Pennsylvania Ping!
Please ping me with articles of interest.
FReepmail me to be added to the list.
Posted on 11/09/2020 12:56:56 PM PST by lightman
Pennsylvania’s health secretary said Monday that COVID-19 is spreading at a troubling rate, but the state has no plans for a statewide shutdown of schools similar to last spring.
However, the level of COVID-19 spread in many counties has the state advising local schools to shift toward remote learning or even cease classroom instruction.
“We absolutely do not plan to have a general school closure as happened in spring, but we might continue to make adjustments to our recommendations to schools,” Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Remember, all the guidance and recommendations are just that. They are not orders and there is local control in Pennsylvania and those decisions are being made by local authorities.”
The latest recommendations from the state call for schools to shift entirely to remote learning if the weekly COVID-19 incidence rate in their county is more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents, or the rate of positive COVID-19 tests is more than 10%.
As of Monday, 38 counties are above that threshold: Adams, Armstrong, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Clarion, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Mercer, Mifflin, Montgomery, Northampton, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Tioga, Union, Venango, Wyoming. That’s about a dozen more than a week ago.
Still, many school districts in those counties may choose to continue classroom education, regardless of the state’s advice, Mark DiRocco, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, said on Monday.
DiRocco noted that districts have the ability to find out the transmission rate in their specific zip code, which may be lower than the county rate. In that case, they might conclude it’s safe to continue classroom education, he said.
Moreover, if a district or school has few cases among its staff and students, it might conclude there are additional steps it can take to keep out COVID-19 without eliminating classroom learning. Or schools might cease classroom education at a specific school or school for a week or so, or for a longer period such Thanksgiving through the Christmas holidays, he said.
“It doesn’t mean the district has to shut down. But they have to weigh the recommendation from the department of health, talk to their solicitor, talk to their school board, then make the decision that’s in the best interests of students and staff,” DiRocco said. “I think what you’re going to see is a variety of approaches.”
The state’s official guidance to schools says such decisions “require a great deal of consideration of local factors including size of the school entity, classroom size, school resources, proportion of staff and students with special needs and underlying health conditions, and the ability to accommodate remote learning with equal access for all students.”
As of Monday, 1,735 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, up 500 from a week earlier, and up more than 1,000 since the beginning of September.
Moreover, 52 of the state’s 67 counties have a positive test rate of more than 5%, meaning COVID-19 is spreading at a troubling rate. That’s 12 more counties than a week ago.
New Jersey on Monday announced new restrictions on bars and restaurants. Levine was asked if Pennsylvania plans any new restrictions, or might consider a return to the state-imposed red- and yellow-phased shutdowns of the spring.
She replied that Pennsylvania’s strategy for controlling COVID-19 centers on containing and mitigating spread and awaiting a vaccine to prevent it.
“We already have mitigation orders in place. There is a universal masking order in place. There are restrictions in terms of indoor capacity for restaurants and on large gatherings indoors and outdoors,” she said. “We will continue those and continue to enforce them.”
Levine said Pennsylvania hospitals aren’t getting overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, although some small, rural hospitals in the northcentral part of the state are “challenged” by the increase in cases.
She said there’s an uptick in cases at long term care facilities, but “nothing like we saw in spring.”
Testing is way up.
Deaths are way down.
What's the problem?
Pennsylvania Ping!
Please ping me with articles of interest.
FReepmail me to be added to the list.
What better way to ensure the next generation is ignorant and become zombie Democrats?.................
“...”Cases” are up. Testing is way up. Deaths are way down.
What’s the problem?...”
Communist RATs and their mentally-disturbed health director.
DUH.
After killing off 5907 long term care residents (as of today) there aren't many vulnerable left.
BTW there were 4 COVID deaths statewide on Saturday and 5 on Sunday.
More people died in vehicle accidents.
Transitioning the school children..into germ and or agoraphobics?
That’s soooooo yesterday. Who needs to create actual democrats when you can have virtual ones.
The problem is they cranked the “cycles” setting on the RT-PCR analyzers up to 35-40 and they detect every bit of viral RNA possible.
A “case” no longer means you are 1) symptomatic, 2) feeling ill or 3) are contagious. But big bucks are paid out for “cases” and “cases” is what you get.
Complacent cowards, i.e. good citizens.
Cousin IT needs to STFU
The problem is we didn’t have a President Biden who would have taken this seriously and forced everybody in the entire nation to wear masks 24x7. But that will be fixed soon.
I can’t wait to see all the National Guard units deployed to enforce a national mask order.
It’s all about the teachers. They need time off for more rioting.
Cousin It doesn’t deserve your slander!
Lying about Covid is UP
Ping
sigh...Does Tom Wolf think he’s half-way home and woke-dancing as fast as he can to get noticed for a position in the faux “Biden Adm”?
Oh...but then what is Wolf going to do about the PA 2020 election corruption? Did he screw up PA’s part in the election coup?
BTW:
Letter From PA House Speaker to Gov: No Certification Without Full Audit
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3904007/posts
This interesting because the Christian School in Lynden, WA opened on time with no masks and have had no trouble. Masks are not required Lynden. The public schools in the country are still closed and are sending representatives to Lynden Christian to observe what they are doing. The public schools were supposed to open part time last Thursday. Don’t know whether they did or not.
Stop testing so damn much and the number of new cases will decrease dramatically!
That is EXACTLY my fear. We are raising a generation who will be scared of their own shadow.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/usa/pennsylvania/
Look at new cases and new deaths
These people are fools
Want tp punish the Trump voters????
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.