By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
The April 14 map of COVID-19 infections in Chester County. Courtesy, Chester County Health.
The positive trends in COVID-19 cases is continuing statewide and here in Chester County, although caseloads and fatalities continue to be at high numbers — as state officials caution this is not the time to end or relax social distancing, the battle against the virus is far from won.
The state Department of Health (DOH) said there were 1,146 positive tests in the state — the third straight day that number went down — and 60 new fatalities Monday, bringing the total to 584. Nationally, nearly 25,000 people have died because of the virus.
“COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise in Pennsylvania, and even though the daily increases are not exponential, now is not the time to become complacent,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We must continue to stay home to protect ourselves, our families, our community. If you must go out, please make as few trips as possible and wear a mask to protect not only yourself, but other people as well. We need all Pennsylvanians to continue to heed these efforts to protect our vulnerable Pennsylvanians, our health care workers and frontline responders.”
Locally, numbers in Chester County continue to level off as well, with 30 new cases reported for the second straight day. Three new fatalities were reported, bringin the county death toll to 20.
Monday night, hours after announcing a joint effort with northeastern states to plan the reopening of society and the economy, Gov. Tom Wolf addressed the state, expressing thanks for the sacrifices made by residents in battling COVID-19.
“I recognize that what is being asked of each of us is hard,” Wolf said in his speech. “Before this awful disease attacked us, we could be who we were, defined by our jobs, our friends, our neighbors and our families and our pastimes. Now, we have asked ourselves to isolate ourselves, to stop doing what we were doing or making or interacting. And, we could be forgiven for wondering if it’s worth it.
“Well, by the numbers we have all seen – the reduction in the rate of increase of new cases, the flattening of the curve – we are defining ourselves in a new way.
“By doing nothing, by distancing ourselves from others, by staying home we are making a difference. We are saving lives. We are saving our children, our neighbors and our friends. By doing nothing, we are doing something extraordinary.
“And for that I thank you.”
In other state COVID-19 news, Wolf announced Monday that businesses that collect Pennsylvania sales tax will not have to make Accelerated Sales Tax (AST) prepayments over the next three months. That means businesses that normally have a monthly prepayment requirement will not be charged penalties for missing the prepayment deadline during this three-month period.
“The spread of COVID-19 has put a tremendous strain on many businesses throughout the commonwealth that collect Pennsylvania sales tax,” Gov. Wolf said in a statement. “Waiving this prepayment requirement will provide support to our businesses at a time when they are doing their part to help us prevent the spread of the virus.”
Additionally, the state has launched a COVID-19 hiring portal, for life-sustaining businesses
The new COVID-19 job portal the Department of Labor & Industry launched Monday.
“Many life-sustaining businesses across Pennsylvania are hiring and this new portal will help connect them with people looking for a job,” said L&I Secretary Jerry Oleksiak. “A top priority of L&I is to provide businesses with access to the workforce they need to maintain their life-sustaining operations and help our workers find jobs, especially during this unprecedented and challenging time.”
