Town hall meeting on recent protests, racial equality to be held

June 5, 2020 | by Maddie Conley

This afternoon, workers put up a banner at Harrisburg city hall that reads, “We Stand United Against Injustice.”

Harrisburg plans to hold a town hall-style meeting, so that residents and officials can dialogue about racial inequality in the city.

The announcement was made on Friday during Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s latest “Community Conversation” held via Facebook Live, during which local officials and other community members discussed the recent Black Lives Matter rallies and changes being made in the city.

Papenfuse and community activist Brenton Lipscomb said that the city will schedule a meeting for Harrisburg residents and officials to speak about racial equality issues. The date and time have not yet been announced.

“There are real changes which are coming,” Papenfuse said.

Lipscomb acknowledged the recent rallies as being successful in getting elected officials’ attention and sparking conversation.

“We aren’t here to tear up the city,” Lipscomb said. “We live here, and we love living here, but we do want to have our voices be heard. We do want these issues to be resolved.”

Harrisburg Young Professionals of Color co-founder Kimeka Campbell expressed a similar sentiment. She explained that, for her, the protests aren’t just about the murders of black people, but about community policing here in Harrisburg.

For activist Cole Goodman, another issue was the way city, state and Capitol police responded differently at the rallies.

“When the Capitol police and state police showed up, it was an absolute atrocity,” Goodman said. “I felt the Harrisburg police department did an exemplary job, but I have a huge bone to pick with the Capitol and state police.”

Goodman said that he attempted to create a barrier between protestors and police. He added that he was pepper sprayed a police officer at the protest.

“I don’t understand pepper spraying people that were trying to protect you,” he said.

Papenfuse said that the city is reviewing police body cam footage from the protests.

Panelists also discussed ways to move forward with racial equality at the local level.

Papenfuse addressed Campaign Zero’s “8 Can’t Wait” project, which seeks to reduce police violence. He said the city explicitly talks about seven of the eight policies in the city’s policing general order. The one not included is a recommendation to order the requirement of police stepping in to stop uses of excessive force by other officers.

Goodman argued that should be made an order.

City Councilwoman Ausha Green noted ways the city is taking action including making use of force policy and reporting available to the public and beginning training coordination between police departments.

“We want to keep the conversation going,” Green said. “We need to make sure we continue to roll out policy.”

For those looking to help further racial justice on an individual level, Campbell suggested working within your sphere of influence, advocating for equitable voicing for Harrisburg neighborhoods and supporting education.

“Now it’s full-steam ahead,” she said. “Now, the question for me is, how do we keep that steam going?”

Harrisburg’s Community Conversations are each Friday at noon on Facebook Live. To watch past conversations, visit their YouTube channel.

Three Harrisburg-area counties to move to “green” phase next week

June 5, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

PA Gov. Tom Wolf (right) today during his press briefing

Several Harrisburg area counties will step into the green phase next week, as Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday announced plans to further loosen pandemic-imposed restrictions on Cumberland, York and Adams counties.

Wolf made the announcement during a press conference, in which he identified 12 more counties that will make the move on June 12. In addition, they are Beaver, Carbon, Columbia, Juniata, Mifflin, Northumberland, Union, Wayne and Wyoming counties.

“I am very proud of our commonwealth for making it to this point in our reopening,” he said.

Notably, Perry County will not move into the green phase on June 12.

Pennsylvania uses a three-color system to guide Wolf’s stay-at-home and business closure orders: red, yellow and green. The green phase still comes with restrictions, such as encouraging people to wear masks and limiting crowd sizes.

Just today, all remaining “red” counties in PA, mostly in the Philadelphia metro area, entered the middle “yellow” phase, where the entire Harrisburg area currently is. In addition, 34 counties are now in the green phase.

Notably, in the green phase, restaurants, bars, theaters and personal care services, such as salons, can operate at 50 percent capacity.

Responding to reporters’ questions, Wolf and Rachel Levine, secretary of the state Department of Health, both said they’re now working on guidelines for what comes after the green phase.

“As we continue to bend the curve, as we continue to see a decline in new cases, the number of restrictions in green, in terms of businesses and restaurants, etc., we’ll be able to relax,” Levine said. “We don’t intend to continue those restrictions forever, but we’ll have to be alert and vigilant.”

Both Wolf and Levine warned that they’re concerned about case numbers increasing again during the fall.

“There may be a resurgence as we get into flu season later this year,” Wolf said.

In the meantime, the state’s strategy is to “identify, isolate and eliminate” COVID-19 through testing and contact tracing, he said.

Absent a vaccine, Wolf said that he expected we’ll have to adjust to a “new normal” following the green phase.

“So, we’re working on—what does life look like?” he said. “We’ll probably all be wearing masks and all going to be practicing social distancing, being a little more careful in terms of touching other folks. We’re trying to find out what the new world looks like.”

New COVID-19 diagnoses sink further in PA

June 5, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

An image from the PA Department of Health lab in Exton

New cases of COVID-19 again sank below 500, with the PA Department of Health today reporting 443 new positive cases for the period ending at midnight.

This marks 26 days straight with new case numbers below 1,000 in Pennsylvania. Yesterday, the department reported 537 new cases and, the day before, 511 new cases.

With the additional cases, 74,385 Pennsylvanians have now been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Cases peaked in early April at nearly 2,000 daily new cases. Since then, cases have shown a gradual decline, despite increasingly greater testing levels for the virus..

Locally, total diagnosed cases are as follows:

Adams County: 264 cases (yesterday, 263)
Cumberland County: 659 cases (yesterday, 657)
Dauphin County: 1,434 cases (yesterday, 1,404)
Franklin County: 788 cases (yesterday, 785)
Lancaster County: 3,337 cases (yesterday, 3,301)
Lebanon County: 1,000 cases (yesterday, 997)
Perry County: 67 cases (yesterday, 64)
York County: 1,040 cases (yesterday, 1,038)

Overall, 15.1 percent of PA residents tested have shown to be positive for the virus.

The health department also reported another 69 fatalities, meaning that 5,886 Pennsylvanians have died from the disease since March. Not all of these deaths necessarily occurred in the past 24 hours, as the health department constantly updates its data.

Around central PA, the COVID-19 fatality data now stands as follows:

Adams County: 8 deaths (yesterday, 8)
Cumberland County: 56 deaths (yesterday, 54)
Dauphin County: 88 deaths (yesterday, 87)
Franklin County: 39 deaths (yesterday, 38)
Lancaster County: 317 deaths (yesterday, 315)
Lebanon County: 36 deaths (yesterday, 36)
Perry County: 3 deaths (yesterday, 3)
York County: 28 deaths (yesterday, 28)

Statewide, Philadelphia County continues to have the most confirmed cases with 18,977 cases, followed by Montgomery County with 7,416 cases. The two counties also have reported the most deaths statewide from the disease: 1,359 and 702, respectively.

“As Pennsylvania continues to move forward in the process to reopen, we need to remember that the threat from COVID-19 has not gone away,” health Secretary Rachel Levine said.

Today, the state moved the last of Pennsylvania’s “red” counties into the less restrictive yellow phase, including the entire Philadelphia metro area. Additional changes are expected to be announced later today.

Nursing homes and personal care facilities have been particularly hard hit by the virus. Of total deaths, 4,077, or 69.2 percent, have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities, according to the health department.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 15,929 resident cases of COVID-19, and 2,768 cases among employees, for a total of 18,697 at 611 distinct facilities in 44 counties, according to the health department.

In addition, about 5,659 of total cases in PA are in health care workers.

Statewide, 498,586 coronavirus tests have been performed, with 424,201 people testing negative, according to the state health department. Yesterday, the state reported that 490,884 people had been tested for the virus.

Of the patients who have tested positive to date, the age breakdown is as follows, according to the health department:

Nearly 1 percent are aged 0-4
Nearly 1 percent are aged 5-12
Nearly 2 percent are aged 13-18
6 percent are aged 19-24
Nearly 37 percent are aged 25-49
25 percent are aged 50-64
28 percent are aged 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are 65 or older, as are most of the reported deaths, according to the state.

Levine continued to emphasize that Pennsylvanians should do the following:

Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
Clean surfaces frequently.
Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.

“As counties move into the yellow and green phases, we must take personal responsibility to protect others,” Levine said. “Wearing a mask, continuing to maintain social distancing, and washing your hands frequently are all steps we can take to help protect others, including our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, our essential workers and our healthcare system.”

For more information, visit the PA Department of Health’s COVID-19 website.

Burg View: We Stand in Support

June 5, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

In recent days, many people, especially on social media, have expressed frustration and disappointment with TheBurg—and rightly so.

We have been slow to cover one of the most important stories in recent history, the protests following the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests.

We—I—should have done better, and I apologize that our coverage has been deficient. I vow to do a better job, both in terms of timeliness and in content. In our next issue, to cite one example, we plan to publish essays from people of color in our community who will discuss their personal experiences growing up and making their lives here.

We also would like to recruit more writers of color. So, please email me if you are interested.

Please know that I am always open to hearing your feedback—good and bad. If TheBurg has done something—or, as in this case, hasn’t done it—please contact me and let me know. Call me, email me, drop by our office and speak to me.

If you have an idea for us, please let me know that, as well. I want to thank several people who did reach out, especially Elyse Irvis.

Lastly, please know that we at TheBurg stand by the principals of this historic movement. We join this community in opposing racism and police brutality and in supporting equality, civil rights and black-owned businesses.

It is my greatest hope that this movement results in substantial and lasting change. I am amazed at what has already been accomplished in such a short time and look forward to seeing genuine progress towards greater equality and more opportunities in our community and our country.

Lawrance Binda
Co-Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Photo Credit: Cody Wanner

African American Music Appreciation Month: Jalen Cliatt and Wayward Giants

June 5, 2020 | by Yaasmeen Piper

Jalen Cliatt and Wayward Giants

Before, Jalen Cliatt felt like rock music was almost hidden from him.

It’s not like his parents burned all their old Jimi Hendrix CDs before he was born or banned him from watching MTV. But, in his town and in his school, rock music just wasn’t the “cool” thing to do. Well, it just so happened that Cliatt wasn’t the cool person to know (his words, not mine).

Today, the 25-year-old stands as the lead vocalist in the Lancaster-based band Wayward Giants. Along with Cliatt, the band includes Sy Rossi (Bass/backup vocals), T.J. Cole (Drums), Drew Piros (Lead Guitar).

Though Cliatt originally classified them as a rock band, the band’s sound includes undertones of jazz, pop and punk. There are some softer songs like “Heathens,” where Cliatt’s voice gives me the same feeling as walking on a beach. Then, there are more rugged songs like “Roadtrip,” whose thrashing instruments and Cliatt’s breaking voice almost sounds like a battle cry.

“Before, I was just calling it rock and whatnot. But, after we got the full team together, we only ever get described as two things: jazz and punk,” he said. “So, now I just call it jazz-punk because the people have spoken.”

His discovery of rock came from road trips with his parents. If it wasn’t R&B, funk, or censored hip-hop, they listened to rock music. It was the same rock that his parents listened to back in their youth, the same rock that made them feel like outcasts. But, it wasn’t until his parents broke down the history of the genre that he fell in love with it.

When many people think of rock they see white faces–Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and so on. But, at its core, according to Cliatt, rock music stems from blues, a genre created by black artists.

“You can hear it in the rhythms, in the kind of things that they were describing,” he said. “Hard rock started basically as a genre of hard times, and who was that more intrinsic to than the plight of the African people?”

According to Cliatt, the beautiful thing about rock music being taken away from black people is how we started to take it back. There were those like Jimi Hendricks, who reclaimed the genre and even redefined the way some people hear the National Anthem.

And black rock is still being made.

There are a variety of modern-day black rock artists such as Blood Orange, Alabama Shakes, Toro Y Moi, and, of course, Cliatt.

“They’re out there still pushing. It’s still happening,” he said. “People want deeper music, and there’s nothing deeper than black underground rock right now, recorded, signed, or otherwise.”

The Wayward Giant’s latest work, “Cold Start,” was released in January of this year. The group is currently working on new music, a few acoustic and stripped-down music videos and more.

“If there is anymore reading who has been keeping up with us, that radio silence will soon be broken,” he said. “Sorry for the wait.”

As for five years from now, Cliatt’s not sure where he or his band will be, but he’s not looking to slow down anytime soon.

“People seem to enjoy us, and I have no intention of half-stepping, so I’ll just say as far as we can possibly push it.”

Check out the Wayward Giants on YouTube, iTunes and Spotify. For all updates follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

This story is one in a series of local musician profiles in celebration of African American Music Appreciation Month.

Gov. Wolf pledges reforms to improve police training, accountability in PA

June 4, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

PA Gov. Tom Wolf (right) at his press conference late on Thursday

Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday laid out a multi-part plan designed to improve relations between police and communities, focused on law enforcement accountability and training.

Wolf said that he was taking the actions following nearly a week of protests in cities throughout Pennsylvania condemning racism and police brutality.

“We can no longer afford to have two Pennsylvanias and two Americas,” Wolf said. “Unfairness is pernicious, and it can spread like a cancer unless we can stop it.”

Wolf said that he decided to take these actions after meeting with officials in Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Yesterday, Wolf marched with Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, police Commissioner Thomas Carter, other community leaders and a group of protesters from the state Capitol building through Midtown Harrisburg.

Wolf’s recommendations include:

Creation of a deputy inspector general within the Pennsylvania Office of State Inspector General focused on deterring, detecting, preventing and eradicating fraud, waste, misconduct and abuse amongst state law enforcement agencies.
Creation of a Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Advisory Commission that reviews allegations of misconduct by state law enforcement personnel.
Providing technical assistance to municipalities from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) to encourage the creation of local citizen advisory boards.
Creation of a Racial and Ethnic Disparities Subcommittee under the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee at PCCD.
Reviewing training and education of officers. All training academies for law enforcement must review current use-of-force training standards and form a workgroup to develop model training standards to ensure that officers receive the best instruction in interacting with the public.
Enhancing current mental health initiatives and offering targeted mental health supports for officers to deal with trauma and reduce stigma for getting help.
Work with the legislature on reforms, including legislation proposed that provides for improved access to police videos, an oversight board for officer training and continuing education, a special prosecutor in deadly force cases, interdepartmental law enforcement hiring reform and PTSD evaluation for police officers.

“Some of it requires some legislation, but most of it, I can do quickly, and I will,” he said.

Earlier on Thursday, Harrisburg City Council members also vowed reform of police practices within the city.

Wolf added that he also would seek to address longstanding inequalities against people of color.

“I’m going to continue to fight for more education funding and for help for minority–owned businesses,” he said. “These fights do not have an end point, and we won’t know when we’ve won, but we have to keep going to make our commonwealth fairer and more equal for everyone.”

Harrisburg council vows reform to help prevent police misconduct, abuse

June 4, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Members of Harrisburg City Council knelt in silence for nine minutes today outside of city hall. From left: Danielle Bowers, Shamaine Daniels, Ausha Green, President Wanda Williams, Ben Allatt and Dave Madsen.

City Council plans to take substantive action to prevent potential police misconduct in Harrisburg, officials said today.

Council member Ausha Green, chair of the council’s public safety committee, vowed to introduce legislation that would help prevent potential abuse and that would enhance civilian oversight.

“Our communities have suffered,” she said. “They’ve suffered long enough.”

Green spoke following nine minutes of silence by six members of city council, most spent kneeling, out of respect for George Floyd, the Minneapolis man killed last week in the custody of that city’s police, and in support of recent protests for equal rights and black lives.

Green said that she was considering various types of legislation to reform police use-of-force policy. This might include a ban on chokeholds and mandate the explicit approval of the police commissioner before the use of tear gas during demonstrations.

“You’ll see legislation to fight against police brutality,” she said. “We need to have accountability on the part of our police and our community leaders.”

In the recent past, council also has discussed forming a citizen’s advisory board and more community policing efforts. Green said that she would consider both of these measures, as well.

In part, the city’s past community policing efforts have been hobbled by budget constraints and by its inability to retain trained officers. Green said she would like to see more Harrisburg residents, especially people of color, recruited into the city’s police force.

Council would need to ensure that any legislation does not violate existing police labor contracts, Green said. This issue has hobbled reform attempts in many cities in recent years.

Green emphasized two other points.

First, she said that the city needs the cooperation of the Capitol police and the state police, since they’re often used for crowd control and for backup in Harrisburg. In fact, she said, it was the state, not city police, that used pepper spray during a clash between police and protesters last Saturday.

Secondly, she noted that she regarded the proposed reforms as mostly precautionary since the Harrisburg police and the community, she said, tend to have a good relationship.

“At the end of the day, we all want the same thing,” she said. “We want a safe community.”

COVID-19 diagnoses in PA continue long, steady decline

June 4, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

A chart of daily COVID-19 cases and deaths. Source: PA Department of Health

New cases of COVID-19 mirrored recent days, with the PA Department of Health today reporting 537 new positive cases for the period ending at midnight.

This marks 25 days straight with new case numbers below 1,000 in Pennsylvania. Yesterday, the department reported 511 new cases.

With the additional cases, 73,942 Pennsylvanians have now been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Cases peaked in early April at nearly 2,000 daily new cases. Since then, cases have shown a gradual decline, despite increasingly greater testing levels for the virus..

Locally, total diagnosed cases are as follows:

Adams County: 263 cases (yesterday, 260)
Cumberland County: 657 cases (yesterday, 654)
Dauphin County: 1,404 cases (yesterday, 1,385)
Franklin County: 785 cases (yesterday, 782)
Lancaster County: 3,301 cases (yesterday, 3,267)
Lebanon County: 997 cases (yesterday, 994)
Perry County: 64 cases (yesterday, 62)
York County: 1,038 cases (yesterday, 1,037)

Overall, 15.1 percent of PA residents tested have shown to be positive for the virus.

The health department also reported another 75 fatalities, meaning that 5,817 Pennsylvanians have died from the disease since March. Not all of these deaths necessarily occurred in the past 24 hours, as the health department constantly updates its data.

Around central PA, the COVID-19 fatality data now stands as follows:

Adams County: 8 deaths (yesterday, 8)
Cumberland County: 54 deaths (yesterday, 53)
Dauphin County: 87 deaths (yesterday, 85)
Franklin County: 38 deaths (yesterday, 37)
Lancaster County: 315 deaths (yesterday, 310)
Lebanon County: 36 deaths (yesterday, 34)
Perry County: 3 deaths (yesterday, 3)
York County: 28 deaths (yesterday, 27)

Statewide, Philadelphia County continues to have the most confirmed cases with 18,888 cases, followed by Montgomery County with 7,351 cases. The two counties also have reported the most deaths statewide from the disease: 1,359 and 702, respectively.

“As Pennsylvania continues to move forward in the process to reopen, we need to remember that the threat from COVID-19 has not gone away,” health Secretary Rachel Levine said.

So far, the state has moved 57 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties into the less restrictive yellow phase, including all of the Harrisburg area except Lancaster County. By June 5, the remainder of the state will exit from the red phase.

Nursing homes and personal care facilities have been particularly hard hit by the virus. Of total deaths, 3,895, or 67 percent, have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities, according to the health department.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 15,848 resident cases of COVID-19, and 2,740 cases among employees, for a total of 18,588 at 611 distinct facilities in 44 counties, according to the health department.

In addition, about 5,601 of total cases in PA are in health care workers.

Statewide, 490,884 coronavirus tests have been performed, with 416,942 people testing negative, according to the state health department. Yesterday, the state reported that 481,674 people had been tested for the virus.

Of the patients who have tested positive to date, the age breakdown is as follows, according to the health department:

Nearly 1 percent are aged 0-4
Nearly 1 percent are aged 5-12
Nearly 2 percent are aged 13-18
6 percent are aged 19-24
Nearly 37 percent are aged 25-49
25 percent are aged 50-64
28 percent are aged 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are 65 or older, as are most of the reported deaths, according to the state.

Levine continued to emphasize that Pennsylvanians should do the following:

Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
Clean surfaces frequently.
Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.

For more information, visit the PA Department of Health’s COVID-19 website.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

June 4, 2020 | by Sara Bozich

Many restaurants, breweries, wineries, distilleries are opening to outdoor dining this weekend. Capacity is limited; be sure to call your favorite spot or visit Facebook (because why have a website that’s up to date) for updates and availability. Are you on the email list? In addition to getting this weekly update directly in your inbox, I load it with a bunch of other fresh, original content. Sign-up here. Summer’s here; it’s time to grill — Get your burger patties, steaks, chicken, and more at R.G. Hummer Meats + Cheese. You’ll also wanna stock your fridge with local beer and wine. Plus, we have some of the best places to get cocktails to-go (now that you can!) — and your best picks for local entertainment (virtually, of course).

Top Picks:

Need something pretty? Meeka Fine Jewelry is open!
An Iliad with Open Stage
Boneshire Brew Works opens for outdoor seating 12 p.m. Friday!
Food specials at Appalachian Brewing Co. (Friday/Saturday)
3 Crowlers for $15 at Tattered Flag Brewery & Still Works (Thursday and Sunday)
Check out Midtown Cinema’s full list of on-demand films!
Grab some local brews and binge-watch Poured in PA: The Series free on YouTube!
Midtown Scholar Bookstore now offering curbside pickup.

Thursday

Enola Pop-up w/Philadelphia Hoagie & Cassel Vineyards
TMI Improv: LIVE Online! with Gamut Theatre Group
????????? Of Monsters and Men | √Liveᴴᴰ Show
2020 Virtual Capital Region Go Red for Women Event
Lisa Jewell with Megan Miranda: The Family Upstairs with Midtown Scholar Bookstore
The Greg Hodnett Foundation Race at BAPS Motor Speedway

Friday

An Iliad with Open Stage
Friday Nights at The Manor with Stock’s Manor
Beer, Bourbon, Beaujolais and Burgers – Virtual Event with Ad Lib Craft Kitchen + Bar
Dining in, OUTSIDE at Al’s of Hampden
Cherry Weekend at J & P Winery
Virtual Happy Hour with Poured in PA & Music- Dave Heilman with Mount Gretna Craft Brewery
Boomerang Bar & Grill deck opening
Outside Dining Open Friday at Arooga’s
Drive In Movie- “The Princess Bride” at Shank Park (Hummelstown)
Fairy & Folk Tales
Decked Out Live! with Lucille and The Wolf at The Vineyard & Brewery at Hershey
Racehorse taverns patio opening Extravaganza
Welcome Back – Outdoor Seating Returns at St. Boniface Craft Brewing Co.

Saturday

Sunday

Aux Cord Wars with The Singers Lounge
Pop-Up Beer Garden at The Farm at Wyndridge

Top picks to-go/delivery

Need wine? Click here.
Need booze? Click here.
Need beer? Click here.
Need cocktails? Kits + premade options here.
Brunch? For serious. Click here.
Wait, what about coffee, kombucha, tea, juice? Got you!
Find Carry-Out options here
Ways to give back

COVID-19 cases in PA remain stable with 511 new daily positives

June 3, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

An image from the PA Department of Health lab in Exton

New cases of COVID-19 continued to level off in PA, with the state Department of Health today reporting 511 new positive cases for the period ending at midnight.

This marks 24 days straight with new case numbers below 1,000 in Pennsylvania. With the additional cases, 73,405 Pennsylvanians have now been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Cases peaked in early April at nearly 2,000 daily new cases. Since then, cases have shown a gradual decline, despite increasingly greater testing levels for the virus.

Of the new cases reported today, 92 are in residents of nursing and personal care homes.

Locally, total diagnosed cases are as follows:

Adams County: 260 cases (yesterday, 255)
Cumberland County: 654 cases (yesterday, 644)
Dauphin County: 1,385 cases (yesterday, 1,359)
Franklin County: 782 cases (yesterday, 781)
Lancaster County: 3,267 cases (yesterday, 3,218)
Lebanon County: 994 cases (yesterday, 980)
Perry County: 62 cases (yesterday, 62)
York County: 1,037 cases (yesterday, 1,028)

Overall, 15.2 percent of PA residents tested have shown to be positive for the virus.

The health department also reported another 75 fatalities, meaning that 5,742 Pennsylvanians have died from the disease since March. Not all of these deaths necessarily occurred in the past 24 hours, as the health department constantly updates its data.

Of the newly reported fatalities, 24 were residents of nursing or personal care homes.

Around central PA, the COVID-19 fatality data now stands as follows:

Adams County: 8 deaths (yesterday, 8)
Cumberland County: 53 deaths (yesterday, 52)
Dauphin County: 85 deaths (yesterday, 77)
Franklin County: 37 deaths (yesterday, 36)
Lancaster County: 310 deaths (yesterday, 306)
Lebanon County: 34 deaths (yesterday, 33)
Perry County: 3 deaths (yesterday, 3)
York County: 27 deaths (yesterday, 26)

Statewide, Philadelphia County continues to have the most confirmed cases with 18,785 cases, followed by Montgomery County with 7,242 cases. The two counties also have reported the most deaths statewide from the disease: 1,359 and 702, respectively.

“As Pennsylvania continues to move forward in the process to reopen, we need to remember that the threat from COVID-19 has not gone away,” health Secretary Rachel Levine said.

Nursing homes and personal care facilities have been particularly hard hit by the virus. Of total deaths, 3,621, or 63 percent, have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities, according to the health department.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 15,752 resident cases of COVID-19, and 2,719 cases among employees, for a total of 18,471 at 611 distinct facilities in 44 counties, according to the health department.

In addition, about 5,557 of total cases in PA are in health care workers.

Statewide, 481,674 coronavirus tests have been performed, with 408,269 people testing negative, according to the state health department. Yesterday, the state reported that 472,255 people had been tested for the virus.

Of the patients who have tested positive to date, the age breakdown is as follows, according to the health department:

Nearly 1 percent are aged 0-4
Nearly 1 percent are aged 5-12
Nearly 2 percent are aged 13-18
6 percent are aged 19-24
Nearly 37 percent are aged 25-49
25 percent are aged 50-64
28 percent are aged 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are 65 or older, as are most of the reported deaths, according to the state.

Levine continued to emphasize that Pennsylvanians should do the following:

Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
Clean surfaces frequently.
Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.

For more information, visit the PA Department of Health’s COVID-19 website.

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Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

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