From left, Lancaster County Commissioners Craig Lehman, Josh Parsons and Ray D’Agostino. The Lancaster County commissioners on Wednesday approved a plan for distributing $25 million in federal CARES Act money to help county businesses. The arrangement formalizes the Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, with the Lancaster Chamber and the Lancaster County Economic Development Company that…
Information About Covid-19 Coronavirus in Lancaster County, PA
Flatten the Other Curve
During this coronavirus pandemic, we are all using public health language that that is new to us. Recommendations to physically distance, avoiding touching the face, and wear masks in public are all intended to “flatten the curve” of the pandemic so that hospitals can handle the number of patients seeking care, and are not overwhelmed.…
Managing Anxiety with Mindful Awareness
On Friday, May 29, noon-1 pm, Community Services Group will offer Managing Anxiety with Mindful Awareness, a session on building awareness of anxiety symptoms and developing simple, practical skills to manage them. Kory Anderson, MA, LPC, an Outpatient Therapist and Clinical Coordinator for CSG, will guide you through how to tap into mindfulness practices to…
These sites let you follow states as they reopen
The MultiState reopening guide: The lighter the shade, the more open the state. (Source: MultiState.us) As states reopen their economies following their Covid-19 lockdowns, they are taking a variety of approaches. As of mid-May all 50 states had taken at least some steps to reopen. National media outlets are tracking their policies on online state-by-state…
News: Wednesday, May 27
The Pennsylvania State Capitol. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) Covid-19 headlines for Wednesday, May 27, 2020: • State enforces business-closure orders: Two York County diners have had their operating licenses suspended for opening in violation of Gov. Wolf’s stay-at-home order. Two gyms in eastern Pennsylvania have been cited for opening. (Source: CBS 21) • Stopgap budget passes…
Daily Policy Update
Each day a summary of news and information that has been gathered from community partners and credible news sites will be posted. Governor: “Gov. Wolf Thanks Pennsylvanians for Their Part to Slow the Spread of COVID-19, Centre County to Move to Green” : https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-thanks-pennsylvanians-for-continuing-to-do-their-part-to-slow-the-spread-of-covid-19/ State Government: General COVID resources: https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/ Dept. of…
Helping Kids Cope
Someone recently came to me asking for advice on how to talk to their child about the pandemic and social distancing. Their 6-year old daughter had been managing well, but last week had a “meltdown”, not understanding why she couldn’t go back to school, visit her friends, etc. That is so hard! Adults are struggling…
Help Needed for Polo Match, Meals on Wheels, Science Center
Just over two months ago, our community was rocked by the news that COVID-19 had reached Pennsylvania. There were new rules about where we could go, what we could do and who we could spend time with. Although abiding by all of these new guidelines seemed strange at first, people adjusted to the new standards…
News: Tuesday, May 26
This frame from an online video shows a pool party at Backwater Jack’s Bar and Grill in Lake of the Ozarks over the Memorial Day weekend. (Source: Scott Passmore via Twitter) Covid-19 headlines for Tuesday, May 26, 2020: • Vote-by-mail deadline is today: Pennsylvania’s primary is Tuesday, June 2, and today, May 26, is the…
A Hidden Danger of Lockdown: Child and Domestic Abuse Reports Dropped in First Weeks of Pandemic
WILL THE END OF STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS BRING A SURGE OF CRIMINAL CHARGES? Avid readers of the LNP police log today could see a disturbing pattern: A 30-year-old man was charged with harassment after he slapped a person holding a child. A 26-year-old man was charged with strangulation after he attacked a juvenile girl and choked…
Daily Policy Update
Each day a summary of news and information that has been gathered from community partners and credible news sites will be posted. Governor: “Gov. Wolf Adds Eight Counties to Yellow and 17 to Green on May 29, Remainder to Yellow on June 5” : https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-adds-eight-counties-to-yellow-and-17-to-green-on-may-29-remainder-to-yellow-on-june-5/ “Wolf Administration Releases Summer Camp and Recreation Guidance” :…
Volunteers keep Meals on Wheels delivering during Covid-19
Volunteer Darin Viergutz slices a cake while preparing desserts at Meals on Wheels of Lancaster on Wednesday, May 13, 2020. Hunger drains you, and it doesn’t care who you are, Darin Viergutz says, pausing a second as he works in the Meals on Wheels of Lancaster kitchen on Manheim Pike. “When you feed somebody, it’s…
Community Organizations Partner to Feed Lancaster County’s Most Vulnerable
Nine area nonprofit organizations partnered at Clipper Stadium to assemble, package, and ultimately deliver 5,000 meals to families served by Meals On Wheels throughout Lancaster County, as well as the Lancaster County Office of Aging through their network of Senior Centers. Volunteers assembled shelf-stable meals that will be distributed to 1,000 Lancaster County recipients. These…
Wolf: Final counties, including Lancaster, to go ‘yellow’ June 5
Update: Lancaster County will be in the final group of counties to move to Pennsylvania’s “yellow” phase and begin reopening their economies, Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday. The governor said eight counties will move to “yellow” on May 29. They are Dauphin, Franklin, Huntington, Lebanon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike and Schuylkill. The remainder, he said, will…
Yearning to get out? Dig in.
There is something cathartic about digging through the dirt. The pandemic has turned many of us into semi-professional landscapers and hikers. I know that I for one have gone on more trail runs in the last month than I have in my entire life. That’s because while so often I think I am yearning for…
Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
Lancaster County Office on Aging is accepting applications for the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). SFMNP provides low income seniors with fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs from approved farmers in Pennsylvania. To be eligible for SFMNP, seniors must be 60 or older by December 31st of the program year and…
News: Friday, May 22
Counties in dark yellow moved to Pennsylvania’s “yellow phase” of reopening on May 15, 2020, or before. The ones in bright yellow are scheduled to shift on May 22. Covid-19 headlines for Friday, May 22, 2020: • Nearby counties turn ‘yellow’: Six southcentral Pennsylvania counties, including York County, can begin reopening their economies. Gov. Tom…
Daily Policy Update
Each day a summary of news and information that has been gathered from community partners and credible news sites will be posted. Governor: “Gov. Wolf Signs Cocktails-to-Go Bill” : https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-signs-cocktails-to-go-bill/ “Wolf Administration Awards $9.6 million in Grants to Help the Charitable Food System” : https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/wolf-administration-awards-9-6-million-in-grants-to-help-the-charitable-food-system/ State Government: General COVID resources: https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/ Dept.…