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What it means here: No tax office hours in Lewis, Washington townships; liquor now sold online; more

No tax office hours in Lewis, Washington townships

There will be no office hours for tax collectors in Lewis and Washington townships in April due to the COVID-19 threat, according to a statement from the tax collector.

Residents of the townships are asked to use the respective tax drop box or mail the payments. Residents who want receipts can enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope and are advised to make payments earlier than the last day of April to avoid delay of payments if there are errors with their checks.

Utility company discourages digging

Gas and other utility companies and regulators have asked individuals to refrain from non-emergency outdoor digging improvement projects during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Homeowners should delay unnecessary digging projects during the current COVID-19 emergency, according to UGI officials.

For any essential work, those doing the excavating must call 8-1-1 at least three business days before starting a project that involves digging to ensure underground utilities are properly marked, the utility said.

Sales of liquor online available

The state Liquor Control Board has resumed limited sales from www.FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com, accepting a controlled number of orders per day with plans to increase order capacity as fulfillment capacity increases.

Customers will be limited to purchasing up to six bottles per transaction from a reduced catalogue of about 1,000 top-selling wines and spirits. All orders must be shipped to home or non-store addresses, and only one order per address will be fulfilled per day.

“We understand the public wants to have access to wines and spirits during these unprecedented times, but we have a responsibility to mitigate community spread of this virus to every extent possible and make sure our employees and our customers are as safe as they can be,” said Tim Holden, board chairman. “We believe that re-opening FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com in a controlled manner will allow us to provide access to consumers while also protecting our employees and consumers from unnecessary risk.”

Access to www.FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com will be randomized to avoid overwhelming the site with high traffic, prevent order abuse and prolong access throughout the day, so that order availability isn’t exhausted in seconds or minutes each day.

“We expect consumer interest and site traffic to exceed what we’ll be able to fulfill, at least initially, so we ask that customers be patient and understand that the PLCB Is doing the best it can under extraordinary circumstances to balance consumer demand and public health,” said Holden.

The PLCB will be fulfilling orders from various facilities and is implementing public health best practices like facility sanitation, social distancing, and limiting the numbers of employees working in any facility at a time in an effort to protect its employees.

The PLCB is not considering reopening stores at this time, although the agency continues to monitor the situation in consultation with Gov. Tom Wolf administration and public health officials.

Early refills available for Medicaid prescriptions

The state’s Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) can allow Medicaid recipients obtain early refills of all prescriptions at their pharmacy point-of-sale, which is especially important in light of 33 counties under stay-at-home orders.

The organizations are also being directed to be flexible with issuing prior authorizations for longer durations when medically necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and follow the stay-at-home orders, we must all reduce trips and interactions with others in order to limit the chance of coming in contact with or spreading the COVID-19 virus,” Gov. Tom Wolf said.

“During these stay-at-home orders, we strongly encourage Medicaid recipients to use this option to reduce the need for unnecessary trips out of the home that may jeopardize their or someone else’s health,” Teresa Miller, health secretary, said. “We appreciate our Medicaid providers and pharmacists’ participation in this initiative to help stop the spread of COVID-19.”

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