Coronavirus category, Page 197
Lawsuit on behalf of Missouri meat plant workers dismissed
O’FALLON, Mo. — A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of employees at a rural Missouri meatpacking facility, ruling that oversight of how the plant adheres to guidance aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus falls to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, not the courts. U.S....
Peduto: Coronavirus could bring pop-up drive-in theaters to Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is looking for creative ways to allow safe social activities — including pop-up drive-in theaters — if coronavirus restrictions are necessary through summer months, Mayor Bill Peduto said Wednesday. Peduto, addressing reporters during a teleconference, said traditional activities such as Little League baseball, the city’s annual Fourth of July...
Pittsburgh’s Jewish Association on Aging will hold in-person Mother’s Day visits through windows
Mother’s Day visits amid coronavirus restrictions at nursing and personal care homes will be possible at the Jewish Association on Aging facilities in Pittsburgh. There’s no hugging, though. The in-person Mother’s Day visits at Charles Morris Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Weinberg Terrace and Weinberg Village will be held through plexiglass...
Uber lays off 3,700 as coronavirus upends sharing economy
NEW YORK — In a world where the coronavirus pandemic has turned social distancing into a new way of life, companies whose business models bank on people’s willingness to share their personal space are now struggling. Uber said Wednesday it’s cutting 3,700 full-time workers, or about 14% of its workforce,...
Britain to ease some covid-19 lockdown measures next week
LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said he plans to ease some covid-19 lockdown rules next week but warned that lifting measures too early could deepen Britain’s economic crisis. “We want, if we possibly can, to get going with (lifting) some of these measures on Monday,” Johnson told...
Pennsylvania to hire civilians to ramp up coronavirus contact tracing
Pennsylvania will hire civilians to bolster contact tracing across the state in an effort to better contain and mitigate the coronavirus, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday. The group, called the Commonwealth Civilian Coronavirus Corps, “will reduce our unemployment rate while making a lasting health and economic contribution to our Commonwealth,”...
Dallas salon owner jailed for defying coronavirus shutdown orderVideo
DALLAS — A Texas’ judge’s decision to jail a hair salon owner for defying restrictions meant to limit the spread of the coronavirus has drawn criticism from the governor and state attorney general. Shelley Luther was booked in the Dallas County jail on Tuesday afternoon following a video hearing during...
Some beaches popular with Pittsburghers have reopened, others waiting during pandemicVideo
Western Pennsylvanians eager to get to their favorite beaches once stay-at-home orders are lifted might have to wait a little longer as beach towns rebound from effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Down the East Coast from New Jersey to Florida, officials are working to determine the best times to reopen...
Rats are eating each other in Pittsburgh amid waste shortage caused by coronavirus closures
Turf wars among rats that are resorting to cannibalism because of less available garbage to scavenge isn’t something just happening in New York, New Orleans or some other far-away metro areas during the coronavirus pandemic. “It is no different here in Pittsburgh as just like these metro cities, with restaurants...
Most new covid-19 patients in N.Y. not working, older: surveyVideo
NEW YORK — The great majority of people being newly hospitalized with the coronavirus in New York are either retired or unemployed and were avoiding public transit, according to a new state survey, the first such look at people still getting seriously ill despite six weeks of severe social distancing....
PWSA: Water in shuttered buildings could contain contaminants like Legionella
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority is warning building owners that water in structures shuttered during the coronavirus pandemic could contain contaminants. PWSA advised owners Wednesday to develop a water management plan before reopening buildings for employees and the public. Water standing in pipes for long periods can contain contaminants,...
Google’s Pittsburgh office raises $110,000 for families hit by coronavirus crisis
Google’s Pittsburgh office has raised over $110,000 for the GiveDirectly relief fund which will provide $1,000 direct cash payments to area families hardest hit by the covid-19 crisis. In all, the money donated by Google employees and Google.org will go to support 110 local families. Google.org’s seed donation is part...
Pennsylvania reports 94 new coronavirus deaths, 4th straight day with under 1,000 new cases
Another 94 Pennsylvanians have died from the coronavirus, state health officials said Wednesday, pushing the statewide death toll above 3,100. The state also added 888 new cases of covid-19 between 12 a.m. Tuesday to 12 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. The running state total is now 51,845 cases since the first...
Brighton Heights artist shares puppet costumes with Pittsburgh during pandemic
Giant puppets are popping up around Pittsburgh. One might see them standing near a front door, walking down a street or dancing to music. The colorful characters are courtesy of Brighton Heights artist Cheryl Capezzuti. She has hundreds of puppet costumes housed in her North Side studio. They’ve been used...
Small businesses slash more than 11 million jobs in April
NEW YORK — The nation’s small businesses slashed more than 11 million jobs in April as they were forced to close or suffered steep revenue losses amid the coronavirus outbreak. The tally from ADP counts jobs lost at the payroll provider’s business customers with under 500 workers. The smallest companies,...
Allegheny County reports 19 more coronavirus cases, 2 deaths
Allegheny County officials reported 19 additional cases of covid-19 and two more deaths Wednesday, bringing the total to 1,394 confirmed or probable cases and 111 deaths countywide. That’s compared to 10 additional cases and seven deaths reported Tuesday. The county reported no new deaths Monday or Sunday, which could have...
Rep. John Joyce: America must hold China accountable for coronavirus
Over the past few months, the coronavirus has raced across the world, attacking innocent victims and causing economic strife. This unprecedented crisis has mobilized President Trump and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to take aggressive action to slow its spread. Too many Pennsylvanians have lost their livelihoods and, in some tragic...
Trump: Covid-19 task force not dismantling, just refocusingVideo
PHOENIX — One day after saying that the covid-19 task force would be winding down, President Donald Trump said Wednesday that it would continue indefinitely, but focus more on rebooting the economy. Trump tweeted that the panel’s focus would be on “SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN.” Trump’s reversal...
The second virus wave: How bad will it be as lockdowns ease?Video
ROME — From the marbled halls of Italy to the wheat fields of Kansas, health authorities are increasingly warning that the question isn’t whether a second wave of coronavirus infections and deaths will hit, but when — and how badly. In India, which partly relaxed its lockdown this week, health...
NYC mayor: Other states may be reopening too quicklyVideo
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that rising coronavirus infection rates outside of the New York metropolitan area should serve as a warning to other states not to reopen their economies too quickly. De Blasio said on CNN’s “New Day” that new data showing...
Spain to avert political crisis, extend virus lockdownVideo
MADRID — Spain’s left-wing coalition government appears to have averted throwing the country into a political crisis on top of the enormous challenge it already faces from a devastating coronavirus outbreak that has claimed more than 25,000 lives and severely damaged its economy. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is appearing before...
Limited, timed tickets planned for Pittsburgh Zoo whenever it opens
As the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium waits to learn when it can reopen, plans are in the works as to how the zoo will operate with social distancing. The zoo is closed to the public because of the covid-19 pandemic. Gov. Tom Wolf has not given dates when zoos...
Pittsburgh nurse talks about stress of working with coronavirus patients in ICUVideo
Megan Oeler is a newly married 27-year-old registered nurse working in the medical ICU at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. The coronavirus pandemic has created challenges Oeler could not have imagined during her training. In this segment of the Trib’s “Answering the Call,” Oeler describes what it’s been like dealing...
White House may dissolve its coronavirus task force this monthVideo
WASHINGTON — Although the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, the White House plans to wind down the task force that is guiding the federal government’s response and hand off responsibility to individual agencies, a move aimed at distancing President Donald Trump from potentially unpopular public health decisions as he...
Fauci: Evidence shows virus originated in nature, not in Chinese lab
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told National Geographic it’s unlikely the coronavirus pandemic somehow started in a Chinese lab, despite suggestions to the contrary by President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “If you look at the evolution of the virus...
