• Require all customers to wear masks while entering, exiting or otherwise traveling throughout the restaurant or retail food service business (face masks may be removed while seated). Further, employees are required to wear masks at all times.
• Provide at least six feet between parties at tables or physical barriers between customers where booths are arranged back to back.
• Ensure maximum occupancy limits for indoor and outdoor areas are posted and enforced.

Seven (7) new cases added Monday in Lycoming County now at 630 cases and 23 total deaths, with 12,568 negatives according to DOH report.

Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19,

967 Two-Day Positives Bring Statewide Total to 150,812

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., September 21, that there were 234 new cases, in addition to 733 new cases reported on Sunday, September 20 for a two-day total of 967 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 150,812. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19.

The number of tests administered within the last 7 days between September 14 and September 20 is 180,596 with 6,135 positive cases. There were 23,140 test results reported to the department through 10 p.m., September 20. These results represent the total number of tests administered.

There were 25 new deaths reported Sunday, September 20, and 23 new deaths reported for Monday, September 21 for a total of 8,004 deaths attributed to COVID-19. County-specific information and a statewide map are available on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.

“We know that congregation, especially in college and university settings, yields increased case counts. The mitigation efforts in place now are essential to flattening the curve and saving lives,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and following the requirements set forth in the orders for bars and restaurants, gatherings, and telework will help keep our case counts low. Together, as Pennsylvanians, all of our efforts are designed to support our communities to ensure that cases of COVID-19 remain low.”

Mask-wearing is required in all businesses and whenever leaving home. Consistent mask-wearing is critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19.

There are 252 cases who have a positive viral antigen test and are considered probable cases and 645 patients who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure.

There are 1,767,181 patients who have tested negative to date. Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

• Approximately 1% are ages 0-4;
• Nearly 2% are ages 5-12;
• Approximately 4% are ages 13-18;
• Nearly 13% are ages 19-24;
• Approximately 36% are ages 25-49;
• Nearly 22% are ages 50-64; and
• Approximately 22% are ages 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. More data is available here.

The department is seeing significant increases in the number of COVID-19 cases among younger age groups, particularly 19 to 24-year-olds. An alert was sent to healthcare providers about the changing COVID-19 case demographics, as there are more cases in younger age groups than in those 50-64 and 65+. The following regions saw significant increases among 19 to 24-year-olds in each month from April to date in September:

• NC – Approximately 7 percent of cases in April to approximately 69 percent of cases so far in September;
• SE – Nearly 5 percent of cases in April to nearly 31 percent of cases so far in September;
• NE – 6 percent of cases in April to nearly 39 percent of cases so far in September;
• SW – Approximately 5 percent of cases in April to nearly 29 percent of cases so far in September;
• NW – Nearly 7 percent of cases in April to nearly 19 percent of cases so far in September; and
• SC – Approximately 7 percent of cases in April to nearly 17 percent of cases so far in September.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 22,279 resident cases of COVID-19, and 4,882 cases among employees, for a total of 27,161 at 960 distinct facilities in 61 counties. Out of our total deaths, 5,353 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. A county breakdown can be found here.

Approximately 10,392 of our total cases are among health care workers.

For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.

Currently, all 67 counties are in the green phase of reopening.

Statewide – The Wolf Administration has since noon, Sept. 20:

• Highlighted efforts to ensure PPE is available, accessible, and plentiful.
• Provided Pennsylvania State Police enforcement data.

The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
• Clean surfaces frequently.
• Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
• If you must go out, you are required to wear a mask when in a business or where it is difficult to maintain proper social distancing.

Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics

• Daily COVID-19 Report
• Press releases regarding coronavirus
• Latest information on the coronavirus
• Photos of the state’s lab in Exton (for download and use)
• Coronavirus and preparedness graphics (located at the bottom of the page)
• Community preparedness and procedures materials
• Map with the number of COVID-19 cases

All Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertPA, a text notification system for health, weather, and other important alerts like COVID-19 updates from commonwealth agencies. Residents can sign up online at www.ready.pa.gov/BeInformed/Signup-For-Alerts.

Governor Tom Wolf speaks during a press conference addressing the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Pennsylvania, inside PEMA headquarters on Wednesday, June 10, 2020.

Middletown, PA — Six months after the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf today highlighted the Wolf Administration’s efforts to respond to the state’s critical need for personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensure that mitigation-related products, from masks and medical equipment to cleaning and sanitation supplies, are available, accessible and plentiful.

“In the early days of the pandemic, this administration took numerous steps to secure sources of PPE to ensure that Pennsylvanians were protected and that our health system was not overwhelmed,” Gov. Wolf said. “Our proactive and ongoing efforts to secure PPE, coupled with the flexibility and ingenuity displayed by Pennsylvania’s business community, helped us secure and allocate PPE. Because of the steps we took, our hospitals were not overburdened, and our medical system was not strained. Now, six months after the virus first appeared in the commonwealth, we can say with confidence that we are prepared to stay safe as we continue to fight this pandemic.”

Among myriad actions to support Pennsylvania’s health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Wolf signed an order in April to provide critical aid to hospitals with targeted PPE and supplies distribution.

The Wolf Administration is also working with eligible organizations that may be experiencing a shortage of respirators to connect them with the Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System (CCDS), which provides free decontamination and reuse of N95 respirators as needed during a time of crisis. The system uses a vaporous hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate up to tens of thousands of N95 masks a day.

“At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became evident that we needed to take definitive steps to acquire and manufacture PPE because we could not solely rely on existing systems to adequately supply the quantities we felt we would need,” said PEMA Director Randy Padfield. “Without the combined efforts of multiple state agencies, strategic investment in Pennsylvania-based manufacturers and strong public-private partnerships, we would not have been able to acquire and distribute the critical PPE needed to protect our front line healthcare workers and first responders.”

The Wolf Administration created several opportunities to connect PPE-producing/distributing businesses to hospitals, medical facilities and other businesses.

The Critical Donations Portal was developed for individuals, corporations, or community organizations to inform the commonwealth of critical medical supplies available for donation.

The Critical Medical Supplies Procurement Portal was developed to source the most needed supplies for medical providers, emergency responders and health care professionals. This portal is for manufacturers, distributors and other suppliers to inform the state of supplies available for purchase and will allow us to more quickly and efficiently procure these supplies for hospitals and medical facilities across Pennsylvania.

The Manufacturing Call to Action Portal was developed to match manufacturers and distributors to fill specific supply chain needs to meet increasing demands for medical supplies and related products, assist manufacturers that have workforce needs or gaps and aid them in identifying skilled workers, and identify manufacturers that can pivot or innovate to fulfill the demand for medical supplies and related products.

The Business-to-Business Interchange Directory connects organizations and businesses directly to manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of COVID-19-related products and supplies. This directory is made available to entities that contacted the commonwealth through the portals.

These resources are all available through the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

“Our businesses and manufacturers showed us what is best about Pennsylvania throughout the COVID-19 pandemic — our innovation and can-do spirit,” said DCED Sec. Dennis Davin. “Companies stepped up when we needed them, providing products to protect their employees, communities, and the commonwealth as a whole. Today, we thank and applaud them for those efforts.”

The governor and Wolf Administration officials held the news conference at Americhem International, a Middletown-based wholesale distributor of janitorial and sanitizing products that serves a variety of industries, including commercial cleaning, hospitality, healthcare and more.

Americhem, which offers a variety of COVID-related mitigation products, is on the administration’s Business-to-Business Interchange Directory.

HARRISBURG — Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin today announced that restaurants can now access the online self-certification form on PA.gov/COVID. The self-certification is available in English and Spanish, and will be available in other languages soon. The recently announced self-certification process enables restaurants, private social clubs and ​food service businesses that serve dine-in, sit down food in a regular, non-event capacity to increase indoor occupancy to 50 percent while adhering to mitigation efforts that will keep employees and customers safe.

“Pennsylvania’s businesses have worked diligently over the past few months to reopen safely, ensuring that customers and staff are protected against COVID-19 through the use of masks and social distancing efforts,” said Sec. Davin. “This new process will further help our restaurants on their path to recovery while instilling confidence in any patrons who walk through their door.”

The self-certification process is open to all restaurants, ​private social clubs and ​food service businesses that serve dine-in, sit down food in a regular, non-event capacity.

Restaurants that self-certify will appear in an Open & Certified Pennsylvania searchable online database of certified restaurants across the commonwealth and will receive Open & Certified Pennsylvania branded materials, such as window clings and other signage designating their certification, which they can display for customers and employees. When consumers see the Open & Certified Pennsylvania logo, they will know the establishment is engaged, responsible, and holds customer health and safety as a top priority.

The self-certification process entails the following:

• A list of requirements contained in the current restaurant industry guidance and enforcement efforts;
• A statement that the owner has reviewed and agrees to follow these requirements; and
• The business’ maximum indoor occupancy number based on the fire code.

While restaurants can choose to not self-certify, self-certification is required for restaurants to increase their indoor capacity to 50 percent. Social distancing, masking, and other mitigation measures must be employed to protect workers and patrons. Enforcement of the 50 percent indoor capacity will begin on October 5, so restaurants that choose to increase indoor capacity to 50 percent before October 5 must complete the online self-certification process by that date. However, the self-certification process will remain available after October 5 for restaurants that choose to self-certify in the future.

Additionally, restaurants, private social clubs and food service businesses serving alcohol for on-site consumption must end alcohol sales at 11:00 PM starting today and all alcoholic beverages must be removed from patrons by midnight. This applies to both restaurants that do not self-certify to increase to 50 percent and those that choose to stay at 25 percent. There is no change to the requirements for the temporary sale of cocktails-to-go and take out alcohol sales from bars, restaurants or hotels with a liquor license.

Business owners should keep a copy of the self-certification confirmation they will receive by e-mail. The self-certification will be used as part of ongoing enforcement efforts conducted by Department of Agriculture and Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, and will be shared with the departments of State, Labor & Industry and Health, and other enforcement agencies.

Self-certifying will not lead to additional inspections. The occurrence of regularly scheduled or complaint-based inspections from enforcement agencies will not be affected by certification status. In fact, certifying proves that a business is committed to protecting employees and providing patrons a safe dining experience. Any health and safety violations from self-certified businesses will be handled first with warnings and education rather than fines or other penalties.

The Wolf Administration has released Frequently Asked Questions as a reference for restaurant owners and the public, along with updated restaurant guidance.

Business owners with additional questions about the self-certification program can contact covidselfcert@pa.gov.

Secretary of Human Services Teresa Miller answers questions from the press.Governor Tom Wolf announced that people with intellectual disabilities and autism and the providers of support services for these vulnerable Pennsylvanians will receive $260 million in CARES Act funding to help continue to provide services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Wolf was joined by Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller, who outlined to details of funding allocations. JUNE 15, 2020 – HARRISBURG, PA

Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller today advised Pennsylvanians of a potential text messaging scam telling people they are selected to receive assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. DHS and other government agencies do not and will not solicit participation in SNAP or any other public assistance programs via text, and Pennsylvanians should not reply or share any personal information if they are contacted in this manner.

“We are all living through difficult times, and unfortunately, there are people who will try to take advantage of others who may need help meeting essential needs,” said Secretary Miller. “If you receive unsolicited or random calls or text messages telling you that you qualify for assistance then asking for personal information, it is most likely a scam. Do not respond, and delete the message so you do not get caught in an identity theft scam.”

The United States Department of Agriculture publishes information about potential SNAP scams, but Pennsylvanians should always be aware of the threat of phishing schemes through unsolicited calls and text messages.

Pennsylvanians who have questions about whether a call, text, letter, or other communication is legitimate should contact DHS’ Office of Income Maintenance. Clients in Philadelphia with questions or who need a paper application mailed to them should call the Philadelphia Customer Service Center at 215-560-7226. Clients in all other counties can call the Statewide Customer Service Center at 1-877-395-8930.

If Pennsylvanians need help purchasing or affording food for themselves and their families, help may be available through SNAP. SNAP helps nearly 1.9 million Pennsylvanians by providing assistance each month for groceries, helping households purchase enough food to avoid going hungry. SNAP is our country’s most important and most impactful anti-hunger program. For every meal provided by a Feeding Pennsylvania food bank, SNAP provides nine. While SNAP is intended to be a supplemental program, during a pandemic and historic unemployment, resources are strained, particularly for our lowest income Pennsylvanians.

Applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other public assistance programs can be submitted online at www.compass.state.pa.us. All Pennsylvanians experiencing financial hardships due to the pandemic, a lost job, or a change in income are strongly encouraged to apply and see if they qualify for assistance with food, health care, and other essential needs.

For more information about food assistance resources for people around Pennsylvania impacted by COVID-19 and the accompanying economic insecurity, visit the Department of Agriculture’s food security guide.

Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman today reminded Pennsylvanians of the value of life insurance policies as one option that can provide families with financial safeguards and peace of mind during an already difficult time. The department is encouraging Pennsylvanians to plan ahead and engage in conversations regarding life insurance in recognition of Life Insurance Awareness Month.

“The unexpected passing of a loved one is already a traumatic experience, but the financial fallout from such an event can add to a family’s pain and hardship,” said Altman. “Life insurance can ensure financial security when it is needed most and help provide some comfort when planning for the future.”

Life insurance provides financial protection for your family after you pass away and ensures that dependents and other family members are not burdened with the cost for final arrangements, such as funeral costs. Every day, the 463 life insurers licensed to do business in Pennsylvania pay out $85.1 million in life insurance and annuities to Pennsylvania families and businesses.

“In addition to the importance of life insurance planning, we would also like to take this opportunity to help Pennsylvanians potentially find life insurance benefits to which they may be entitled. A life insurance policy locator available through the NAIC efficiently connects consumers with lost policies and money they’re potentially owed,” Altman said. “We hear often from children, siblings, and other family members about a life insurance policy a loved one took out years or decades before that has been lost.  This service makes it possible to locate that policy and provide payment to beneficiaries.”

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) developed this Life Insurance Policy Locator Service, which asks life insurance companies to search their records to see if an individual had a policy with the company. The insurance company will contact the requester if a policy is found and the requester is named as a beneficiary. Act 48, signed in 2018 by Governor Wolf, required all companies selling life insurance policies in Pennsylvania to participate in this service. Since the enactment of Act 48, there have been 3,764 matches with claims totaling $52,322,133.94. Prior to this law, insurer participation was voluntary.

“In only a few short years, use of this service has provided over $52 Million in life insurance benefits to Pennsylvania beneficiaries, making a real difference to families across the Commonwealth” Altman said. “We encourage anyone that believes that they were the beneficiary on the policy of a lost loved one to consider whether to use this free service available through the NAIC.”

Pennsylvania consumers can access the life insurance policy locator services on the Insurance Department life insurance page. Information is also available by calling the department’s Consumer Services Bureau at 1-877-881-6388.

Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine today reminded Pennsylvanians of the seriousness of sickle cell disease and the importance of getting tested for it. Sickle cell disease is the most common inherited blood disease.

“We want people to get tested for sickle cell disease if they believe they could be a carrier of it,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We inherit traits from our parents like eye and hair color, but they also pass along internal traits like blood type and sickle cell conditions. It is important to be tested to confirm if you have sickle cell disease, so that treatment for the disease can be started right away to further protect yourself and your family.”

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disease where an individual’s red blood cells take a crescent or sickle shape. This change in shape can create blockages that prevent blood from reaching parts of the body. As a result, people with sickle cell complications can experience anemia, gallstones, stroke, chronic pain, organ damage and even premature death.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sickle cell disease affects approximately 100,000 Americans. This disease has a greater influence on African American and Hispanic populations but is also found among many other races and ethnicities.

Sickle cell disease is one of the 10 mandatory diseases screened for newborns. These screenings are conducted with the goal of eliminating or reducing death, disease and disability in newborn children. In addition, sickle cell disease can be diagnosed before birth to provide an early diagnosis and find treatment.

Treatment can help those with sickle cell disease live well and be healthy, but there is ultimately no cure for sickle cell disease. Treatment requires:

• Finding good medical care and getting regular checkups;
• Staying up to date on vaccinations and washing hands frequently to prevent infections;
• Learning healthy habits;
• Looking into clinical studies; and
• Finding support and assistance.

Studies have shown that donated bone marrow or stem cell transplants have helped cure sickle cell disease in children with severe cases of the disease. This means that the healthy donated bone marrow or stem cell transplant replaces an individual’s bone marrow that is not working properly. Bone marrow or stem cell transplants can be risky and for the donation to work the individual would need to be a close match like a brother or sister.

The Wolf administration has developed a prescribing guideline for the treatment of acute and chronic pain in patients with sickle cell disease to assist physicians treating patients with the disease. The guideline provides best practices to treat acute painful crises that occur with sickle cell disease patients as well as best practices for chronic pain care. The sickle cell disease guideline addresses the specific needs of that patient population. This can help prevent the misapplication of recommendations to populations that are outside the scope of other prescribing guidelines, including patients experiencing acute sickle cell crises. It is especially important to have resources specifically for the treatment of sickle cell disease patients as this patient population often experiences racial disparities and stigma.

More information on sickle cell disease can be found on the Department of Health’s website at www.health.pa.gov or follow us on  Facebook and Twitter.

Six (6) new cases added Saturay in Lycoming County now at 623 cases and 23 total deaths, with 12,409 negatives according to DOH report.

Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19,

1,162 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 149,845

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., September 19, that there were 1,162 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 149,845. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19.

The number of tests administered within the last 7 days between September 12 and September 18 is 175,962 with 5,798 positive cases. There were 28,985 test results reported to the department through 10 p.m., September 18. These results represent the total number of tests administered.

There are 7,956 total deaths attributed to COVID-19, an increase of 22 new deaths reported. County-specific information and a statewide map are available on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.

“We know that congregation, especially in college and university settings, yields increased case counts. The mitigation efforts in place now are essential to flattening the curve and saving lives,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and following the requirements set forth in the orders for bars and restaurants, gatherings, and telework will help keep our case counts low. Together, as Pennsylvanians, all of our efforts are designed to support our communities to ensure that cases of COVID-19 remain low.”

Mask-wearing is required in all businesses and whenever leaving home. Consistent mask-wearing is critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Beginning August 29, the department began publishing COVID-19 case counts using the updated standardized case definition for COVID-19 from the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. This revised case definition updates criteria for case identification and case classification based on the continued evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic. It updates probable case classifications and adds suspect case classifications. The definition for confirmed cases using a positive PCR test has not changed. Viral antigen tests, which identify people who are likely currently infected, will now be considered a probable case, even if the individual has no symptoms or exposure history. Persons with a positive antibody (serology) test, moving forward, will no longer be considered a probable case. However, cases previously counted as probable cases, using the prior national case definition, will remain counted as probable cases.

There are 267 cases who have a positive viral antigen test and are considered probable cases and 645 patients who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure.

There are 1,746,280 patients who have tested negative to date. Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

• Approximately 1% are ages 0-4;
• Nearly 2% are ages 5-12;
• Approximately 4% are ages 13-18;
• Nearly 13% are ages 19-24;
• Approximately 36% are ages 25-49;
• Nearly 22% are ages 50-64; and
• Approximately 22% are ages 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. More data is available here.

The department is seeing significant increases in the number of COVID-19 cases among younger age groups, particularly 19 to 24-year-olds. An alert was sent to healthcare providers about the changing COVID-19 case demographics, as there are more cases in younger age groups than in those 50-64 and 65+. The following regions saw significant increases among 19 to 24-year-olds in each month from April to date in September:

• NC – Approximately 7 percent of cases in April to approximately 70 percent of cases so far in September;
• NE – 6 percent of cases in April to approximately 39 percent of cases so far in September;
• SE – Nearly 5 percent of cases in April to approximately 31 percent of cases so far in September;
• SW – Approximately 5 percent of cases in April to approximately 28 percent of cases so far in September;
• NW – Nearly 7 percent of cases in April to nearly 18 percent of cases so far in September; and
• SC – Approximately 7 percent of cases in April to nearly 17 percent of cases so far in September.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 22,277 resident cases of COVID-19, and 4,869 cases among employees, for a total of 27,146 at 958 distinct facilities in 61 counties. Out of our total deaths, 5,354 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. A county breakdown can be found here.

Approximately 10,334 of our total cases are among health care workers.

For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.

Currently, all 67 counties are in the green phase of reopening.

Statewide – The Wolf Administration has since noon, Sept. 18:

• Urged federal government to continue child nutrition programs

The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
• Clean surfaces frequently.
• Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
• If you must go out, you are required to wear a mask when in a business or where it is difficult to maintain proper social distancing.

Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics

• Daily COVID-19 Report
• Press releases regarding coronavirus
• Latest information on the coronavirus
• Photos of the state’s lab in Exton (for download and use)
• Coronavirus and preparedness graphics (located at the bottom of the page)
• Community preparedness and procedures materials
• Map with the number of COVID-19 cases

All Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertPA, a text notification system for health, weather, and other important alerts like COVID-19 updates from commonwealth agencies. Residents can sign up online at www.ready.pa.gov/BeInformed/Signup-For-Alerts.

Harrisburg, Pa. – In honor of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Governor Tom Wolf has ordered all United States and Commonwealth flags on the Capitol Complex and Commonwealth facilities throughout the state lowered to half-staff at sunrise on Saturday, September 19, 2020.

“Justice Ginsburg was a truly remarkable figure in American history, as both a tireless defender of the Constitution, and as a pioneer for gender equality,” said Gov. Wolf. “Justice Ginsburg’s historic opinions from the bench broke down barriers for women and protected the vulnerable. Her contributions to our country cannot be overstated.”

The United States Flag shall be lowered to half-staff and remain lowered until interment by orders from the White House. The Commonwealth flag has flown at half-staff since Wednesday, March 11, 2020, in honor of the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic and should continue to fly at half-staff until further notice.

All Pennsylvanians are invited to participate in this tribute.

HARRISBURG, PA – The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the Office of State Fire Commissioner (OSFC) are proud to be joining forces with the first responder community throughout the U.S. and Canada today for “Operation Clear Track” — the single largest rail-safety initiative in North America.

“Far too often, our agency receives information from local responders about another injury or death near railway infrastructure in the Commonwealth,” PEMA Director Randy Padfield said. “This important effort to bring awareness to the dangers posed to the public in close proximity to rail lines will save lives.”

Coordinated by Amtrak, Operation Lifesaver Inc., and Operation Lifesaver Canada, Operation Clear Track aims to reduce the number of railway crossing and trespassing incidents in the U.S. and Canada — incidents which seriously injure or kill more than 2,100 people each year. The event is held during the annual observance of Rail Safety Week September 21-27.  At least 39 incidents involving rail traffic have occurred in the Commonwealth so far this year; 24 of these have occurred at rail crossings.

“Operation Clear Track and Rail Safety Week are promoting a needed and important lesson that we want our citizens to fully understand,” State Fire Commissioner Bruce Trego added. “We know the most common incidents involve rail crossings and are almost always easily avoidable.”

“With more than 5,600 miles of track and the highest number of operating railroads in the country, rail safety is of utmost importance in Pennsylvania,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to be safe around rail crossings and railroad rights-of-way, and we’re proud to join our partners to commemorate Rail Safety Week.”

These safety tips and other railroad safety information available through Operation Lifesaver can help you stay safe around Pennsylvania’s railroads.

• Never drive around lowered gates — it is illegal and can be deadly.
• Never race a train to the crossing.
• Do not get trapped on the tracks. Only proceed through a highway-rail grade crossing if you are sure you can completely clear the crossing without stopping. Remember, the train is 3 feet wider than the tracks on both sides.
• If your vehicle ever stalls on a track while a train is coming, get out immediately and move quickly away from the tracks in the direction from which the train is coming.
• At a multiple track crossing waiting for a train to pass, watch out for a second train on the other tracks, approaching in either direction.
• Always expect a train! Freight trains do not follow set schedules.
• Be aware that trains cannot stop quickly.
• Do not be fooled — the train you see is closer and moving faster than you think.
• When you need to cross train tracks, go to a designated crossing, look both ways, and cross the tracks quickly, without stopping.
• Cross tracks only at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings.
• Never walk down a train track; this too is illegal and can be deadly.
• Remember: Rails and recreation do not mix!

Because of the ongoing pandemic, first responder agencies will be participating in a virtual Operation Clear Track event this year. These agencies across North America will be promoting rail safety through social media messages, by sharing Operation Lifesaver’s #STOPTrackTragedies public service announcements and other videos, and by posting other rail safety information to their department websites. Participants will also be emphasizing the importance of obeying rail crossing and trespassing laws throughout Rail Safety Week.

For more information about Rail Safety Week, Operation Clear Track, and other rail-safety initiatives and tips, please visit www.oli.org.