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COVID-19

Jersey Shore schools look to state-proposed reopening phases, parent input

JERSEY SHORE — Jersey Shore Area School Board passed the district’s health and safety plan 9-0 during a livestreamed meeting Monday night. The plan features three phases: the red, yellow and green phases, as outlined by the governor, explained Dr. Brian Ulmer, district superintendent. The type of reopening chosen by the district, based on Lycoming and Clinton counties’ green designation, is for the total reopening of the schools but with the option for distance learning for some students and families out of safety concerns. The anticipated opening of schools is Aug. 27. Now ...

Bloomsburg Fair canceled

The Bloomsburg Fair board announced the decision Tuesday to cancel the 2020 Bloomsburg Fair. “This was a very difficult decision, but our concern for the health and safety of our community outweighs our desire to host this years fair,” the fair’s organizer’s said in a social media post. “The Bloomsburg Fair Association is committed to the overall well being of the entire region, and we do not wish to put anyone in jeopardy in order to open our gates. We will, instead, take this time to make improvements, train staff, and look to the future.” Fair organizers said on ...

Health care professionals urge public to be ready for potential second wave

“The second act is coming, but what would you want to do in the second that you weren’t able to do in the first?” asked Dr. Gerald Maloney, Geisinger chief medical officer of hospital services. “We don’t know exactly what is going to happen. Preparing for a second wave is prudent at ...

Jobless payments top the $30 billion mark statewide

State unemployment officials say they are working out glitches for those who have tried to receive jobless payments, adding the state has paid $30.6 billion in unemployment compensation since March 15. The 3 million-plus claims were due mostly to the COVID-19 pandemic and impacts it has on the job market, according to Jerry Oleksiak, secretary of the state Department of Labor and Industry, and Susan Dickinson director of the Office of Unemployment Compensation Benefits Policy. Most notably, the department paid $12 billion in regular unemployment compensation and another $14.5 ...

Geisinger president talks spiking cases, precautions

“We have seen across the country that cases are skyrocketing,” Dr. Jaewon Ryu, Geisigner president and CEO, said during a press briefing Friday. “It is still way too early to think that we are out of the woods.” Ryu spoke about the updated spike in COVID-19 positive cases in the local area, clinical trials for vaccines and reminding locals to follow precautions. “The virus is pretty stubborn and is still with us,” Ryu said. Vaccines are still in the clinical trials, though some are now reaching the third phase of those trials, he said. There are well over 100 ...