Pennsylvania

• 18,228 confirmed cases, 87,374 tested negative, Deaths 338

Cases by county in the 10-county region per Pennsylvania Department of Health
* case count last updated at 12:00 p.m. on 4/9/2020

STATE: Cases and Hospitalizations by Age Range
Data updated as of 12:00pm on 4/9/20

Source: Pennsylvania Department of Health

State Coronavirus Updates

• Governor Wolf Extends School Closure for Remainder of Academic Year: Continuing his efforts to protect the health and safety of students and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Tom Wolf today announced that all schools will remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year. The governor made the decision in consultation with Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine and Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera. Students and families can continue to pick up meals at designated sites. Read more: https://dingo.telicon.com/PA/library/2020/2020040987.HTM.
• WSFS Bank Joins ‘PA CARE Package’ Initiative: Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced that WSFS bank has agreed to join the ‘PA CARE Package’, Pennsylvania’s consumer relief initiative. By joining these efforts, WSFS Bank, along with the Office of Attorney General, will ensure Pennsylvania consumers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for additional economic relief. Read more: https://dingo.telicon.com/PA/library/2020/2020040991.HTM.
• DCED Life-Sustaining Business FAQ Updates: Frequently asked questions related to the Governor’s Executive Order mandating closures for COVID-19 mitigation. Read more: https://www.scribd.com/document/452553495/UPDATED-11-30-AM-April-9-2020-Life-Sustaining-Business-FAQs or see attached document.

Regional Coronavirus Updates

• Allegheny County
  • The Allegheny County Health Department released an interactive dashboard Wednesday, April 8 that provides more granular data on how many COVID-19 cases have been reported in each Pittsburgh neighborhood.  Among the neighborhoods reporting the most cases in the city are Squirrel Hill South, with 18 cases; Glen Hazel, 14; Shadyside, 13; Highland Park, 11; Squirrel Hill North, 10; and Central Lawrenceville, 11. Those reporting no cases include but are not limited to Allegheny West, Allentown, Beltzhoover, Central Oakland, Chateau, East Allegheny, Homewood South, Homewood West, Larimer, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar, Middle Hill, Polish Hill, Troy Hill and the Upper Hill. The dashboard can be viewed here: https://tableau.alleghenycounty.us/t/PublicSite/views/COVID-19AlleghenyCounty/COVID-19?iframeSizedToWindow=true&:embed=y&:showAppBanner=false&:display_count=no&:showVizHome=no&:origin=viz_share_link
  • The Port Authority of Allegheny County launched a campaign to remind customers that they should be staying home unless they are essential workers or traveling for life-sustaining reasons. Riders who must leave home for essential trips like going grocery shopping or picking up prescription medication should consider traveling between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when fewer people are using public transit. Riders will soon see signs throughout the Authority’s system and on social media reinforcing these messages.
• Regional county case updates from Wednesday, April 8

Source: Pennsylvania Department of Health

Federal Coronavirus Updates

• The White House
  • President Trump is preparing to announce a second coronavirus task force solely focused on reopening the nation’s economy.  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow have been solely focused on the issue.

• Office of the Vice President
  • Vice President Mike Pence’s office has declined to allow the nation’s top health officials to appear on CNN in recent days and discuss the coronavirus pandemic killing thousands of Americans, in an attempt to pressure the network into carrying the White House’s lengthy daily briefings in full.  Pence’s office, which is responsible for booking the officials on networks during the pandemic, said it will only allow experts such as Dr. Deborah Birx or Dr. Anthony Fauci to appear on CNN if the network televises the portion of the White House briefings that includes the vice president and other coronavirus task force members.
• Federal Reserve
  • A provision in the recent recovery bill grants the Federal Reserve the right to set up a $450 billion bailout plan without following key provisions of the federal open meetings law, including announcing its meetings or keeping most records about them. The provision, the existence of which has not been previously reported, further calls into question the transparency and oversight for the biggest bailout law ever passed by Congress. President Donald Trump has indicated he does not plan to comply with another part of the new law intended to boost Congress’ oversight powers of the bailout funds. The changes at the central bank – which appear to have been inserted into the 880-page bill by sympathetic senators during the scramble to get it approved – would address a complaint that the Fed faced during the 2008 financial crisis, when board members couldn’t easily hold group conversations to address the fast-moving economic turmoil.
• United States Congress
  • Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senate Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-MD) sent a letter to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza asking her to “make clear to banks and other lenders that ESOP-owned small businesses qualify for the new Paycheck Protection Program.”
  • Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) sent a letter to the Financial Stability Oversight Council asking it to “help avert instability in the broader mortgage market by providing temporary liquidity to mortgage servicers,” noting that many servicers face an impending cash crunch as more Americans affected by the COVID-19 crisis are forced to seek economic assistance.
  • Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sent a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma asking her for interest rate and repayment flexibilities for providers participating in the Accelerated/Advance Payments Program.
• Federal Reserve
  • The Federal Reserve issued an interagency statement on loan modifications by financial institutions working with customers affected by COVID-19. The statement notes that “the agencies encourage financial institutions to work prudently with borrowers who are or may be unable to meet their contractual payment obligations because of the effects of COVID-19. The agencies view loan modification programs as positive actions that can mitigate adverse effects on borrowers.”
• Treasury and Small Business Administration
  • The Treasury Department issued updated FAQs regarding the Paycheck Protection Program. Updates include a question on whether lenders have to use a promissory note provided by SBA and another question with respect to when the eight-week period begins. President Trump discussed the PPP program with representatives from several banks yesterday, where they urged the President to fix problems with the SBA’s system which has crashed since the program launched. It was reported that lenders have processed over 300,000 applications, totaling over $100 billion.
• Department of Homeland Security
  • The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a temporary final rule to allocate certain scarce or threatened materials for domestic use to ensure that the materials are not exported from the United States. The rule covers five types of personal protective equipment. FEMA notes that “while this rule remains in effect, and subject to certain exemptions stated below, no shipments of such designated materials may leave the United States without explicit approval by FEMA.” The rule is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on April 10, 2020.
• Health and Human Services
  • The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced several updated guidance documents focused on infection control in a variety of settings. This includes updated infection control guidance for hospitals as well as updated guidance for outpatient settings. In addition, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health issued guidance today authorizing licensed pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
• Coronavirus Task Force
  • The Coronavirus Task Force informed policymakers today that the Administration is working on guidance to safely reopen the economy, which could be released in the coming days; the reopening could begin in four to eight weeks.

National Coronavirus Updates

• 16+ million have filed for unemployment benefits in the last three weeks.
• The Federal Reserve unveiled an array of programs Thursday that it would provide $2.3 trillion in loans, expanding the Fed’s operations to reach small and midsize businesses and U.S. cities and states.  The Fed also said it would expand previously announced corporate lending programs to include some classes of riskier debt that had been excluded, including allowing firms that until recently had been rated as investment-grade to participate in those facilities.
• As of 12:00 p.m. Thursday, April 9, 14,829 individuals have died from the coronavirus in the United States.