Beaver County announces first coronavirus case; Aliquippa superintendent says patient worked in district Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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Beaver County's emergency serves Emergency Management service is Office was made aware tonight at 7 p.m. This evening by representatives from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. A resident of your county has tested positive for cocaine. 19. We didn't have any other information at this time, to the identity of the individual where the Beaver County resident resides, or how they contracted the virus. As there is now a confirmed case and be recounting the Board of Commissioners and falling with the move made by Governor Tom Wolfe earlier throughout, the state is declaring Beaver County to be a disaster emergency county. We urge our residents to follow the CD Seas and the P A Department of Health recommendations as they pertain to attempting to slow the spread of this virus. We ask the public to refrain from coming to county facilities unless absolutely required to do so. Beaver County Board of Commissioners, along with our president judge in the court system, will continue to take steps, an attempt to limit the foot traffic required to come to the courthouse. County officials are meeting daily in an attempt to review protocol and monitor the situation. At this time we're available for any comments or questions. Well, there's not a lot to say other than wait did ask the questions were about in the county on. They would not or could not confirm. We're at, um, no certain area. Obviously, no names were getting so. As director, Burger said, when Pema notified Our Emergency Management service is, they did not provide the Board of Commissioners or Beaver County Emergency Service's any other information other than we have one positive case of Cove in 19 you said you don't know at this time we don't have any knowledge of where the person is. The protocol throughout the state is to make the Bieber kind, make any county commissioners across the Commonwealth that has the first confirmed case, aware that there's one in the county. So we have that case are telling the public what you're next. I think our as a board of commissioners are first steps. First Informants is the safety of our residents. I think it will come to reality to the residence in Beaver County that this is a serious matter. We urge them to continue to follow the CDC PIA department guidelines government Tom Wolfe put that out today. Stay home. Stay safe. That's what we want to tell our individuals. To do throughout the county is stay home if you can. And don't. Don't. Don't get too anxious and being inside inside the house too long. You wash your hands clean. Yes, and people are not. Are you shutting your door All of everything with the federal government. So So that would have to come from the state or federal government. As 1/4 class county Board of Commissioners doesn't have that authority to shut down any bars or restaurants, we could only encourage our residents to stay home and not partake in those activities. I mean, it will interjected, weeping. We've been talking about this for 10 days. We've been working on plans. We've been implementing what we can implement within our purview, and this certainly ratchets it up to another level. And we hope that the general public is taking this serious now that we have an actual case here, be recounting and is following the guidelines that were issued by the governor in the CDC. And that's what we've been following along and going through different phases. The Department of Health, Pennsylvania Department health is the lead agency on this. We're hoping that they'll give us some more information, but so this is a first for all of us. I don't know. Where is the residents Live here in your area is the resident. All we could stay at this time is we have one confirmed case in Beaver County. The most important thing way need to do is to make sure our people stayed hunkered down in their homes. Listen, I have four grandchildren. I spent two days with him. It's it's hard for The kids were used to going out and playing and having a good time. But we have to do this. We have to stay home. We have to wash our hands. And when you sneeze, we have to seize into our elbow and that the next update? We're meeting every day at 10 o'clock and things change daily. So I'm sure we'll see you people again. Way just started. Thio tell people not to come unless you absolutely have to be here. So hopefully we're gonna cancel meetings, work sessions if there's no business to do to conduct. Uh, I'll give you example. I'm a year and 1/2 from being 70 years old. When our meetings are over, I usually talk, I get up and I go out that door and go back in. When did you find out? I got a call from Commissioner Camp It about 7 20 Help, Help! Potential driving out of the country. People around them manage their mitigate their own fears. When will that be? We don't have any information yet, and I don't know how long it's gonna take. But a soon as we know as soon as we've been released any information, we will. But at this point, we have no information to release. But it's gonna hurt the business of Baber County. But we have to do the best we can to stop the spread. Can you talk as a 4 p.m. Today? We had a conference call with Shell Pennsylvania. They are increasing their due diligence. They are adding buses. They are separating their lunches, doing sterile clean between lunches. As of right now, they will still continue to operate as a manufacturing facility built. We have not had any contact with him since 4 p.m. Since this case has broke, we advise them that we will be meeting every day at 10 a.m. So if there's any information to get to us, please get it to us before 10 at this, no more than anybody else you got, quite frankly, to me, it's almost It's almost immaterial to details about this person. The fact is, we've got a confirmed case and we need to start hearing to the guidelines and doing the social distancing as much as we can and staying home stink staying self quarantine. You know what? Well, pretty much all state run agencies. We got word that, um, career link and those kinds of places of all all shut down. Our senior centers have been shut down. We shut down the ice rink. We've left the park's open still, and we've minimized. We take accepted, minimize the exposure inside the courthouse. Those that could work from home are starting to be told toe work from home, trying to mitigate as much as we can the impact of people in the courthouse. I think it's just what governable have said. We can't force anyone to do anything, but I hope people would look at the big picture of being a good citizen and a community member and pay attention to what's going on and not go out in public unnecessarily on to continue. If they don't feel well, stay home. If you're sick, don't come work and just adhere to those common courtesies that we would expect with anybody that's sick for any reason to enter the workplace or place of business. Eric, we're staying way. I would say to him, I have great empathy. I've worked with small business owners for 15 years. I have great empathy, especially for the restaurant business. I know how difficult that businesses to shut down for two weeks, let alone two months is a really, really difficult thing for them to go. I understand why they would be tempted not, uh, closer doors, but the same time you're doing it the service to the community, your workers and everybody else by staying open and being a gathering spot where this thing could spread. What about Department of Pema? Notified. Our emergency service is at 7 p.m. And just so you don't have a JJ name even living or they notice you at this time we have a confirmation from chemo that we have one confirmed case of Cove in 19 in Beaver County. Any other words? Your residence? Yes. Yes, they close ST. Yes. All schools are closed. No, I think the only words of encouragement we give to the residences stay inside as long as you have to. That's one of the only thing that's gonna prevent this virus from spreading. As we said, our facilities here or please only come if you're mandated to such a court hearing or something along those lines. There's a lot of things at the county you could do online. Please, please do that, if you can. That that's one of the messages we really want. At this time. President Judge Richard Mancini has taken action. He sent a memorandum out today of a limiting foot. Traffic is starting to take the essential roles, such as what Allegheny County is doing. We should be hearing more from him tomorrow, but this time they're still things that are taking place on the second floor at the courthouse. But we do have no jury trials. All the jury trials that would've been scheduled have been canceled. You talk to people. I feel like meeting bar your life. But I think, and I think that's what we're doing here, hopefully trying. We're trying to get a message out. A unifying message that is important to stay inside, only go out when you have to. As the governor said today, if you go to the grocery store normally once a day or one, so we continue to do that, continue as if it's a normal week. Go get your groceries. Don't panic, but stay inside as much as you can only go outside when it's essential and you have to Any other questions? Anything else you'd like to say? Police follow the CDC in the Department of Health guidelines. Continue this. They updated on what's going on. That changes as well. All three of us said This is changing hourly, not just daily hourly, and we'll have that poster on our county website. Any more information we could get to get out to the public, his dance said earlier, quoting government. Stay calm, Stay safe, stay home. I have something. I I spoke with my cousin who lives in Italy today, and they're pretty stringent. They won't leave the house. They have one person per household that will leave and go to the Grace restore and it's only one person. So he told me two weeks ago that it wasn't bad and they just called me today and said, It's bad. Yes, it it hits home because what's happening there could possibly happen here and we're trying to get ahead of it. We're trying to lessen the curb and try to protect our citizens. We could learn from other people's what they're going through and that that's hopefully what we're trying to do here. Limit contact.