How to participate

A livestream will be online at https://access.live/PAlabor. Those without internet access can listen by calling 1-833-380-0719, however phone lines are limited so we ask that they be reserved for individuals who need them.

Participants using the phone lines can ask questions directly of our UC expert. Individuals livestreaming the town hall can submit typed questions that will be read to the UC expert by a moderator. To protect participants’ personal confidential information, detailed answers about individual claim questions cannot be answered during the town hall.

Unemployment benefits programs

In addition to the state’s regular UC program, Pennsylvania also oversees:

• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) – for self-employed, gig workers, contractors and others not normally eligible for UC.
• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) – additional 13 weeks of benefits to people who exhaust their regular UC.
• Pennsylvania’s Extended Benefits program – up to 13 additional weeks of payments to people who exhaust regular UC and PEUC benefits.
• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) – extra $600 per week for anyone receiving unemployment benefits. Although this program has ended, eligible individuals who file for benefits retroactively may still receive FPUC payments for prior weeks of unemployment between April 4, 2020 and July 25, 2020 if they qualify.
• Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program – extra $300 weekly benefit for claimants receiving unemployment benefits. LWA is not an unemployment program, but rather is a temporary federal program funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Improving UC Customer Service

Since March 15, L&I has paid nearly $26 billion in unemployment benefits.

The department has improved customer service by:

• Resolving 97 percent of eligible regular unemployment compensation claims between March 15 and August 1. These claims were either paid or were not eligible for benefits. The remaining 3 percent represents 49,310 cases could not be approved automatically and are pending resolution.
• Increasing UC service center staffing levels 124 percent (from 775 employees to the current total of 1,742) since mid-March with the hiring of new employees, onboarding of external call center support staff, and reassigning of staff from other state offices/agencies.
• Boosting UC support with employees working more than 293,745 total overtime hours since March 15, including in the service centers and all other areas of UC.
• Helping:

• 1,002,660 through email;
• 452,489 by phone;
• 142,610 by LiveChat; and
• 319,735 by Virtual Assistant.

L&I is continuing to focus on these customer service improvements but will not be truly satisfied until every Pennsylvanian who is eligible gets the unemployment benefits they worked hard for and deserve.

Important Resources and Links

• L&I Press Releases
• L&I COVID-19 Guidance and Resources
• L&I COVID-19 Media Center (includes previous town hall and UC media call recordings)

Additional unemployment benefits information is available on L&I’s website, Facebook or Twitter.

An innocent enough scrimmage to conclude summer work outs and prepare for the first weekend of Fridays under the lights turned into a nightmare scenario for area teams thanks to COVID-19.

Loyalsock played at Danville last Friday night in a well orchestrated and socially distanced (when possible for players) event.

According to reports all went well, until a positive COVID-19 test for an Ironmen player was confirmed on Tuesday.

Early in the day while players were in school, Lancers head coach Justin Van Fleet took to social media to let his players and staff know practice was cancelled that day and details would follow.

As first reported by NEWS TALK WMPT in the moments after players were informed of the 14-day quarantine on Tuesday,

“According to sources, Loyalsock canceled football practice today as a result of playing a scrimmage against Danville last Friday. Danville has multiple confirmed COVID-19 cases and moved to a remote learning model today. Sources are saying the Lancers may be in a 14-day quarantine scenario. The LTSD school board has scheduled an emergency meeting for tomorrow night to addrsss the situation as well as approve the plan for fans to attend games and guidance.”

Within an hour of the NEWS TALK WMPT report, Loyalsock School District families received the following message from Superintendent Jerry McLaughlin confirming the initial report:

“Good afternoon.

According to a report from NEWS TALK WMPT on Tuesday evening:

“With the 14 day quarantine of the Lancers football program, the game at Warrior Run this Friday and the home game on September 18 verses Mount Carmel have been canceled.

The next potential game for Loyalsock would be at home on September 25 against Hughesville.”

On Wednesday evening, the Loyalsock Township School Board in their regularly scheduled meeting addressed the situation as well as approved the plan for fans to attend games and guidance based on the current guidance issued by Governor Wolf and with the ability to adjust with the passage of House Bill 2787.

Specific details will be posted once the Loyalsock Township School Board formally publishes them.

Gains valuable insight on issues important to agriculture community

LOGANTON – Today, Congressman Fred Keller (R-PA) hosted an agriculture roundtable with members of AgChoice Farm Credit and local farmers at the Sugar Valley Produce Auction to discuss current issues facing the agriculture industry during COVID-19.

Attendees included: Raechel Sattazahn, AgChoice Knowledge Center Director; Nathan Jarrett, AgChoice Loan Officer; Andy McCarty, AgChoice Crop Insurance Specialist; Charles Ulmer, AgChoice board member; and local farmers Scott Moore, Don Dunkle, and Jacob Dunkle.

Farmers share their perspectives with Congressman Keller during roundtable

Attendees shared their personal experiences of life on the farm and how the pandemic has impacted their businesses.

Congressman Keller and the group agreed that additional, targeted relief for the agriculture industry would help farmers access the resources they need to sustain their families and livelihoods.

“I always appreciate hearing directly from our farmers because it allows us to better understand what resources they need to more effectively do their job,” Congressman Keller said. “Agriculture has long been an integral part of our community and as we emerge from this pandemic, our farmers will undoubtedly be front and center for our economic recovery.”

Earlier this year, Congressman Keller supported H.R. 266, the Payment Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, a bill that ensured the agriculture community got the help they needed to remain open.

Five (5) new cases added Wednesday in Lycoming County now at 568 cases and 23 total deaths, with 11,456 negatives according to DOH report.

Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19,

931 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 141,290

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., September 9, that there are 931 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 141,290. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19.

Centre is reporting an increase of 180 cases.

The number of tests administered within the last 7 days between September 2 and September 8 is 145,946 with 5,564 positive cases. There were 18,127 test results reported to the department through 10 p.m., September 8. These results represent the total number of tests administered.

There are 7,805 total deaths attributed to COVID-19, an increase of 14 new deaths reported. County-specific information and a statewide map are available on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.

“The mitigation efforts in place now are essential to saving lives and keeping our kids in school,” 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 77 cases who have a positive viral antigen test and are considered probable cases and 646 patients who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure.

There are 1,625,640 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;
• Approximately 11% are ages 19-24;
• Nearly 37% are ages 25-49;
• Approximately 22% are ages 50-64; and
• Nearly 23% 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 nearly 66 percent of cases so far in September;
• SE – Nearly 5 percent of cases in April to nearly 35 percent of cases so far in September;
• NE – 6 percent of cases in April to nearly 40 percent of cases so far in September;
• SW – Approximately 5 percent of cases in April to approximately 27 percent of cases so far in September;
• NW – Nearly 7 percent of cases in April to nearly 22 percent of cases so far in September; and
• SC – Approximately 7 percent of cases in April to nearly 19 percent of cases so far in September.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 21,499 resident cases of COVID-19, and 4,630 cases among employees, for a total of 26,129 at 948 distinct facilities in 61 counties. Out of our total deaths, 5,262 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. A county breakdown can be found here.

Approximately 9,945 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. 8:

• Provided the latest CMU metrics report.
• Provided Pennsylvania State Police enforcement data.
• Shared an update on COVID early warning monitoring dashboard.

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 – Today, the Wolf Administration reminds women of the dangers of consuming alcohol while pregnant in recognition of International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Awareness Day celebrated annually on September ninth.

FASD is an umbrella term describing the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy. Children with FASD can have serious lifelong disabilities, such as learning disabilities and serious behavioral problems.

“The leading known cause of developmental disability and birth defects is FASD, a group of conditions in babies that is caused by pregnant mothers drinking too much alcohol,” said Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jen Smith. “Our message today is: prevent harm to babies. Don’t drink while you are pregnant.”

“Decisions made while pregnant can shape a baby’s life after they are born, and pre-natal alcohol exposure can seriously impact a child’s health and development across their lifespan,” said Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller. “Total abstention from alcohol while pregnant is a simple choice that protects children from medical and behavioral challenges throughout their lives. We must keep children safe and set them up for a healthy life free of avoidable long-term complications.”

“We are committed to ensuring that Pennsylvania’s infants are healthy,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine. “Not drinking alcohol is a key step each pregnant mother can take as they work to provide their child a healthy start to life. The disease of addiction is difficult, but we know that treatment works and recovery is possible.”

Since 1981, the U.S. Surgeon General as advised that there is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy and, that due to the risk of birth defects, women who are pregnant or are considering pregnancy should abstain from alcohol. Alcohol disrupts proper development of fetal organs, even at very early stages of pregnancy – before a woman may know she is pregnant. Alcohol passes from the mother’s bloodstream into the developing baby’s blood stream.

Damage to a baby’s brain caused by the mother’s alcohol use can result in problems throughout a person’s lifetime: impaired memory, learning disabilities, inability to think and reason properly, deficits in sensory processing, impaired ability to interact or socialize with others, and disruptive or otherwise inappropriate behaviors.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one out of 100 children are born with FASD annually, and the lifetime cost of caring for a person with FASD is estimated at least $2 million. The damage of FASD caused by a mother’s drinking during pregnancy is permanent and preventable. The impact on children born with FASD is staggering:

• About 80 percent enter the foster care system or adoptive care system;
• Approximately 50 percent will have a disrupted school experience of suspension, expulsion, or drop out;
• More than 60 percent will encounter problems with law enforcement; and
• More than a third will develop substance use disorders.

Despite the adversities they face, people with FASD can graduate from college, own a business, become employed skilled craftsmen and craftswomen, and live independently. While there is no cure for this condition, early intervention can improve a child’s development and enable them to live an everyday life.

Many people with FASD benefit from the support of one-on-one counseling. In addition, they often require intensive service coordination if they do not have someone who can coordinate the many services they need, such as ongoing individual therapy, job coaching, housing, and transportation.

For pregnant women or individuals seeking treatment or resources, DDAP operates Pennsylvania’s Get Help Now helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). The helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is staffed by trained professionals. An anonymous chat service is available at www.ddap.pa.gov.

“The Wolf Administration wants to spread the word to all Pennsylvanians – if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, don’t drink alcohol,” Smith said.

Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from August 31 through September 6, 2020. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation requirements for restaurants including social distancing, masking, and occupancy limits.

These numbers include actions taken during routine food safety inspections and inspections prompted by consumer complaints.

From August 31 through September 6, the Bureau of Food Safety performed 607 total inspections, 30 of which were complaint-driven, 15 were COVID-19 specific complaints. The bureau distributed 69 COVID-19 complaint-driven educational letters. Nineteen COVID-19 related complaints were referred to local and county health jurisdictions. Three formal Warning Letters were issued and four citations were filed.

A county by county breakdown of COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions can be found on the Department of Agriculture’s website. The data will be updated weekly, with data from the previous week.

Among other requirements, all businesses in the restaurant and retail food service industry authorized to conduct in-person activities are mandated to:

• Require all customers to wear a mask while entering, exiting, or otherwise traveling through the restaurant or retail food service business (mask may be removed while seated).
• 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.

The Bureau of Food Safety has always operated with an education-first model, and always works to educate and correct on-site before taking official action. Businesses unwilling to correct on-site will first receive a warning letter, followed by monetary citations ranging from $25 to $300 per offense. Following an initial warning, food safety inspectors will follow up with unannounced inspections to ensure compliance or issue citations as necessary.

Consumers with general food safety complaints or concerns about non-compliance for COVID-19 mitigation can file a report online. COVID-19 mitigation restaurant enforcement actions will be released on a weekly basis.

For more information about the Department of Agriculture’s COVID-19 response, visit agriculture.pa.gov/covid.

About 17 Veterans Die Each Day by Suicide

Annville, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) is encouraging everyone to light a candle at 8 p.m. on Sept. 10 in observance of World Suicide Prevention Day. The annual observance is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention.

About 47,000 people commit suicide a year in the United States, but military veterans are 1.5 times more likely to die by suicide than Americans who never served in the military. For female veterans, the risk factor is 2.2 times more likely. When looking at these statistics and factoring in that Pennsylvania serves nearly 800,000 veterans – the fourth largest veteran population in the nation – it is easy to see why the DMVA is so actively involved in suicide prevention initiatives.

“The DMVA and our dedicated partners work together every day to reduce the number of veteran suicides to zero,” said Rick Hamp, special assistant to the deputy adjutant general for Veterans Affairs. “Lighting a candle on World Suicide Prevention Day is not just a heartfelt gesture, it allows a conversation to begin and hopefully spreads an important message that we all care about those lost to suicide, survivors of suicide and those considering suicide. Anyone can help prevent veteran suicide.”

Hamp is also Pennsylvania’s team lead on the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans and Their Families. Pennsylvania is one of 27 states taking part in the Governor’s Challenge. Participants work to implement state-wide suicide prevention best practices and learn from stakeholders nationwide.

Representing Pennsylvania and the DMVA, Hamp recently served as a presenter during the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Virtual Suicide Evaluation Conference.

To learn more about the DMVA, visit us online at www.dmva.pa.gov or follow us at www.facebook.com/padmva or www.twitter.com/padmva.

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine today released a weekly status update detailing the state’s mitigation efforts based on the COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard. Updates are released each Monday.

The update includes the following:

• Level of community transmission as a basis for the recommendations for Pre-K to 12 schools to determine instructional models.
• Data on cases among 5-18-year-olds.
• Cases that reported visiting a business among potential locations where exposures may have occurred.
• Updated travel recommendations.

The dashboard is designed to provide early warning signs of factors that affect the state’s mitigation efforts. The data available on the early warning monitoring dashboard includes week-over-week case differences, incidence rates, test percent-positivity, and rates of hospitalizations, ventilations and emergency room visits tied to COVID-19. This week’s update compares the period of August 28 – September 3 to the previous seven days, August 21 – August 27.

“Our percent positivity increased significantly this week, a sign that this virus is still affecting Pennsylvanians,” Gov. Wolf said. “We must continue our focus on taking actions to protect ourselves and others, such as wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, washing our hands and avoiding large gatherings. Together, Pennsylvanians can work to prevent the spread of the virus.”

As of Thursday, September 3, the state has seen a seven-day case increase of 5,453; the previous seven-day increase was 4,188, indicating a 1,265-case increase across the state over the past week.

The statewide percent-positivity went up to 4.0% from 3.2% last week. Counties with concerning percent-positivity include Columbia (18.9%), Armstrong (8.6%), York (7.9%), Clinton (7.4%), Beaver (6.4%), Northumberland (5.7%), Indiana (5.6%), Blair (5.2%), Centre (5.0%), Dauphin (5.0%), and Lancaster (5.0%). Each of these counties bears watching as the state continues to monitor all available data.

Community Transmission
As of Friday’s data, Columbia and Centre counties were in the substantial level with known sources of outbreaks fueling community transmission. The departments of Education and Health will speak with school district representatives in both counties to discuss the implications of this level of transmission.

For the week ending September 3, 20 counties were in the low level of transmission, 45 counties in the moderate level, with two at the substantial transmission level:

• Low – Bedford, Bradford, Cameron, Carbon, Clarion, Elk, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Jefferson, Juniata, McKean, Perry, Pike, Potter, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango, Warren, Wyoming
• Moderate – Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Chester, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Fayette, Franklin, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Susquehanna, Union, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, York
• Substantial – Centre, Columbia

Cases Among 5-18-Year-Olds
The Department of Health is providing weekly data on the number of statewide cases of COVID-19 among 5-18-year-olds.

Throughout the pandemic, there have been 7,788 total cases of COVID-19 among 5-18-year-olds. Of that total, 486 occurred between August 28-September 3.

Cases by demographic can be found here.

Business Visits
The Department of Health is providing weekly data on the number of individuals who responded to case investigators that they spent time at business establishments (restaurants, bars, gym/fitness centers, salon/barbershops) and at mass gatherings 14 days prior to the onset of COVID-19 symptoms.

Of the 4,442 confirmed cases reported between August 23 and August 29, 44 percent (1,953) provided an answer to the question as to whether they spent time at a business establishment.

Of those who did provide an answer, 13.5 percent, or 263, answered yes, they visited a business establishment 14 days prior to onset of symptoms:

• 60 percent (157) of those who said yes reported going to a restaurant;
• 21 percent (55) of those who said yes reported going to some other business establishment;
• 11 percent (29) of those who said yes reported going to a bar;
• 14 percent (35) of those who said yes reported going to a gym/fitness center; and
• 7 percent (19) of those who said yes reported going to a salon/barbershop.

Of the 4,442 confirmed cases, 45 percent (2,002) answered the question as to whether they attended a mass gathering or other large event. Of the 45 percent, nearly 14 percent (273) answered yes to whether they attended a mass gathering or other large event 14 days prior to onset of symptoms.

Compared to data reported on August 31, this week’s data saw an increase in people who reported visiting a restaurant (60 percent vs. 50 percent) and going to a gym/fitness center (14 percent vs. 12 percent). Numbers went down for this week’s data for people going to some other business (21 percent vs. 25 percent), going to a salon/barbershop (7 percent vs. 9 percent) and going to a bar (11 percent vs. 12 percent). The number of those who attended a mass gathering or other large event went up from nearly 13 percent to nearly 14 percent.

On July 13 contact tracers began asking more specific questions on the types of businesses visited and if individuals attended a mass gathering, defined as more than 250 people in attendance outdoors or more than 25 indoors.

The numbers above highlight business settings and mass gatherings as possible sites for transmission. With less than half of those asked about what types of businesses they visited or if they attended a mass gathering responding to the question, the department is reminding Pennsylvanians that it is essential that people answer the phone when case investigators call and to provide full and complete information to these clinical professionals.

Travel Recommendations
Also today, the Department of Health updated its travel recommendations, originally announced on July 2, to remove California, and add North Carolina to the list of states recommended for domestic travelers returning from to quarantine for 14 days upon return to Pennsylvania.

It is important that people understand that this recommendation is in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. A concerning number of recent cases have been linked to travel, and if people are going to travel, we need them to take steps to protect themselves, their loved ones and their community, and that involves quarantining.

Gov. Wolf continues to prioritize the health and safety of all Pennsylvanians through the COVID-19 pandemic. Pennsylvanians should continue to take actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, regardless of in what county they live. This includes wearing a mask or face covering anytime they are in public. COVID-19 has been shown to spread easily in the air and contagious carriers can be asymptomatic.

Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Health today shared its weekly update on Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing data.

“Case investigations, contact tracing efforts and ongoing monitoring are proven public health strategies, but the success of these efforts truly relies on Pennsylvanians to do their part to answer the call,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “For case investigations, we need our fellow Pennsylvanians to pick up the phone when public health professionals call, share where they went and who they came in contact with to complete a case investigation. If you are a close contact, we need you to answer the call in order to stop this virus in its tracks before it could affect your loved ones, co-workers or friends across the state.”

The contact tracing process is not possible without a case investigation by a public health professional. Between Sunday, August 23 and Saturday, August 29, there were 4,434 COVID-19 cases statewide and 77 percent of all cases had a case investigation started within 24 hours of receiving the positive report.

During the case investigation, public health professionals spend 30 to 60 minutes asking questions to ensure all potential close contacts are identified. They collect information about who the case came in contact with and where they went while they were infectious. Information collected during the case investigation process is not shared publicly unless doing so would further the response.

After the initial case investigation is complete, contact tracing begins. Within the same time period of August 23 to August 29, there were 1,523 contact tracing staff working with local and county health entities, partner organizations and the Regional Response Health Collaboration Program within the Department of Human Services. The total number of contact tracing staff has increased by 281 since last week as new staff is hired and onboarded through a partnership with Insight Global.

Of the 1,523 contact tracers there are 67 volunteers, 10 care resource managers, and 30 contact tracing supervisors. These staff monitored 8,259 contacts that were identified during the case investigations.

As the contact tracing program expands, the Department of Health continues to work in partnership with over 150 organizations, in addition to the county and municipal health departments. These organizations gather through regional partnerships to help gather and answer questions, identify problems and find solutions to overall better understand any potential areas to effectively contact trace within that respective region. Each regional partnership has met at least once. These regional partnerships include public health staff, health providers, academic institutions, community organizations, and other stakeholders interested in helping to coordinate and engage around contact tracing efforts.

Organizations and entities interested in partnering in these efforts should reach out to RA-DHCONTACTTRACING@pa.gov.

You can find more information on the state’s contact tracing efforts and all available contact tracing positions at the Department of Health’s website here.

Pennsylvanians are reminded that mask-wearing is required when visiting businesses or in any setting outside the home where social distancing is difficult. Remember: My mask protects you; your mask protects me.

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.