×

Lycoming sees second positive; state expands stay-home order

People take in the view of downtown Pittsburgh from Mount Washington with protective masks adorning the "Point of View" sculpture depicting George Washington and Seneca leader Guyasuta, Friday, March 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

A second person in Lycoming County has been diagnosed with coronavirus, according to the state Department of Health. There have been no COVID-19 deaths in the county.

Statewide, a total of 531 new cases were reported this week, bringing the total number of cases in Pennsylvania to 2,218 across 50 counties.

The total number of deaths statewide was 22, double Wednesday’s total.

“Our notable increases in the number of cases over the past few days indicates we all need to take COVID-19 seriously,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said.

“Pennsylvanians have a very important job right now: Stay calm, stay home and stay safe,” Levine said.

“We have seen case counts continue to increase, and the best way to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 is to stay home,” she added.

Thus far, a total of 23,234 persons have been tested in the state for the virus, with 21,016 — 90 percent — testing negative, according to statistics released by the health department.

Of those who were tested, 9.5 percent were positive. An estimated 0.09 percent of those tested proved to be fatal.

Although most of those hospitalized with the virus were between ages 25 and 49, most of the deaths involved patients 65 and older, Levine said.

The health department also reported that Union, Northumberland and Potter counties each reported one case of coronavirus. Centre County reported 11 cases, Montour has four and Columbia reported three. There have been no COVID-19 deaths in the region thus far.

Gov. Tom Wolf put another 2.5 million Pennsylvania residents under an order that restricts people from leaving home Friday, as his administration confirmed more coronavirus cases and deaths and major facilities were enlisted to help with hospital overflows.

Wolf, in a statement, added nine counties to 10 already covered by the order, for a total of 19 counties and three-fourths of the state’s 12.8 million residents.

The stay-at-home order starts at 8 p.m. Friday for Berks, Butler, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Luzerne, Pike, Wayne, Westmoreland and York counties, and will last until at least April 6.

The stay-at-home order restricts movement to certain health or safety-related travel, or travel to a job at an employer designated by Wolf’s administration as “life-sustaining.”

The measures are designed to slow the spread of the virus and give the state’s hospitals time to increase its staffing, equipment and bed space.

There is no curfew, and no reports of police arrests for someone breaking the order. City officials under the order have generally said that enforcement is focused on letting people know about it, breaking up crowds or closing public areas to prevent people from gathering.

Wolf issued the first stay-at-home order Monday, a day after Philadelphia issued its own, and Health Secretary Rachel Levine said it’s not clear yet whether the orders are effective.

“They haven’t been in place long enough,” Levine said at a news conference Friday. “It’ll take weeks and weeks to see the effect.”

Those new counties became candidates for the order as increases in confirmed coronavirus cases there grew to a “significant level and we have evidence of community spread,” Levine said.

Even before Friday, Wolf had closed schools statewide, urged people statewide to stay home and ordered thousands of “non-life-sustaining” businesses to close, an order that has drawn lawsuits in federal and state courts.

Levine said those orders won’t be relaxed until there is a consistent decline in the number of new cases that shows the measures are slowing the spread of the virus.

“We’re not there yet,” Levine said.

Meanwhile, Wolf signed a package of coronavirus-related legislation that passed the Legislature earlier this week.

A look at coronavirus-related developments in Pennsylvania:

Congressman tests positive

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Butler County said Friday that he tested positive for the coronavirus.

In a statement, Kelly said he began experiencing flu-like symptoms and talked to his doctor, who ordered a test for COVID-19.

His test came back positive Friday afternoon. His symptoms are mild, he said. He was at home and was not in Washington for the vote on the $2.2 trillion economic rescue package.

Hospital space

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said Friday that the city has reached an agreement with Temple University to use the Liacouras Center and possibly other Temple facilities for overflow hospital space, including the pavilion and parking garage.

The Liacouras Center is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose center and will be able to handle at least 250 patients at first. City officials say they are moving quickly to get supplies and the physical aspects of the facility set up.

Meanwhile, a shuttered reform school for boys in suburban Philadelphia may be used as a medical overflow facility.

The Glen Mills School has medical and dental facilities, an air field, a generator and a more than 85,000 square-foot athletic facility that could host patients from hospitals and other health care facilities.

Wolf’s administration said Friday that the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, along with federal and local government agencies, is assessing a number of sites across the state to become housing or medical facilities. No plans or agreements have been finalized, according to the administration.

As a whole, Pennsylvania has 37,000 hospital beds, although many are occupied.

Jobless claims

Pennsylvanians filed another 48,000 unemployment compensation claims on Thursday, according to information from Wolf’s administration.

That means Pennsylvanians have filed nearly 700,000 claims over the past 12 days as Wolf ordered thousands of “non-life-sustaining” businesses to shut down to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

In the seven days through last Saturday, Pennsylvanians filed about 379,000 claims, the most in the nation and smashing the state’s record for an entire week.

Steel slowdown

Pittsburgh-based United States Steel Corp. said Friday that it will delay the groundbreaking on a project of more than $1 billion to build state-of-the-art facilities in western Pennsylvania that were designed to improve its steelmaking efficiency and reduce emissions at its Mon Valley Works operations.

The length of the delay hasn’t been determined, and will last until market conditions improve, it said. The delay comes after the Allegheny County Health Department halted the permitting process because of the challenges the coronavirus posed to the public comment process while public health orders are in effect.

U.S. Steel had initially expected the first coil production from the new facility in 2022.

Its Mon Valley facilities include Clairton Coke Works, Edgar Thomson Works and the Irvin plant. The complex employs about 3,000 people.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today