Pennsylvania

• 644 confirmed cases, 6.595 tested negative, Deaths 3

Cases by county in the 10-county region per Pennsylvania Department of Health
* case count last updated at 12:00 p.m. on 3/23/2020

State Update

• It is likely that PA’s Primary Election will be moved from April 28th to June 2nd.  There is word that Legislative leaders and the Administration came to an agreement over the weekend on the postponement, and it will likely move as an amendment through SB 422, which currently resides in the House State Government Committee. The bill will also consolidate polling locations and allow for absentee ballots to be counted earlier.  It is likely the bill will be passed out of the House State Government Committee today, Monday, March 23, and be amended on the House Floor on Tuesday.
• Earlier today, the PA Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by a gun shop that challenged Governor Wolf’s authority to close “non-life-sustaining” businesses, paving the way for enforcement to begin Monday evening.  In a dissenting statement joined by two other justices, Justice David Wecht said Wolf’s order amounts to “an absolute and indefinite prohibition upon the acquisition of firearms by the citizens of this commonwealth — a result in clear tension with the Second Amendment” and the state constitution.
• The PA Department of Labor and Industry reports that we should know more about PA’s unemployment situation by the end of the week.  The agency noted that the federal government embargoed states to release detailed UC claim numbers until the US DOL releases the data on Thursday, March 26. L&I will be able to provide Pennsylvania claims data at that time.
• **Expected to have further updates after Gov. Wolf 2pm (3/23/20) press conference.**

Local Update

• Lawrence County and Mercer County have reported their first confirmed case of COVID-19

City of Pittsburgh

• Pittsburgh police will be responding to 911 and other complaints pertinent to non-essential businesses that are not complying with the Governor’s shutdown order.
• Five city firefighters are now in self-isolation; three due to recent travel internationally.
• UPMC will shut down its ambulatory surgery centers and consolidating surgeries and procedures to its hospitals.

Federal Update

• A key stimulus plan vote is scheduled for today with the U.S. Senate; Senate Democrats objected to the Senate Republican version and argued it was weighted too heavily toward corporations and not enough to working families.
• S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams stated today that this week will be a bad one.  While many are adhering to the social distancing protocol, there continues to be many who have not practiced this procedure, thus, this is how the disease is spreading.
• The U.S. National Guard has been deployed to California, New York and Washington as these states are the hardest hit relative to COVID-19.
• Kentucky senator Rand Paul is the first US Senator to test positive for COVID-19.  Utah senators Mitt Romney and Mike Lee have announced that they are now self-isolating.
• California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey have implemented the stay-at-home order for their respective states, followed by Ohio, Louisiana, and Connecticut issuing a similar mandate effective today.  Five major cities – Kansas City, Nashville, St. Louis, Philadelphia and Chicago – have also issued stay-at-home orders.
• Canada and Australia announced that their countries will not send their athletes to the Tokyo Olympics.  The International Committee is contemplating postponing the games and the U.S. Olympic Team CEO is weighing options regarding postponement after sending a survey to 4,000 hopefuls about this issue.  USA Swimming and USA Track and Field want the games postponed.
• S. Department of Justice (Western District of Texas) announced its first action in federal court to combat fraud relative to COVID-19 against a fraudulent website seeking to profit from widespread fear.  The website claimed to offer consumers to the World Health Organization vaccine kits in exchange for a $4.95 shipping charge that customers would pay be entering their credit card information.