March 15, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen and chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald announce Sunday that all non-essential busnesses are being asked to close for two weeks to slow the spread of COVID-19. (Allegheny County via YouTube)
Allegheny County officials are asking all “non-essential businesses” — especially those where residents congregate for long periods of time — to close for 14 days in an attempt to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement came just after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all gatherings of more than 50 people scheduled for the next eight weeks be cancelled or postponed.
Both the county’s advice and the CDC guidance follow increasingly serious reports from Italy, where doctors report that emergency rooms are overwhelmed with victims of COVID-19, a mutated form of coronavirus that causes rapid respiratory failure in some patients.
Italian hospitals on Sunday reported nearly 400 deaths from COVID-19 in a single 24-hour period.
In a video released Sunday evening, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen asked all businesses to voluntarily close or find alternative ways of doing business for at least 14 days.
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March 15, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Allegheny County jurors who were summoned for possible jury duty this week do not need to report, said Christopher H. Connors, district court administrator for the Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania.
Any juror who has already been picked to serve on a specific case, however, should still report, he said.
The decision to suspend jury selection was made at the request of Allegheny County President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark, he said.
“Jurors summoned for service in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas for any day during the week of March 16 through 20 will not be required to report for duty,” Connors said. “No new jury trials will be picked (this) week.”
March 15, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements
Pennsylvania American Water Co. is reassuring customers that their tap water is safe, and that the firm has contingency plans in place to continue operations through the current COVID-19 virus outbreak.
In addition, the company will discontinue service shut-offs during the pandemic, and restore water service to customers who were already shut off, said Gary Lobaugh, the company’s external affairs manager for Western Pennsylvania.
The company also is suspending all non-essential field appointments to limit the amount of contact with customers, he said.
Pennsylvania American Water operates the McKeesport wastewater treatment plant and also provides drinking water to customers throughout the South Hills and Mon Valley area, including Liberty, Glassport, Clairton and West Mifflin.
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March 15, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements
McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center in Renziehausen Park will be closed through at least March 30, and leaders will decide when to reopen based on county and state health recommendations.
“As always, our top priority is the safety of our visitors, volunteers and staff,” said Teresa Trich, director of community outreach. “We will also be postponing all events and meetings during this time. We hope to resume regular operations on March 31 pending recommendations by the state.”
“An Evening With Duane Michals,” scheduled for March 25, has been cancelled and the center hopes to reschedule it at a later date, she said.
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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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