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: Mask-Wearing is Required, Critical to Stop COVID-19 Spread” : https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-mask-wearing-is-required-critical-to-stop-COVID-19-spread/
• “Governor Wolf Signs Law to Help Prepare for the General Election” : https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/governor-wolf-signs-law-to-help-prepare-for-the-general-election/
• “Gov. Wolf Honors Juneteenth National Freedom Day” : https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-honors-juneteenth-national-freedom-day/
• “Gov. Wolf, Commission on Latino Affairs Release Statements on Upholding of DACA Program” : https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-commission-on-latino-affairs-release-statements-on-upholding-of-daca-program/

 

State Government:

General COVID resources: https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-COVID-19/

 

Dept. of Labor & Industry:

• “L&I Secretary: Governor Wolf’s Disaster Declaration Needed to Help People Out of Work, Reduce Employer Costs” : https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Labor-and-Industry-Details.aspx?newsid=463
• “L&I Offers Reminders About Summer Job Rules for Teens and COVID-19 Workplace Safety” : https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Labor-and-Industry-Details.aspx?newsid=464
• “Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Rate At 13.1 Percent in May” : https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Labor-and-Industry-Details.aspx?newsid=465 (April: 15.1%; March: 6.0%; Feb: 4.7%)

 

Dept. of Health:

• “Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19, 418 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 80,236” : https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Health-Details.aspx?newsid=866
  • Link to Statewide map of testing sites: https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Symptoms-Testing.aspx?fbclid=IwAR0q72qATsxBX9zL0KMErYO_OQZutSgVMY1I4fEEa8-3zcHN_7WixZ-VFAY
  • COVID-19 Data: https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Cases.aspx
• Lancaster Stats: (According to Dept. of Health website- updated today at 12:00pm)
  • Total Cases: 3,867 cases.
  • Confirmed: 3,783
  • Probable: 84
  • Negative: 22,900
  • Cases per 100,000: 711.40

 

National News:

Washington Post:

The latest

• Treating people with antibodies from a recovered person's blood is a safe and possibly beneficial treatment for COVID-19, a new study shows. Though the researchers say it's difficult to draw hard conclusions from it, the study of 20,000 hospitalized patients found that blood plasma transfusions lowered the mortality rate of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The news is encouraging, but it also shows the difficulty of conducting conclusive studies in the midst of a global pandemic.
• In an interview with The Washington Post, Anthony S. Fauci stressed that the United States shouldn't be so concerned about a second wave “because we’re still in the first wave.” Watch the interview, where Fauci answers questions about how we've handled the outbreak so far and what we need to do to end it.
• In March, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) ordered anyone flying into Florida from New York to self-quarantine for two weeks. At the time, New York was the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. Now New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) says he's considering a quarantine order for travelers from Florida, one of the new hot spots, in the latest sign of the states’ reversing fortunes.
• Despite a recommendation from Tulsa's health director to postpone the event, the city's Republican mayor said President Trump's decision to hold a rally there was “an honor.” But holding an indoor rally in Tulsa is a unique problem. Not only is the coronavirus more transmissible indoors than out, the seven-day average of new coronavirus cases in both Tulsa County and the state of Oklahoma hit new highs on Tuesday. The virus is peaking there as Trump will gather 19,000 people indoors with no guarantee that anyone will wear a mask.
• Last week, White House economic adviser Peter Navarro told Fox Business that Trump wanted the next stimulus package to contain big measures to boost domestic manufacturing, and expected it would cost more than $2 trillion. Administration officials said Navarro “went rogue” and was not speaking for the rest of them. The startled reaction to his comments highlight the widening White House fissures over how to handle the fragile economic recovery this summer.
• In one Chinese city, the African population and black residents said they became the targets of a crackdown from local officials over unfounded fears that Africans were more likely to be carriers of the coronavirus. Read The Fact Checker's analysis and watch the videos that show Africans and the larger black community faced evictions, discrimination and restriction of their movements over coronavirus fears.

Other important news

• A man's tweet that he was kicked off a flight for not wearing a face mask went viral. But a New York Times reporter who was coincidentally on the same airplane said there's more to the story.
• A GOP sheriff vowed not to enforce Arizona’s coronavirus restrictions. Now he’s tested positive.
• An additional 1.5 million workers filed for unemployment insurance for the first time last week, a drop of just 58,000 claims from the week before.
• Major League Baseball and its union continue to bicker over a deal that would salvage a truncated 2020 season, and frustration is building. At the same time, Fauci is warning that NFL players would need to be placed in a “bubble” environment, isolated from others, for a season to be successfully staged this fall. And in college football, the University of Texas announced that 13 of its players have tested positive or are presumed positive for coronavirus.
• The Bush Fire in Arizona is only 5 percent contained, and about 2,000 people being told to evacuate as cases and hospitalizations in the state climb rapidly

 

Recurring Resources:

• OneUnitedLancaster.com
  • United Way of Lancaster County has launched a new website, OneUnitedLancaster.com. This digital source of information for our community works in tandem with United Way's 2-1-1 resources to connect people and resources during this time of upheaval.
  • The Asset Map is a county-wide resource for all to utilize. If you need to add/update/delete information please follow the link here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UWMAP20

 

• Lancaster Chamber:
  • Website updated daily: https://www.lancasterchamber.com/Apps/Pages/coronavirusnews
  • INFORMATIONAL WEBINARS/TRAINING:
    • Workplace Considerations & Compliance
      This webinar featured Steve Matzura and Austin Wolfe of McNees Wallace & Nurick as they discussed workplace safety measures, employer mandates related to building safety, cleaning measures and employee requirements, and OSHA guidance and compliance.
      ACCESS NOW
    • Workplace Considerations: Practical Strategies for your Workplace and Workforce
      Learn more about change management, how to create new norms, develop effective communication strategies, tips & tricks for outfitting your space and workforce and how to navigate new realities and challenges of the workplace in alignment with CDC and State guidelines as Pennsylvania prepares to reopen.
      ACCESS NOW
    • Maintaining A Compliant Workplace & Workforce Under COVID-19 Restrictions
      This webinar will cover steps employers are taking to comply with the Governor's orders and the implications to the workplace and workforce. It will specifically address: 1) what do employers need to do to maintain a safe working environment; 2) what are the OSHA, whistleblower, and workers' compensation considerations; and 3) what are the employees rights from a non-union and union perspective (e.g. protected concerted activity)
      ACCESS NOW

 

• Local Government:
  • Mayor Danene Sorace is hosting daily briefings on Facebook every night at 5pm
  • The County has a COVID site to keep up to date with their response: https://co.lancaster.pa.us/1296/Coronavirus-Disease-COVID-19

 

• Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health:
  • Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health COVID-19 Data: online dashboard with COVID-19 testing and patient data. The site is accessible from the LGHealth.org homepage (click “data” in the top red banner), or at the link below. Data is updated each morning.
    • https://www.lancastergeneralhealth.org/news/COVID-19-data-for-lg-health

 

• WellSpan Health System:
  • WellSpan COVID-19 data dashboard.
    • https://www.wellspan.org/coronavirus/coronavirus-(COVID-19)-data/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=alertbanner-datadashboard&utm_campaign=Coronavirus

 

• Meals: Hunger Free Lancaster
  • Hunger Free Lancaster County: https://hungerfreelancaster.org/resources/important-resources-during-COVID-19/

 

• Childcare:
  • Resource to find childcare providers with waivers: https://www.dhs.pa.gov/providers/Providers/Pages/Coronavirus-Child-Care.aspx

 

Recovery Lancaster:

• UPDATE: RecoveryLancaster.com Info
  • RecoveryLancaster.com, a website stemming from the Economic Recovery Plan for Lancaster County by the Lancaster Chamber, the Economic Development Company of Lancaster County, and the County of Lancaster, is your hub for information to get your business back on track.
  • Quick notes to keep you updated on this resource:
    • Grant Opportunity Available Starting June 15 - Are You Prepared?
      Are you a business with 20 employees or fewer? If so, you can apply for a grant starting next week. The grant is not first-come, first-serve. Grants are awarded based on a variety of criteria. Get the details and see what you have to do to prepare with our FAQ sheet and our What You Need To Know guide.
      LEARN MORE
    • Get Your FREE PPE KIT NOW!
      Are You A Business With 100 Employees or Fewer? You can now sign up for a free kit that includes a mix of personal protective equipment, as well as some cleaning and disinfecting materials. The sign up is simple, easy, and you will get the kit delivered within days of your order!
      GET YOUR KIT
    • Best Practices Are Now Available
      From restaurants to retail, to accommodations to construction, we are offering a variety of video and powerpoint resources to help walk through what your business needs right now to succeed.
      EXPLORE THE HUB

 

Summer Meals:

• Please click to see a flyer for Cocalico’s new schedule for summer meals which is different from the regular school year distribution.

 

Housing

• “Homeowners and renters catch a break: Evictions and foreclosures are on pause for another two months” https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/17/success/fha-eviction-and-foreclosure-moratorium-extended/index.html

 

REMEMBER:

• The 2020 Census is underway and the deadline to respond has been extended to September 3, 2020!