State reports 1,116 new COVID-19 cases; lowest daily fatality count in weeks

April 26, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

An image from the state Department of Health lab in Exton, Pa.

Daily COVID-19 case data remained in line with a two-week trend, as the state Department of Health today reported 1,116 new cases.

The new positives bring the commonwealth’s total to 41,165 cases since the pandemic began in Pennsylvania in early March. About 21 percent of all tests performed in the state have turned out positive for the virus.

Pennsylvania hit a daily high for cases on April 9, when the state reported 1,989 new cases. Since then, most days have seen new cases range between 1,000 and 1,500.

Locally, total diagnosed cases are as follows:

Adams County: 117 cases (yesterday, 113)
Cumberland County: 267 cases (yesterday, 250)
Dauphin County: 519 cases (yesterday, 492)
Franklin County: 205 cases (yesterday, 181)
Lancaster County: 1,577 cases (yesterday, 1,501)
Lebanon County: 612 cases (yesterday, 592)
Perry County: 26 cases (yesterday, 26)
York County: 593 cases (yesterday, 578)

“As we see the number of new COVID-19 cases continuously change across the state that does not mean we can stop practicing social distancing,” said Secretary of Health Rachel Levine.

According to the health department, 13 more residents have died from the disease, the lowest daily fatality count in weeks. This brings the number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19 to 1,550 since the pandemic started.

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

Adams County: 1 death (yesterday, 1)
Cumberland County: 8 deaths (yesterday, 8)
Dauphin County: 18 deaths (yesterday, 18)
Franklin County: 2 deaths (yesterday, 1)
Lancaster County: 74 deaths (yesterday, 74)
Lebanon County: 7 deaths (yesterday, 7)
Perry County: 1 death (yesterday, 1)
York County: 8 deaths (yesterday, 8)

Philadelphia County continues to have the most confirmed cases with 11,152 cases, followed by Montgomery County with 3,733 cases. The two counties also have reported the most deaths statewide from the disease: 272 and 217, respectively.

Nursing homes and personal care facilities have been particularly hard hit by the virus. Out of total deaths, 952, or about 61 percent, have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities, according to the health department.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 6,813 resident cases of COVID-19 and 822 cases among employees, for a total of 7,635 at 431 distinct facilities in 40 counties, according to the health department.

Statewide, 198,593 coronavirus tests have been performed, with 157,428 people testing negative, according to the state health department. Yesterday, the state reported that 192,935 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
1 percent are aged 13-18
Nearly 6 percent are aged 19-24
Nearly 38 percent are aged 25-49
Nearly 27 percent are aged 50-64
Nearly 26 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. There have been no pediatric deaths to date.

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.

“We must continue to stay home to protect ourselves, our families and our community,” Levine said. “If you must go out, please make as few trips as possible and wear a mask to protect not only yourself, but others. We need all Pennsylvanians to continue to heed these efforts to protect our vulnerable Pennsylvanians, our health care workers and frontline responders.”

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

PA offers additional guidance, example of phased reopening of state economy

April 25, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

PA Gov. Tom Wolf (right) at a recent press briefing

Gov. Tom Wolf today elaborated on the criteria the commonwealth will use for its phased reopening of the state’s economy.

The base metric, according to his office, is that a region will need to have fewer than 50 newly confirmed cases per 100,000 population reported to the state Department of Health in the previous 14 days.

So, for example, a region with a population of 800,000 people would need to have fewer than 400 newly confirmed cases reported in the past 14 days to meet the target, according to the governor’s office.

Additional criteria include:

Enough testing available for individuals with symptoms and target populations such as those at high risk, health care personnel and first responders.
Robust case investigation and contact tracing infrastructure in place to facilitate early identification of cluster outbreaks and to issue proper isolation and quarantine orders.
Identification of an area’s high-risk settings including correctional institutions, personal care homes, skilled nursing facilities and other congregate care settings, and assurance that facilities have adequate safeguards in place such as staff training, employee screening, visitor procedures and screening and adequate supplies of personal protective equipment to support continued operations.

PA also will rely on a modeling dashboard under development and evaluation by Carnegie Mellon University to take a regional and sector-based approach to re-openings, the easing of restrictions and public health response, according to Wolf’s office.

As of Saturday, the health department has reported 40,049 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state and 1,537 deaths from the disease.

Health Secretary Rachel Levine today said that the department has divided the commonwealth into regions for “more than 50 years,” so is working within those established boundaries.

Those regions are: northwest, northeast, north-central, south-central, southeast and southwest.

Wolf has set a May 8 date for restricted re-openings for the first two regions—the northwest and north-central regions. Currently, these two regions meet the criteria of moving from the state’s “red,” phase, which the entire commonwealth is under currently, to the less restrictive “yellow” phase, Wolf has said.

Levine today said that, even after a region opens, it’s unlikely that daily life will immediately return to the way it was before the pandemic hit in early March.

“I think it will be a new normal,” she said. “The way . . . back to before is extremely unlikely.”

Confirmed COVID-19 cases now exceed 40,000 in PA

April 25, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

PA Department of Health Secretary Rachel Levine (right) during Saturday’s virtual press briefing

More than 40,000 Pennsylvanians have now tested positive for COVID-19, as the state today announced nearly 1,400 newly diagnosed cases.

The state Department of Health reported 1,397 new positive cases as of midnight. The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 40,049 since the pandemic began in early March in the commonwealth.

Locally, total diagnosed cases are as follows:

Adams County: 113 cases (yesterday, 110)
Cumberland County: 250 cases (yesterday, 240)
Dauphin County: 492 cases (yesterday, 468)
Franklin County: 181 cases (yesterday, 164)
Lancaster County: 1,501 cases (yesterday, 1,451)
Lebanon County: 592 cases (yesterday, 575)
Perry County: 26 cases (yesterday, 25)
York County: 578 cases (yesterday, 563)

Department Secretary Rachel Levine repeated today that the actual rate of infection is likely much higher than the reported rate, as the reported rate includes only confirmed positives revealed through testing.

“We know that there have been more cases of COVID-19 than we’ve been able to detect,” she said.

According to the health department, 45 more PA residents have died as of midnight, bringing the number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19 to 1,537 since the pandemic started.

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

Adams County: 1 death (yesterday, 1)
Cumberland County: 8 deaths (yesterday, 8)
Dauphin County: 18 deaths (yesterday, 19)
Franklin County: 1 death (yesterday, 1)
Lancaster County: 74 deaths (yesterday, 74)
Lebanon County: 7 deaths (yesterday, 6)
Perry County: 1 death (yesterday, 1)
York County: 8 deaths (yesterday, 8)

Philadelphia County continues to have the most confirmed cases with 10,893 cases, followed by Montgomery County with 3,627 cases. The two counties also have reported the most deaths statewide from the disease: 272 and 214, respectively.

Nursing homes and personal care facilities have been particularly hard hit by the virus. Out of total deaths, 942, or about 61 percent, have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities, according to the health department.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 6,544 resident cases of COVID-19, and 782 cases among employees, for a total of 7,326 at 425 distinct facilities in 40 counties, according to the health department.

Statewide, 192,935 coronavirus tests have been performed, with 152,886 people testing negative, according to the department. Yesterday, the state reported that 186,143 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
1 percent are aged 13-18
Nearly 6 percent are aged 19-24
38 percent are aged 25-49
Nearly 28 percent are aged 50-64
Nearly 26 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. There have been no pediatric deaths to date.

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 we see the number of new COVID-19 cases continuously change across the state that does not mean we can stop practicing social distancing,” Levine said. “We must continue to stay home to protect ourselves, our families and our community. If you must go out, please make as few trips as possible and wear a mask to protect not only yourself, but others. We need all Pennsylvanians to continue to heed these efforts to protect our vulnerable Pennsylvanians, our health care workers and frontline responders.”

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

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

April 24, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

A scene from the Reopen PA rally last week

COVID and more COVID summed up the week’s news for the n-th straight week. As we have before, we tried to cover it from many different angles—from daily state health department updates to features and opinion. We have all of our coverage listed and linked below.

COVID-19 pandemic seems to have plateaued for now but new cases and fatalities remain high statewide. Every day, we wrote a news story with the latest facts and figures from the state Department of Health, including the most recent update.

Earth Day celebrated its 50th anniversary this past week, so we shared our pre-COVID feature story with readers. It was a welcome break to a time when things seemed more normal, and we expected to have many Earth Day-related activities and celebrations.

Earth Day art exhibits were a real thing before the pandemic shut down galleries everywhere. Still, in his blog, our arts writer reflected on the golden anniversary of Earth Day and the artwork now stranded behind closed, locked doors.

“Friends of TheBurg” launched this week, TheBurg’s new membership program. Would you like to support our community journalism and receive some great benefits in the process? Read our editor’s introductory post to find out more.

Gov. Tom Wolf plans to begin lifting business restrictions and stay-at-home orders beginning on May 8 for certain, rural areas of PA. He also unveiled a three-color system to indicate a gradual, regional return to normalcy. We had the news stories this week.

“Grub for Scrubs” launched last week, a program that uses donations to buy meals from local restaurants that are then donated to health care workers. It’s the brainchild of local firm, andculture, and we have the story in our online feature.

Harrisburg finances remain relatively stable despite the general economic chaos, according to the city’s finance director. Questions remain about the future, but, so far, the city seems to be weathering the crisis better than some other local jurisdictions, he said. Find out more from our news story.

Impact Harrisburg, along with the city, have begun a $1 million grant fund to help support small businesses. The “Business Stabilization Program” will award as much as $10,000 to help city businesses weather the economic crisis. We have the details in our online story.

“One Midtown” launches this weekend, a new program designed to encourage people to support Midtown businesses during the pandemic. Friends of Midtown is asking locals to show their love for their neighborhood by buying local. Get all the details in our online story.

PA Liquor Control Board is opening up many more state-owned liquor stores for phone ordering and curbside pickup. This includes many stores in the greater Harrisburg area. Read our online news story for all the spirited details.

“Reflections Amid the Pandemic” was the title of a blog post by contributing writer Karen Hendricks. In a beautifully written piece, she weighs the surreal experience of trying to live a life during a bizarre time that seems to be our “new normal.”

“Reopen PA” arrived in Harrisburg last week, in the form of a rally at the state Capitol. Equal parts protest and Trump rally, attendees honked horns and waved signs for hours to show support for returning life to normal in PA. We attended and brought back a story.

Sara Bozich swears that she’ll leave her house one day. But, in the meantime, she lists a bunch of online things to do over the weekend, as well as links to great businesses to support.

Do you receive TheBurg, our daily digest of news and events delivered right to your email inbox? If not, subscribe here!

United We Stand: “One Midtown” campaign aims to spur support of neighborhood businesses

April 24, 2020 | by Maddie Conley

The heart of the Midtown Harrisburg commercial district at N. 3rd and Verbeke streets.

Although National Small Business Week was officially postponed, that hasn’t stopped Midtown from celebrating this coming week.

On Saturday, Friends of Midtown launches its “One Midtown: Neighbors Supporting Small Business Campaign.”

Designed by the community group’s business committee, the campaign encourages neighbors to purchase items, food and gift cards from shops in the community in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. The mission fits with the nonprofit’s longstanding goal of economic development in the neighborhood.

“We recognize the intense pressure this is putting on small businesses,” Friends of Midtown President Annie Hughes said. “We want to motivate patrons to keep purchasing from them.”

As an extra incentive, Friends of Midtown is asking people to submit pictures via social media of receipts or gift cards from Midtown businesses. A drawing will be held once a week for a chance to win a $50 Visa gift card. The campaign will extend through May 9.

“We see the community as great advocates for small business anyway, so we expect the Midtown community will really step up their game,” Hughes said.

Some businesses have already rallied around this cause, one being Note. Bistro and Winebar. Although they decided to close for the time being, they have encouraged customers to purchase gift cards.

“It’s nice that people are excited to get gift certificates,” owner Ruth Prall said. “It keeps us doing business.”

In addition to the campaign, Friends of Midtown is hosting a social distancing Earth Day cleanup Saturday morning. Community members are welcome to help pick up litter in Midtown while keeping a safe distance from others.

Friends of Midtown has been sharing information throughout the crisis about small business loans, food resources and government assistance programs.

“This is going to be a long road to recovery,” Hughes said. “We intend to continue to try to support small business. It’s vital to Midtown.”

The “One Midtown” campaign runs from April 25 to May 9. For more information, visit Friends of Midtown on Facebook or at friendsofmidtown.org.

Almost 100 more deaths attributed to COVID-19 in PA; 1,599 new cases statewide

April 24, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Nearly 100 additional Pennsylvanians have died from the coronavirus pandemic, the state Department of Health reported today.

According to the department, 98 residents died in the 24-hour period ending at midnight, bringing the number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19 to 1,492 since the pandemic began.

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

Adams County: 1 death (yesterday, 1)
Cumberland County: 8 deaths (yesterday, 7)
Dauphin County: 19 deaths (yesterday, 16)
Franklin County: 1 death (yesterday, 1)
Lancaster County: 74 deaths (yesterday, 72)
Lebanon County: 6 deaths (yesterday, 6)
Perry County: 1 death (yesterday, 1)
York County: 8 deaths (yesterday, 7)

Otherwise, newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases increased somewhat since yesterday.

The health department today reported 1,599 new positive cases compared to 1,369 yesterday. The new cases bring the statewide total to 38,652 positive cases since the pandemic began in Pennsylvania in early March.

Locally, total diagnosed cases are as follows:

Adams County: 110 cases (yesterday, 95)
Cumberland County: 240 cases (yesterday, 229)
Dauphin County: 468 cases (yesterday, 445)
Franklin County: 164 cases (yesterday, 151)
Lancaster County: 1,451 cases (yesterday, 1,359)
Lebanon County: 575 cases (yesterday, 544)
Perry County: 25 cases (yesterday, 23)
York County: 563 cases (yesterday, 546)

Philadelphia County continues to have the most confirmed cases with 10,507 cases, followed by Montgomery County with 3,525 cases. The two counties also have reported the most deaths statewide from the disease: 272 and 208, respectively.

Nursing homes and personal care facilities have been particularly hard hit by the virus. Out of total deaths, 903, or about 61 percent, have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities, according to the health department.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 6,153 resident cases of COVID-19, and 726 cases among employees, for a total of 6,879 at 418 distinct facilities in 40 counties, according to the health department.

Statewide, 186,143 coronavirus tests have been performed, with 147,491 people testing negative, according to the state health department. Yesterday, the state reported that 179,114 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
1 percent are aged 13-18
Nearly 6 percent are aged 19-24
38 percent are aged 25-49
Nearly 28 percent are aged 50-64
25 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. There have been no pediatric deaths to date.

Secretary of Health Rachel 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.

Most Harrisburg-area liquor stores will begin phone ordering, curbside pickup on Monday

April 24, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

The Fine Wine & Good Spirits store in Midtown Harrisburg

The PA Liquor Control Board is adding hundreds more locations for curbside pickup, including many stores in the greater Harrisburg area.

As of this Monday, numerous local Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores will permit phone ordering and curbside pickup as the PLCB adds 389 more stores to the system.

The new list includes stores in downtown, Midtown and Uptown Harrisburg, in Kline Plaza and in Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, Steelton and Hershey.

For the time being, stores will accept the first 50 to 100 orders placed each day, on a first-call, first-served basis, until fulfillment capacity grows.

According to the PLCB, orders will be accepted only through the store’s published phone number, not through email or voicemail. Customers then will pick up their order at curbside.

This past Monday, the PLCB opened curbside pickup to 176 locations, a number that will be expanded to 565 locations.

Curbside pickup orders are limited to six bottles per order, and credit cards are the only accepted form of payment. Orders will also be limited to one order per caller, per store, per day, and all curbside pickup sales are final.

Since phone ordering began, some customers have complained about an inability to get through to place an order.

“We acknowledge that Pennsylvanians are frustrated with busy signals and want broader access to wine and spirits,” said PLCB Chairman Tim Holden, in a statement. “So, after learning from our experiences this past week, we’ve made improvements to process orders faster, expand the hours we take orders by phone, and be more flexible in scheduling pickups, even the same day, if pickup appointments are available.”

Since Monday, when limited phone ordering began, the curbside pickup program filled 38,145 orders totaling $3.64 million, according to the PLCB.

Customers also can order online through the PLCB e-commerce site, with pickup at more than 100 locations. Customers have also complained of difficulty accessing the online site. According to PLCB, website access is randomized to avoid overwhelming the site with traffic.

Besides the state stores, customers can also buy alcoholic beverages at licensed wineries, distilleries and breweries, at many restaurants and taverns and at some supermarkets and convenience stores.

The PLCB today declined to give a date when its stores would reopen for in-person purchase. Last month, Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all state stores closed as part of a shutdown of “non life sustaining” businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click here for a full list of locations and here for PLCB’s online ordering site.

Be Our Friend: TheBurg launches “Friends of TheBurg” membership program

April 24, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

TheBurg staff, from left, Maddie Conley, Kelsey Tatge, Lauren Maurer, Larry Binda and Megan Caruso.

Today is a very special day for TheBurg.

Today marks the beginning of something we’ve been planning for a long time—our new membership program, Friends of TheBurg.

We began pondering a membership program some time ago, and, over the winter, seriously put the gears into motion, expecting to launch in May and June.

Well, as I’m sure you know, times have changed a lot over the past few months.

Originally, we had several reasons to start a membership program. We wanted to connect even closer with the central PA community and with our readers and fans, and we wanted a more solid platform on which to build an events business.

In addition, over the years, many people have asked me how they could help support TheBurg, since all of our products and services are free to the public. This seemed to be a good way for those who wished to contribute to our mission of serving this community.

Honestly, we never thought a membership program would be much of a moneymaker. If it did earn us a few extra bucks—fantastic. We put hiring a new reporter high on our wish list so we might be able to offer even better coverage of the greater Harrisburg area.

That financial component, unfortunately, now has become far more critical, which is why we decided to launch earlier than we had planned. The news business already was very challenged, and, since mid-March, all newspapers, including ours, have seen ad revenues drop precipitously.

So, if you can, I hope you’ll support us and become a “Friend of TheBurg.” Besides helping us survive this crisis, you’ll receive some great benefits.

A cool “Friends of TheBurg” tote bag, with original art by local artist Amie Bantz (pictured)
Your name listed as a supporter in every issue of TheBurg magazine, starting in June (with your permission)
An invitation to our launch party and to an annual Friends of TheBurg social
Free and discounted tickets to Friends of TheBurg events

We had hoped to have a social along with the start of the program, but, obviously, we can’t do that now. But I promise you this. Once this terrible time is over and we’re allowed to gather again as friends—when we’re able to talk and toast and enjoy one another’s company and our community—we plan to throw one heckuva launch party!

Click here to become one of the first “Friends of TheBurg!”

Lawrance Binda is co-publisher/editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

PA revises COVID-19 fatality data down; newly diagnosed cases follow recent trends

April 23, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

PA Gov. Tom Wolf speaking about the COVID-19 emergency during a recent press event

The state Department of Health today ratcheted down its fatality count from the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing the number of virus-related deaths by more than 200 people.

The department is now reporting 1,394 confirmed deaths, significantly fewer than yesterday’s count of 1,622 fatalities.

In a press conference this afternoon, health Secretary Rachel Levine said that the department lowered the number of “probable deaths . . . following further investigation.”

Recently, the department began adding “probable deaths” to its fatality data, meaning that COVID-19 is strongly suspected as a cause of death even though the person was not tested for the virus. That investigative process, Levine said, often is difficult and time-consuming and, sometimes, the state receives conflicting data from counties.

“At times, there are things we need to revise and possibly revisit,” she said. “This is one of those times.”

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

Adams County: 1 death (yesterday, 2)
Cumberland County: 7 deaths (yesterday, 6)
Dauphin County: 16 deaths (yesterday, 13)
Franklin County: 1 death (yesterday, 10)
Lancaster County: 72 deaths (yesterday, 86)
Lebanon County: 6 deaths (yesterday, 8)
Perry County: 1 death (yesterday, 1)
York County: 7 deaths (yesterday, 14)

Otherwise, newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases remained in line with recent trends, as the state reported 1,369 new positive cases. Yesterday, it reported 1,156 new diagnoses of the virus.

The new cases bring the statewide total to 37,053 positive cases since the pandemic began in Pennsylvania in early March.

Locally, total diagnosed cases are as follows:

Adams County: 95 cases (yesterday, 92)
Cumberland County: 229 cases (yesterday, 207)
Dauphin County: 445 cases (yesterday, 422)
Franklin County: 151 cases (yesterday, 152)
Lancaster County: 1,359 cases (yesterday, 1,326)
Lebanon County: 544 cases (yesterday, 535)
Perry County: 23 cases (yesterday, 23)
York County: 546 cases (yesterday, 531)

Philadelphia County continues to have the most confirmed cases with 10,090 cases, followed by Montgomery County with 3,395 cases. The two counties also have reported the most deaths from the disease: 271 and 204, respectively, both much lower than reported yesterday.

Nursing homes and personal care facilities have been particularly hard hit by the virus. Out of total deaths, 849, more than half, have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities, according to the health department.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are now 5,679 resident cases of COVID-19, and 673 cases among employees, for a total of 6,352 at 408 distinct facilities in 39 counties, according to the health department.

Statewide, 179,114 coronavirus tests have been performed, with 142,061 people testing negative, according to the state health department. Yesterday, the state reported that 171,956 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
1 percent are aged 13-18
Nearly 6 percent are aged 19-24
Nearly 39 percent are aged 25-49
Nearly 28 percent are aged 50-64
Nearly 25 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. There have been no pediatric deaths to date.

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.

“If you must go out, please make as few trips as possible and wear a mask to protect not only yourself, but others,” she said. “We need all Pennsylvanians to continue to heed these efforts to protect our vulnerable Pennsylvanians, our health care workers and frontline responders.”

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

This story was revised to add comments from Rachel Levine on the health department’s fatality data.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

April 23, 2020 | by Sara Bozich

Here’s to hoping your week was one with more good days than bad — I know we’re all on a rollercoaster.

My toddler is finally (finally?) starting to show fatigue of being around us boring old parents all the time, and even Paw Patrol isn’t as much of a lure. I’m going to have to start getting creative, because it seems like work is ramping up.

We’re seeing more and more food trucks in our ‘hood each week, which is cool. A local winery even did pickup and purchase alongside a food truck last night. If you’re a local winery or brewery interested in doing this, give me a shout.

Top Picks:

3 Crowlers for $15 at Tattered Flag Brewery & Still Works (Thursday and Sunday)
MCSquared Movie Club at Lunch – Zombi Child (Thursday) with Midtown Cinema
MCsquared – movie club discussion: Crip Camp (Friday)
- Check out Midtown Cinema’s full list of on-demand films!
Open Stage Digital Content
- Angels in America Online – Friday/Saturday/Sunday
- Storytime Theatre – 12 p.m. Thursday/Friday/Saturday
- Thank You, Ten – 7 p.m. Thursday/Friday
#HBGBeerWeek Virtual Little Big Beer Fest (Saturday)
Virtual Streaming Secret Sunday UNDERGROUND with Ploughman Cider

More ideas

Bikes & Beers Social Distancing Ride to support local breweries (ongoing)
Sitting at Home Staring Out the Window – from now til eternity
ZooAmerica is doing Virtual Zoo Visits daily with different animals (Thursday and Friday)
If you’re missing live music, Jason Carst is doing live stream performances daily. Follow him on Facebook for updates.
Online Educational Q&A sessions with The Burick Center for Health & Wellness (Thursday & Sunday)
Ted’s Midtown Virtual Bingo (Thursday)
Virtual Trivia Night! with Cassel Vineyards of Hershey (Thursday)
Boozy Bingo Livestream with ZerØday (Thursday)
Live with Martha Stewart and Michael Rips: The Golden Flea with Midtown Scholar Bookstore (Thursday)
Virtual Trivia with Mount Gretna Craft Brewery (Thursday)
Fruit Boots LIVE(stream) Good in the Dark! (Friday)
✓????’?： Bishop Briggs at Harrisburg, US | ●????????? (Friday)
Virtual Happy Hour with Hbg Beer Week & Dave Heilman with Mount Gretna Craft Brewery (Friday)
Virtual Mozzarella Class with Caputo Brothers Creamery (Friday)
Wyndridge Farm Store Drive-Thru (Thursday/Friday/Saturday)
Feel Your Boobies We TuTu For You! Virtual Event (Saturday)
Cristiano Winery Wine Pick-up (Saturday)
- More way to get local wine
Stock’s on Second Facebook Live Cooking Demo at 6 p.m. (Saturday)
- Pre-order your ingredients by Thursday to follow along!
Friends of Midtown Social Distancing Earth Day Cleanup (Saturday)
Race Against Racism Virtual 5k (Saturday)
15th Annual Logan’s Run VIRTUAL 5k & Walk for Autism (Saturday)
Dauphin County Virtual Wetlands Festival (Saturday, ongoing)

Top picks to-go/delivery

Need wine? Click here.
Need booze? Click here.
Need cocktail? Yeah, I got that too.
Brunch? For serious. Click here.
Ways to give back

Boneshire Brew Works 4-packs and growler sales 4-7 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 12-4 p.m Saturday Order online

Tattered Flag Brewery & Still Works Food, to-go beer, spirits, canned cocktails – 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Order online

Appalachian Brewing Co. – Mechanicsburg Food take-out only 4-8 p.m Monday-Thursday; 12-8 p.m. Friday-Sunday Beer + spirits take-out only – 12-8 p.m. Daily at the Mechanicsburg location Call 717-221-1080 to order View menu

Ploughman Cider Take-out cider a the Taproom 12-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday Online cider sales now available.

HOLLA Spirits Spirits available to order online 20% of all sales go to U.S. Bartenders’ Guild COVID-19 Relief Program and other virus relief funds – Read more

MoMo BBQ Co. Open for take-out and limited delivery, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Family meals available. View menus on Facebook. Call 717-550-7995

R.G. Hummer Meats & Cheese OPEN during Broad Street Market Hours (See more below) Shop in-person or Call-ahead pre-orders 717-232-4150

Fresa Bistro Open for take-out and limited call-in delivery Call 717-216-8754 or use GrubHub

Broad Street Market Open mostly normal hours; limited customer entry; some vendors closed – BUT – many offering online delivery

Raising the Bar Bakery – delivery available; order online
Sweet717 – delivery available; order online (local delivery is free!)
JB Kelly Seafood – open normal hours; delivery available
Radish & Rye – curbside pickup ONLY – Tuesday-Sunday
Full list of open vendors – Check individual stores/retailers for online/curbside/delivery options

Cornerstone Coffeehouse 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily for carryout Limited food menu available

There are MANY restaurants doing pick-up/delivery — check-in with your favorites.

Culture + Chill

Check out our Culture Vulture series – ways to experience life outside while, ahem, inside.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore Shop online here, plus SAVE 10% on used books with code SCHOLARSALE Shop new books through affiliate BookShop Enjoy virtual author events

Midtown Cinema Purchase a gift card or renew your membership now to keep them going, then reap the benefits of your purchase once they reopen! Secure a future movie night for two – with two tickets, two small popcorns, two small sodas, and two bags of candy!

Stash Vintage Shop online via Etsy All local orders free pickup or free delivery (over $35) Save 25% off your purchase of 2 or more items online, plus look for flash sales

Stay home + stay healthy!

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