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Coronvirus pretty much made face-to-face engagement between the public and government representatives temporarily impossible.
But the COVID-19 pandemic did not stop the lines of communication at several City Halls and municipal buildings around the state.
In the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, municipal officials improvised when they closed the office last year.
"We knew we could not communicate normally," said Lawrence Christian, Bethel Park's manager. "You can't be transparent enough."
The local government posted its agenda and minutes on its website, including budgets and hired a part-time social media provider, produced its Quarterly Chronicles report and developed a system of having the mayor do two- to- three-minute discussions with constituents via their home phones, Christian said.
During the pandemic, Bethel Park upgraded its website to allow for more user interaction.
"We're not there yet, but we are making strides every week," Christian said.
"I think it is very important to let the public know what is going on," said Altoona Mayor Matthew A. Pacifico.
Before getting into politics, Pacifico acknowledged he did not understand what was happening in the city.
The pandemic has fortified a need to keep communications going, as residents and many workers remain at their homes.
"It is important to be transparent about what is going on and the way you engage," Pacifico said.
The "message needs to be clear and concise," he said.
"Extremely responsive," said Jeffrey Stonehill, manger of Chambersburg, how taxpayer requests for information are taken, whether through email, telephone, or in person.
"Our website has a transparency page with dozens of important documents," he said. Chambersburg publishes contact email and phone numbers for staff and elected officials.
Lancaster, while bigger than Williamsport, was preparing its communication network ahead of the pandemic.
"We ramped-up engagement over the last two years and that put us in a better position for COVID-19," said Amber Strazzo, communications manager for Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace.
With that in place, the city was able to take advantage of the network and built out, she said.
Lancaster has redone its website, has social media channels for the city and various departments such as the police, fire, recycling center and utilize an app "Next Door" for the public to connect.
Milzy Carrasco, director of Neighborhood Engagement, speaks Spanish and has cultivated neighborhood leaders and coordinated with the city to deliver mailers and door hangers with information on the virus.
The city has 625 users registered on Engage Lancaster, its public participation platform.
"We've done a soft launch since late last fall and plan on pushing it out more formally in the coming weeks," Strazzo said.
The mayor does a live broadcast at 5 p.m. on Facebook, which is done every Wednesday, Strazzo said.
The city adopted public participation portion of its website listing projects, showing their timelines for completion, surveys, locations and specific projects.
As an example, the South Duke Street Mobility Project allows residents to add on a map any concerns they have about lighting or littering, Strazzo said.
"We had a couple of hundred residents sign up," she said.
Lancaster moved its public meetings, as Williamsport City Council did, to Zoom webinars.
Reading Mayor Eddie Moran has daily announcements on the city website.
The site enables those to register their names to speak with council at meetings.