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.

State Government:

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

Dept of Human Services:

• “Department of Human Services Announces Applicants Selected for HealthChoices Program Procurement” : https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/DHS_details.aspx?newsid=566
• “Human Services Seeks Vendors to Implement Resource and Referral Tool to Improve Health Outcomes” : https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/DHS_details.aspx?newsid=565

Dept of Health:

• “Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19, 849 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 92,148” : https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Health-Details.aspx?newsid=900
  • 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 DOH website- updated today at 12:00pm)
  • Total Cases: 4,673 cases
  • Confirmed: 4,572
  • Probable: 101
  • Negative: 33,737
  • Cases per 100,000: 859.70

National News:

Washington Post:

The latest

• President Trump and senior administration officials on Wednesday ramped up pressure on schools to reopen in the fall, and downplayed the recommendations of their own health experts. Trump tweeted that the safety measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — like spacing desks apart and wearing masks — are “very impractical” for schools. Vice President Pence said at a task force briefing that the agency would issue additional recommendations next week that would provide “more clarity.” (Scroll down to see how other countries are handling reopening schools.)
• As the United States hit 3 million confirmed cases and hospitals in some states reach capacity, the Trump administration’s covid-19 response coordinator Deborah Birx acknowledged Tuesday that the country underestimated the spread among young Americans. Birx said states that weren't hard-hit early on “thought they would be forever spared through this,” and when they reopened their economies, they didn’t expect surges spurred by cohorts of mostly millennials.
• Florida is one of the places where officials believe young people are driving up the infection rate. The state at one time seemed like a great place to emerge from isolation — Republicans picked it for their convention and sports leagues chose it to build a bubble of safety around players. But now Florida is a coronavirus epicenter, reporting around 10,000 new cases per day since last week, and hospitals there are running out of beds.
• The Post's Philip Bump analyzed county-level case numbers to determine where the coronavirus is most pervasive. Combined with population data, he found that more than one-fifth of the country's population — 71.5 million people — live in counties with new highs in coronavirus cases as of early this week. Read the analysis and check out the charts and maps to see your area.
• Volunteers can now sign up for large coronavirus vaccine studies. The Covid-19 Prevention Trials Network launched with a website for volunteers to be considered when the first trials begin later this month. At least five such large vaccine trials are planned through the network over the coming months, along with other preventative treatments like antibody drugs. Learn about the trials and how you can volunteer.
• Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are suing the Trump administration after it announced that visas would not be issued to students enrolled in schools that are fully online for the fall semester, and that those students would be barred from entering the country. University officials had been preparing for the fall under the assumption that the federal government would continue to grant flexibility during the pandemic.

Other important news

• Fact Checker: Trump’s four Pinocchio claim that 99 percent of coronavirus cases are ‘totally harmless’.
• Despite receiving billions in federal aid, United Airlines says it may furlough as many as 36,000 workers on Oct. 1 because of pandemic losses.
• Republicans are split over whether to attend the GOP convention in Jacksonville, Fla., next month. So far, five senators have said they won't and one specifically cited the pandemic.
• After railing against federal spending, Republican lawmakers and conservative groups are benefiting from the coronavirus aid program.
• A senator wants to ban middle seats on airplanes after finding himself on a packed pandemic flight.

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
• Local Govt:
  • 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 Med/LGH:
  • 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

___________________________________________________________________________________________

NEW

Summer Learning Program: Online Learning - July 9, 2020 - August 7, 2020

• This summer learning enrichment program is designed to offer virtual academic skill-building in math and literacy to approximately 600 Lancaster County students PreK through Grade 8 using a high-quality curriculum and engaging instructional materials developed by BellXcel. This program, offered through the Lancaster Partnership for Learning Equity, is committed to providing learners with the digital access and support needed to prevent academic slide over the summer and to prepare them to participate fully in virtual learning opportunities in the future
  • Student registration link here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2020SLapp?fbclid=IwAR1GE2jsALuuNQrHr6XiaPXdgfMGV7vBWYRZjb4UMN5OWEUip7EsGF5hGK4
    • **Students who meet income eligibility requirements for technology are able to keep their laptops!
  • A community organization wants to sign their summer camp or daycare program up, that registration is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8CW7DN9
  • Flyer is attached

Eviction Prevention Network

• Rental assistance and eviction prevention services are available across the county through the Eviction Prevention Network in partnership with the city and county government and county redevelopment authority. There are two pathways for landlords and tenants to get help, detailed at http://www.lchra.com/rental-homeowner-assistance/.