Coronavirus category, Page 203
This time, Mike Pence wears mask as he tours Indiana plantVideo
WASHINGTON — This time, he wore a mask. Vice President Mike Pence donned a face covering Thursday as he toured a General Motors/Ventec ventilator production facility in Indiana after coming under fire for failing to wear one earlier this week in violation of Mayo Clinic policy. The facility in Kokomo...
California governor orders Orange County beaches to close
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom closed beaches in Orange County on Thursday, overriding some local officials who had rejected his pleas to limit access as the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the state. A memo to the state’s police chiefs on Wednesday indicated Newsom was preparing to close...
Hall of Famer Andre Dawson deals with coronavirus as morticianVideo
MIAMI — The man consoling mourners and directing his staff at Paradise Memorial Funeral Home might look familiar if he wasn’t wearing a mask. It’s baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson. Owning a funeral home took some getting used to, Dawson said Thursday, and now he’s adjusting to life as...
Protesters, some armed, enter Michigan Capitol as House blocks extension of coronavirus emergency measuresVideo
Throngs of protesters, several of them armed, marched Thursday inside the Michigan Capitol as the House voted to block the state’s coronavirus emergency measures and authorized a lawsuit challenging Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s actions to fight the pandemic. The governor wanted lawmakers to extend her emergency declaration by 28 days....
Pittsburgh employees to resume outside work, but shutdown continues amid pandemic
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto will ease some restrictions on city employees starting Friday, but the mayor warned that the public should not expect a complete reopening of the city as the coronavirus lingers. The city will permit outside construction work under strict guidelines by employees in the Department of Public...
‘Is my dad alive?’: Outrage as deaths mount at veterans homeVideo
Desperate for information as coronavirus deaths mounted at the Massachusetts veterans home where her father lived, Susan Kenney drove there with her question written in big letters on her car window: “Is my dad alive?” He was. But not for long. Kenney’s father and 69 others who served their country...
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin says he tested positive for coronavirus
MOSCOW — Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin says he has tested positive for coronavirus and has told President Vladimir Putin he will self-isolate. First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov will temporarily perform Mishustin’s duties. Mishustin, 54 was named prime minister in January. Also, the mayor of Moscow says he doesn’t...
West Virginia lifting stay-home order under eased benchmark
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Thursday said he is lifting the statewide stay-home order next week as part of his plan to ease coronavirus restrictions. The Republican said a new rule will go into effect Monday encouraging people to stay home but not requiring them to...
United Way, Eat’n Park partner with Jeannette schools to provide meals during pandemic
Thousands of meals distributed in the Jeannette City School District are providing families with extra food during the coronavirus pandemic. Superintendent Matt Jones said the food, provided through the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania and Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, are appreciated by the community. “They’re providing those meals, especially on...
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit coordinates 3D mask-making project for county public safety workersVideo
A few area educators have become mask manufacturers in a matter of weeks. The group was on track to make 300 plastic 3D printed masks by Friday with no signs of stopping, said Tim Hammill, Westmoreland Intermediate Unit curriculum services director, who is coordinating the project among three county school...
Few new restrictions as Georgia’s shelter-at-home order ends
ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will allow his statewide shelter-in-place order to expire at midnight Thursday but is extending his emergency powers to June 12 and telling the elderly and medically fragile to stay at home until then. The first-term Republican governor had already carved sizable loopholes in his...
Workers must risk infection or losing unemployment payments
ATLANTA — Some of the millions of American workers laid off because of the coronavirus are beginning to face a tough choice — return to work and risk infection, or stay home and risk losing unemployment payments. The decision is most pressing in states where governors have started allowing businesses...
UPMC to administer coronavirus antibody tests to all patients
UPMC officials announced Thursday all patients treated within the health system will soon start receiving a covid-19 antibody test. The test will identify whether a patient’s body has produced antibodies in response to covid-19 and could help determine whether a person is immune to the virus. Antibodies are blood proteins...
Pennsylvania auditor general will look into how state handled business waivers
State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale will audit how the state managed the waiver process used to give businesses exemptions to Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown order. “Some business owners complained that the department’s waiver process was too slow and not transparent enough,” DePasquale said. The announcement came a day after Senate...
Pittsburgh controller: City could face major layoffs in 2021 without federal aid
Pittsburgh should be able to pull through the coronavirus economic fallout with the help of a significant surplus, but would have to consider massive layoffs in 2021 without assistance from the federal government, the city controller said Thursday. Controller Michael Lamb briefed reporters through a teleconference on the state of...
All Pittsburgh students will receive passing grades, as district struggles to meet tech needs
All students in Pittsburgh Public Schools will receive passing grades for the fourth quarter, district leaders announced Thursday in a virtual news conference. “The grading guidelines are designed to hold students harmless,” said David May-Stein, chief of school performance. “Not all kids are going to be able to do this...
Herd immunity with coronavirus stirs debate, but experts say it comes at a deadly cost
Critics of coronavirus-related shutdowns have pointed to Sweden’s path toward “herd immunity” as justification for advocating an end to stay-at-home orders, even as some infectious disease experts warn the Swedes’ methods could be deadly. Building herd immunity has gained popularity in some circles as an alternative to widespread shutdowns and...
Russian prime minister says he tested positive for coronavirus
MOSCOW — Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said Thursday that he has tested positive for the new coronavirus, becoming the highest-ranking Russian official known to have gotten infected. Mishustin told President Vladimir Putin during a video call that he would self-isolate but planned to stay in touch on key policy...
Pelosi: $1 trillion needed to avert state, city layoffs from coronavirus
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday up to $1 trillion is needed to shore up state and local governments for coronavirus costs, a stunning benchmark for the next aid package that’s certain to run into opposition from Senate Republicans. Pelosi said the “heroes” fund would help prevent layoffs...
Pennsylvania reports 97 more coronavirus deaths as total cases top 45,000
The state Department of Health on Thursday reported almost 100 new coronavirus deaths along with almost 1,400 new positive cases of the virus. The 97 deaths recorded Wednesday bring the statewide death toll to 2,292, according to state data. The 1,397 new cases, reported during the same time frame, bring...
Gov. Wolf: No decision yet on which areas of Pennsylvania could move to ‘yellow’ phase on May 8
A day before state officials were set to announce what parts of Pennsylvania could see coronavirus restrictions eased, Gov. Tom Wolf said his administration hadn’t yet decided which areas will be included. “We haven’t even made the list up yet,” Wolf told reporters when asked what Pennsylvanians can expect from...
Census surveys could help small businesses post-pandemic
Greg Cammerata, a Hempfield restaurant owner, is hopeful a new survey rolled out by the U.S. Census Bureau will bring additional aid to small businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re not a corporate place,” said Cammerata, who owns IronRock Tap House. “We’re local people that did this restaurant. We don’t...
Nemacolin to reopen with limited occupancy, private butlers
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington plans to partially reopen its five-star hotel — Falling Rock — on May 8. Private butlers will provide each guest with a customized itinerary and will be available 24/7 via phone call, text or video for assistance. All guests will receive a mask, hand sanitizer...
Trump harshly blames China for coronavirus pandemic; a lab ‘mistake’?Video
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday speculated that China could have unleashed the coronavirus on the world due to some kind of horrible “mistake,” and his intelligence agencies said they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from...
Surf’s down in California: Governor set to close beachesVideo
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom will order all beaches and state parks closed starting Friday after people thronged the seashore last weekend despite his social distancing order that aims to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Eric Nuñez, president of the California Police Chiefs Association, said a...
