. “The silence is eerie,” says photographer Alberto Trentanni. (Alberto Trentanni photo via Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.)
Editor’s Note: Charles Ornstein is a deputy managing editor at ProPublica, overseeing the Local Reporting Network, which works with local news organizations to produce accountability journalism on issues of importance to their communities.
This story originally appeared at ProPublica. It is reprinted under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
As a longtime health care reporter, the unfolding coronavirus pandemic represents everything I’ve read about — from the early days of epidemiology to the staggering toll of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic — but had not covered in my lifetime.
And still, I have been caught off guard by the pushback from top elected officials and even some friends and acquaintances who keep comparing it to the flu.
“So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu,” President Trump wrote on Twitter on March 9. “It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!”
By Friday, Trump had declared coronavirus a national emergency, freeing up resources and removing hurdles for a faster response.
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March 13, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Liberty Borough News, McKeesport and Region News
South Allegheny School District has joined a growing list of Pennsylvania school districts that are closing for four weeks during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is not the school year we envisioned for our children,” said Lisa N. Duval, district superintendent. “I hope you will talk to your children about their concerns and listen to their disappointment.
“If we can show sympathy for those who are ill or caring for sick family members, empathy for each other and patience during an extraordinary time, we will end up stronger,” she said.
In a letter to parents, students and staff, Duval said that all use of school district facilities is suspended, and all activities — including field trips and student travel, athletic team practices and other gatherings — also is suspended until further notice.
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March 13, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements
• State waives 180 day requirement
• Will consider extending closure if necessary
Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday ordered all Pennsylvania schools serving kindergarten through grade 12 to close for 10 business days, effective Monday.
School districts will not be penalized if they are unable to meet the state-mandated 180 days of instruction, Wolf said.
The closure is being ordered because of the spread of the so-called “novel coronavirus,” or COVID-19.
According to NBC News, over the past 24 hours, 200 people in Italy have died from the virus, which has caused more than 1,000 deaths in that country over the past few weeks.
On Friday afternoon, officials said there are 33 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania — mostly in the eastern part of the state — including the first confirmed case in a child.
At the end of the 10-day period, Wolf said, the state will decide whether extending the school closure is warranted.
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March 13, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements, McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport Area School District will be closed through April 14, the district announced via Facebook.
“At this time, the McKeesport Area School District has decided to close all campuses through spring break,” the district said. “Classes are tentatively scheduled to resume in McKeesport Area School District schools on Tuesday, April 14. In the event that this date would change, we will communicate that in a timely fashion.
“Please know that we understand the challenges and stress that a prolonged closure will put on our families. However, we believe that shutting down our campuses is in the best interest of protecting the health and welfare of every member of our educational community, especially those at a higher risk of contracting coronavirus. We will be here to assist our families in any way that we can during this time.”
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March 13, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Serra Catholic High School was closed Friday for sanitization, the Diocese of Pittsburgh announced, but students were working remotely. All Catholic schools in the diocese will be closed Monday as teachers prepare for an possible extended period of online instruction. (Photo courtesy Serra Catholic High School)
Although no confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported in Allegheny County on Friday morning, local schools and agencies said they are taking precautionary measures.
A spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said that three local schools — Serra Catholic High School in the city and two elementary schools, St. Therese in Munhall and East Catholic in Forest Hills, were closed for cleaning.
A few students and adults from St. Therese, East Catholic and St. Bede elementary in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and are being kept out of school for 14 days, the diocese said.
Students at Serra Catholic were receiving online instruction on Friday, the diocese said.
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March 13, 2020 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
State Senate Majority Jay Costa of Forest Hills spoke at a public forum Thursday night organized by Allegheny Intermediate Unit. (Richard Finch Jr. photo for Tube City Almanac)
Allegheny Intermediate Unit scheduled a legislative forum on public education Thursday night in Homestead.
But the forum, attended by local school board members and district superintendents, quickly turned into a discussion of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Pennsylvania, and what legislators in Harrisburg are doing to protect residents.
The event at the AIU central office was moderated by Jon Delano, KDKA-TV (2) money and politics editor.
State Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport, Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills and state Rep. Dan Miller participated in the panel. Joseph Shaulis, AIU general counsel, said all Allegheny County lawmakers were invited to attend.
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March 12, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Liberty Borough News, McKeesport and Region News
(Photo special to Tube City Almanac)
The former St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Port Vue will close permanently this month.
In a decree dated Feb. 21, Bishop David Zubik said the decision was made at the request of parishioners who were concerned that the condition of the building and the cost of necessary repairs represented “a grave threat” and presented “critical financial difficulties.”
St. Joseph merged with the former St. Eugene Church in Liberty Borough in 1993 to become St. Mark Parish. St. Mark is now part of a regional grouping of churches that also includes St. Michael in Elizabeth Twp. and Queen of the Rosary in Glassport.
The final Mass at the St. Joseph site will be celebrated at 6:30 p.m. March 19, the parish and diocese announced, and the building will be turned over for non-sacred “but not sordid” uses, Zubik said.
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