Pennsylvania

• 12,980 confirmed cases, 70,874 tested negative, Deaths 162

Cases by county in the 10-county region per Pennsylvania Department of Health
* case count last updated at 12:00 p.m. on 4/6/2020

State Updates

• State Launches Manufacturing Call to Action Portal:
  • With the on-going need for PPE and other critical medical supplies, the Wolf administration has launched a Manufacturing Call to Action portal, with the intent to:
    • Match Pennsylvania manufacturers and distributors to fill specific supply chain needs to meet increasing demands for medical supplies and related products.
    • Assist Pennsylvania manufacturers who have workforce needs or gaps and assist them with identifying skilled workers.
    • Identify Pennsylvania manufacturers who can pivot or innovate to fulfill the demand for medical supplies and related products.
  • The administration welcomes manufacturers as described above with a Pennsylvania presence to inform the state of capabilities, needs, gaps or potential innovative solutions. To submit information, visit https://spportal.dot.pa.gov/ppeinventory/pages/mschain.aspx.
• The PA General Assembly will be in session this week.  Notable highlights from what’s listed in the Senate committee meeting agendas are legislative vehicles for the state budget (introduced in early February), will begin being positioned for future action, and a bill to allow for the remote notarization of documents is to be considered by Senate State Government Committee. Over in the House, the House State Government Committee appears as though it will consider a few bills related to the state’s regulatory review process.
• Citizens Bank Joins ‘PA CARE Package’ Initiative: Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced that Citizens Bank has agreed to join the ‘PA CARE Package’, Pennsylvania’s consumer relief initiative. By joining these efforts, Citizens Bank, along with the Office of Attorney General, will ensure Pennsylvania consumers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for additional economic relief. Under the ‘PA CARE Package’ initiative, banks and financial institutions are working with the Office’s Bureau of Consumer Protection to both comply with the recently-passed CARES Act and offer additional important protections for consumers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit: https://dingo.telicon.com/PA/library/2020/2020040685.HTM.

Regional Coronavirus Update

• Allegheny County: Percentage Increase of New Positives By Date

Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station

• The 911 Airlift Wing, based out of the Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station at the Pittsburgh International Airport, has mobilized approximately ten airmen in response to COVID-19 efforts in New York City; these airmen will be providing medical assistance to medical providers and first responders.

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank

• The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is holding another emergency drive-up food distribution event on Monday at its Duquesne warehouse.

Port Authority of Allegheny County

• A second Port Authority of Allegheny County bus driver, who works out of the West Mifflin garage, has tested positive for coronavirus; the driver has been in self-quarantine since April 1.
• Port Authority CEO Katherine Kelleman extended her sincere appreciation to federal, state and local officials for their efforts in supporting public transit during the ongoing global pandemic.  https://www.portauthority.org/siteassets/inside-the-pa/media-center/press-releases/2020/04032020pressrelease.pdf.

Arnold Palmer Regional Airport

• Commercial flights at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport will stop service beginning on Wednesday and will furlough one-third of its 90 workers. Spirit Airlines will continue to operate its daily schedules through Tuesday but then will stop all air traffic there through at least May 4.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.  CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.  Instructions on making masks can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/DIY-cloth-face-covering-instructions.pdf.

The White House

• The president said on Saturday said that he won’t wear a face mask, despite announcing new CDC guidelines suggesting all Americans wear one when in public. He further stated that face mask wearing is a recommendation.

U.S. Surgeon General

• Surgeon General Jerome Adams stated on Sunday that this week will the hardest and the saddest for Americans, describing that the coronavirus outbreak as Pearl Harbor and 911 moments.  The death toll in the United States is now 9,674.

United States Senate

• Four U.S. senators, Robert Menendez, Richard Blumenthal, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook on Friday asking questions about the company’s COVID-19 app and how it handles personal data from the app and whether it complies with the healthcare data regulation HIPAA.  The senators also ask for specific terms of any agreement between your company and the federal government and/or state governments.  Apple released a screening app and website called COVID-19 in March in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control, the White House-led coronavirus task force and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The app includes a screening tool for COVID-19 symptoms as well as up-to-date information from trusted sources about the coronavirus outbreak. Apple is not providing any tests.
• U.S. senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, both from Michigan, co-sponsored bipartisan legislation on Saturday that pushed for more federal relief funding for Michigan families affected by the coronavirus disease 2019.

U.S. Department of Defense

• The Defense Department is adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic and leaders at all levels are looking at resources, processes and personnel needed to fight the virus:  1. Army field hospitals deployed to New York and Seattle have been cleared to handle COVID-19 patients. Originally, they were going to treat trauma victims; 2. The Army Corps of Engineers is working closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, governors and mayors to set up temporary field hospitals in the areas with the greatest need; 3.  The department continues to provide medical supplies to civilian hospitals and the department has turned over 5 million N-95 masks to HHS, and Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper has approved turning over another 5 million masks from the strategic stockpile; and 4. Almost 20,000 National Guardsmen nationwide are working to combat COVID-19.