Valley gets back to work

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

The counties that envelope the Mon Valley moved into the yellow phase of reopening this morning, nearly two months after COVID-19 mitigation efforts began closing businesses in the area.

“As counties move from red to yellow, we need all Pennsylvanians to continue to follow the social distancing and mitigation efforts in place,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We must continue to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, which includes our seniors, those with underlying health issues, our healthcare workers and our first responders. 

“I am proud of the work that Pennsylvanians have done so far, but we cannot stop now, we must continue to take the necessary steps to protect ourselves from COVID-19.”

Allegheny, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland are among the 13 counties that today joined the 24 counties that moved into the yellow phase in the first round of reopenings last week.

Residents are reminded to wear masks when they leave home, to continue to social distance by keeping 6 feet away from others and to continue washing their hands frequently and using hand sanitizer.

Many retail stores will reopen today, but some businesses, such as restaurants, will continue to operate under the previous restrictions and others will remain closed.

More information can be found at www.governor.pa.gov/process-to-reopen-pennsylvania.

Cases

There have now been 59,636 cases of coronavirus in the state, including 938 new cases since Wednesday. 

There were 275 new deaths reported, for a total of 4,218  fatalities due to the virus. The state Department of Health said 44 of those new deaths occurred between Wednesday and Thursday. The other 231 deaths reported yesterday are due to the department continuing to reconcile data over the past several weeks.

Allegheny County now has 1,551 cases, an increase of six patients. There were no new deaths reported and that total stands at 139.

In Fayette County, there were two new cases reported for a new total of 87, but no new deaths. That total remains at four. 

Washington County saw two new cases and no new deaths; those totals are 129 and four respectively.

Westmoreland County reported three new cases, so that total remains at 422. According to the DOH, there were no new deaths and that total is 32. Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha also reports no additional deaths, and the total he is tracking remains at 32 fatalities.