Coronavirus category, Page 146
Pittsburgh-area bar put on notice for alleged violation of coronavirus restrictions
A Pittsburgh-area bar was among three licensed liquor establishments in Pennsylvania to receive a notice from the state police’s Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement for violation of covid-19 mitigation efforts. It was the first formal notice a Pittsburgh-area establishment has received from state police since July 1. State police would...
Governor urges flu shots as Texas reports 300 new deaths
AUSTIN — Texas health officials warned Thursday that the approaching flu season threatens to further strain hospitals still dealing with thousands of coronavirus patients, and they urged the public to not wait on getting flu vaccinations this year. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott made the appeal as Texas reported more than...
Peduto sends letter to Congress, advocates for bills that help entertainment venues stay afloat
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto issued a letter to Congress in support of three bills that would offer financial relief to independent music and entertainment venues during the covid-19 pandemic. “I’m urging Congress to ensure that our local venues are included in and protected by relief packages,” Peduto said in a...
Westmoreland leaders say covid-19 grant awards will take longer than expected
Westmoreland commissioners said Thursday that $10 million in grants for local small businesses and nonprofits hurt by the coronavirus pandemic won’t be awarded until the end of August. The county received 500 grant applications by last week’s deadline. While officials originally suggested that money could begin to flow as early...
U.S. rescinds global ‘do not travel’ coronavirus warning
NEW YORK — The Trump administration on Thursday rescinded its warnings to Americans against all international travel because of the coronavirus pandemic, saying conditions no longer warrant a blanket worldwide alert. The State Department lifted its level-four health advisory for the entire world in order to return to country-specific warnings....
Gov. Wolf’s recommendation to postpone high school sports gets mixed reactions
Gov. Tom Wolf’s recommendation that youth sports be postponed until Jan. 1 was met Thursday with mixed reactions. Wolf’s suggestion that “we don’t do any sports until Jan. 1” first came during a morning news conference when he was asked about spectators at high school sporting events. By the afternoon,...
Restaurants back down from ultimatum, request meeting with Gov. WolfVideo
The president of a group of restaurant and bar owners on Thursday shied away from threatening to reopen establishments at full capacity. Instead, board members of the newly formed Southwestern Pennsylvania Restaurant and Tavern Association will wait for a sit-down meeting with Gov. Tom Wolf. “If we go on the...
Family reunions — another casualty of covid-19 gathering restrictions
The families of James and William Ulery were looking forward to their 95th annual reunion on Aug. 23 at Laurel Highlands Campground Pavilion in Donegal. But, like so many other events this year, the gathering fell victim to the covid-19 pandemic. “I hated like everything to have to (cancel), but...
Gov. Wolf says other states with coronavirus surges are causing Pa. test result delays
Long lags in getting covid-19 test results to patients have Pennsylvania health officials concerned, even as the state’s capacity to perform tests has grown. The delays — some of up to 14 days or more — come in part from what’s happening in other states, Gov. Tom Wolf said during...
Westmoreland adds 9 new covid-19 cases, no deaths
Westmoreland County saw nine new cases of covid-19 added to its total on Thursday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. For the sixth straight day, the county did not see a covid-19 related death added to its total of 46 to date. After averaging 25 new cases a day...
Pennsylvania’s covid-19 death toll rises by 38
On Thursday, while the Pennsylvania Department of Health continued to report new covid-19 cases below the 1,000 mark, its death count increased the most since June 25. The department reported 807 new cases of covid-19 across the state. It’s the ninth straight day the state saw triple-digit increases in its...
Allegheny County announces 100 new covid-19 cases, 3 new deaths
There were 100 new cases of covid-19 announced by the Allegheny County Health Department on Thursday. Continuing to drop, the county’s seven-day average of newly revealed cases stands at 109. The county hasn’t seen a double-digit seven-day average since July 1. Allegheny County coronavirus by dayInfogram The new cases —...
Gov. Wolf recommends high school sports be delayed until Jan. 1Video
With fall sports in the balance, will the PIAA treat Gov. Tom Wolf’s recommendation as a suggestion or a mandate? Wolf’s administration wants all youth sports — interscholastic and recreational — postponed until January, a request that jeopardizes football, soccer and other high school sports days before they’re scheduled to...
Dr. Fauci says his family has received death threats, daughters harassedVideo
Dr. Anthony Fauci said he and his family continue to get death threats because of his high-profile guidance on the coronavirus pandemic. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, revealed Wednesday his family has been forced to hire personal security since at least early April...
College parties, school openings, contact sports pose challenges in Allegheny County’s ‘war’ against covid-19
Allegheny County’s new cases of covid-19 fell sharply in the past two weeks, but the region still has “lots of community spread,” and officials have concerns about schools and sports programs safely resuming in coming weeks. That was the scenario laid out Wednesday by the county’s public health chief. In...
The coronavirus is ravaging Japan, and Shinzo Abe may finally be fading away
TOKYO — Japan’s tally of coronavirus infections is shooting up faster than ever, and support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is sinking to new lows. While Japan’s total death toll remains close to the number the United States sees in a day, the public fears Japan may be sitting on...
Chicago schools to begin fall remotely, dropping hybrid planVideo
CHICAGO — Chicago’s mayor on Wednesday announced that the nation’s third-largest school district will not welcome students back to the classroom, after all, and will instead rely only on remote instruction to start the school year. The city’s decision to abandon its plan to have students attend in-person classes for...
Florida becomes 2nd state to top 500K coronavirus cases as testing resumes after stormVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida surpassed 500,000 coronavirus cases Wednesday as testing ramped up following a temporary shutdown of some sites because of Tropical Storm Isaias, state officials said. That makes Florida second only to California among states with people diagnosed with the disease. A long line of cars waited...
Ultraviolet light air cleaner added at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
A safety measure added at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport this week will rid the air of any harmful bacteria or viruses to keep employees and travelers healthy, said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority. An ultraviolet light system was installed in the Unity airport’s HVAC unit...
Continuing recent trend, Pennsylvania reports under 1,000 new covid-19 cases
Pennsylvania added 705 new covid-19 cases and 12 deaths on Wednesday. Wednesday marks the eighth straight day the state has posted new cases below 1,000. In that eight-day span, they have averaged 791 new cases a day, which is 17.3% less than the previous eight days (956 between July 21-28)....
Virus testing in U.S. is dropping, even as deaths mount
U.S. testing for the coronavirus is dropping even as infections remain high and the death toll rises by more than 1,000 a day, a worrisome trend that officials attribute largely to Americans getting discouraged over having to wait hours to get a test and days or weeks to find out...
Westmoreland County adds 11 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County added 11 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. With the 11 new cases, the county’s total rose to 1,475 since the first cases were reported in March. All 11 cases were confirmed, bringing the county’s total to 1,437 confirmed and...
Allegheny County adds 70 new coronavirus cases, 5 new deaths
Allegheny County’s number of new coronavirus cases dropped back into double digits on Wednesday, but there was an uptick in hospitalizations and deaths. The county’s health department reported 70 new cases, nine hospitalizations and five deaths. Since the first cases were reported in March, Allegheny County has seen 8,512 cases,...
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust continues online programs, reopening plans
When will patrons be able to return to Pittsburgh’s Cultural District for live music, theater and other entertainment? While the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust does not have a date to resume in-person programs, it is “working with national tours and presenters to realign all 2020 season programs into the 2021 calendar...
Images of student crowds raise questions in Georgia schoolsVideo
ATLANTA — Two suburban Atlanta school districts that began in-person classes Monday with mask-optional policies face more questions about covid-19 safety protocols after on-campus pictures showed students packed shoulder-to-shoulder. In Cherokee County, dozens of seniors gathered at two of the district’s six high schools to take traditional first-day-of-school senior photos,...
