The West Virginia Department of Health and HumanResources (DHHR) reports as of December 13, 2020, there have been 1,312,273 total confirmatorylaboratory results received for COVID-19, with 63,217 total cases and 968deaths.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 69-year old male fromGreenbrier County and a 66-year old male from Cabell County. I offer mydeepest sympathy to all who are grieving these losses today, said Bill J.Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary.
CASESPER COUNTY: Barbour (555), Berkeley (4,449),Boone (796), Braxton (165), Brooke (990), Cabell (3,898), Calhoun (102), Clay(192), Doddridge (165), Fayette (1,366), Gilmer (254), Grant (584), Greenbrier(872), Hampshire (594), Hancock (1,265), Hardy (503), Harrison (1,957), Jackson(895), Jefferson (1,812), Kanawha (6,998), Lewis (340), Lincoln (540), Logan(1,215), Marion (1,226), Marshall (1,643), Mason (782), McDowell (738), Mercer(1,781), Mineral (1,813), Mingo (1,120), Monongalia (4,091), Monroe (468),Morgan (456), Nicholas (500), Ohio (1,986), Pendleton (173), Pleasants (171),Pocahontas (294), Preston (1,051), Putnam (2,460), Raleigh (2,026), Randolph(895), Ritchie (243), Roane (236), Summers (324), Taylor (473), Tucker (241),Tyler (225), Upshur (623), Wayne (1,326), Webster (106), Wetzel (518), Wirt(158), Wood (3,610), Wyoming (953).
Please note that delaysmay be experienced with the reporting of information from the local healthdepartment to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local healthdepartment level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may notbe a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in questionmay have crossed the state border to be tested.
Please visit the dashboard located at www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more information.
There are many ways to obtain free COVID-19 testing in WestVirginia. Please visit https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx.
In Ingham County, the virus rapidly bloomed.
The students came back anyway, and swooped down on bars and restaurants and other places and caused outbreaks in the community, said Debra Furr-Holden, a Michigan State epidemiologist and associate dean for public health integration. The university quickly pivoted, she said, trying to reach students and offering testing, but found it was difficult to convince them to follow rules.
We had an unintended negative consequence that these students were then not within our safety and protection and under our purview where we could better dictate testing, isolation, quarantine and all of that, she said.
The county went from having about 300 new infections in August to about 1,800 in September. On Sept. 14, health officials said a majority of the newest cases involved students at Michigan State and ordered people in many fraternities and sororities to quarantine. Virus deaths have more than tripled in the county since the end of August, to 141 from 41.
In mid-October, Dennis Neuner was driving home from a hospital in Lansing, having just dropped off his wife, Sharon, who was admitted. They had both tested positive for the coronavirus and she developed a nasty cough.
Mr. Neuner took a shortcut on M.A.C. Avenue, home to some of Michigan States sororities. He said he saw some 200 students dotting the lawns, celebrating a football game. Some had red Solo cups, some were playing beer pong and cornhole.
I didnt see one mask, he said.
Mr. Neuner made arrangements for a friend to watch his Jack Russell terrier, Daisy, then drove back to the hospital, where he was also admitted for respiratory distress.
By the next day, his symptoms had improved enough for him to recuperate at home. His wife, 71, who had been healthy and active before catching the virus, eventually developed a blood infection and could no longer breathe on her own. She died on Nov. 12.
A New York Times analysis has found that "as coronavirus deaths soar across the country, deaths in communities that are home to colleges have risen faster than the rest of the nation." The analysis was based on 203 counties where students compose at least 10percent of the population. The Times reported that "since the end of August, deaths from the coronavirus have doubled in counties with a large college population, compared with a 58percent increase in the rest of the nation. Few of the victims were college students, but rather older people and others living and working in the community."
People line up to be tested for the coronavirus at a free testing site Wednesday, Nov. 18 in Seattle. Elaine Thompson/AP hide caption
People line up to be tested for the coronavirus at a free testing site Wednesday, Nov. 18 in Seattle.
Debbie Roberts wishes her stepbrother had just slid away from his advanced Parkinson's disease.
He died Nov. 29, just one person among many who died in an outbreak of COVID-19 at North Valley Extended Care in the Okanogan County town of Tonasket, Wash., population about 1,000. So far, at least 16 people at the facility have died since Thanksgiving.
"If only he hadn't contracted this COVID and left this world in such agony," Roberts says. "We sort of talk to him among ourselves. We say, 'Sorry Ken, we're so sorry you had to go this way.' "
She says that her stepbrother was confused, would constantly pull off his oxygen mask, and his eyes were pleading near the end of his life.
Ken was 66 years when he died.
Ken Roberts (left), his stepsister, Debbie Roberts, and her husband, Steve Kinzie, at a Christmas gathering at North Valley Extended Care in Tonasket in 2018. Ken died of COVID-19 on Nov. 29 at age 66. Courtesy of Debbie Roberts hide caption
Ken Roberts (left), his stepsister, Debbie Roberts, and her husband, Steve Kinzie, at a Christmas gathering at North Valley Extended Care in Tonasket in 2018. Ken died of COVID-19 on Nov. 29 at age 66.
Roberts doesn't blame the health care facility. But there are dozens more sickened including nearly half the staff. The town's health care system is in crisis, a striking example of the perilous state of rural health care.
Rural America has been the site of COVID-19 hotspots this year: prisons, nursing homes and meat packers. But there are few doctors, ICU beds and little backup when health care workers also get sick.
"When we want to get a COVID test we have to go 30 miles away to Omak (Washington)," Roberts says. "So we can't just go to our local hospital. They don't have enough."
Already filling up
Confluence Health is a health system that covers north-central Washington, including Tonasket. It has a dozen clinics across a wide swath of the region. Incoming CEO Dr. Douglas Wilson says as his hospitals fill with COVID-19 patients, they're crowding out victims of car accidents, heart attacks and head injuries.
"You hate to put someone on a helicopter or in an ambulance and fly them over the mountains in the winter, when they would've done better had they been able to receive care here locally without traveling," Wilson says. "That's a difference between life and death sometimes."
Carrie Henning-Smith is with the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center.
"Rural residents on average are older than urban residents," Henning-Smith says. "Rural residents have more underlying health conditions. And rural residents are less likely to have health insurance and reliable access to health care. And you put all those together it means that once COVID gets into a rural area and it's in virtually every rural area it's more volatile."
Rural COVID-19 patients may have it worse for the long haul because COVID-19 has many symptoms needing specialty care that isn't usually available in rural areas. Some counties don't even have a single physician, says doctor Eyal Kedar, who's been with the St. Lawrence Health System in New York State for about five years.
Kedar says when he first arrived, "There was no nephrologist, there was no infectious disease person in my health system, we didn't even have a (full-time person) for pulmonology."
"There was no neurologist, no dermatologist in my health system, there was and still is no dialysis capability in my health system and this is just a small list," he says.
Kedar says he is the system's first rheumatologist. And he says his health system is a model rural health system.
"By rural standards, we're pretty good," he says. "If you're in a rural area and you need a subspecialist, there's a very good chance that there's not going to be someone around to help you."
He says even physical barriers like adequate transportation, high mountains and snow can keep rural residents from the care they need.
"There are two Americas here. There is nothing like rural underserved," Kedar says. "Rural America has suffered from a lack of attention. We're not seeing the cracks in the walls of the system. We're seeing the absence of walls."
Grant county 0utbreak
A 300-person November wedding near Ritzville, Wash., in Adams County has been linked to an outbreak in a neighboring Grant County school and long-term care facilities. So far this year, at least 65 people in Grant County have died from COVID-19 more than half have come in the past six weeks.
Theresa Adkinson is the Public Health Administrator for Grant County.
"I am done with COVID, I am burned out," Adkinson says. "My staff are exhausted."
There are so many sick that her office has largely stopped contact tracing in the community. Some schools and one county hospital are doing their own contact tracing and outreach to help.
Adkinson says it's disheartening to put out press releases with brutal death counts, and then see lifelong friends posting about unmasked gatherings on Facebook.
"The vaccine is coming," Adkinson says. "We can see the finish line. But it's a ways out there. And how sad is it the people we lose just before we get to the finish line?"
Slow to vaccinate
Rhonda Piner leads nursing for North Valley Extended Care in Tonasket. She kept working from home even after she got the virus. But then, the day after Thanksgiving, her 25 years of nursing experience kicked in.
"And I knew that I could no longer take care of myself, and so I called 911," Piner says.
Piner was hospitalized for six days. She says the prospect of returning to her remaining residents at the care center is daunting.
"I don't know all the names (of the dead)," Piner says. "I started crying, I will tell you. I will be sad to know who didn't make it and who did. So, yeah it's gonna be tough when I go back, it really is."
It may be even tougher than she knows. Experts say without adequate ways of implementing super-cold storage that vaccines require, rural areas may wait longer to get the much-anticipated doses.
A Dartmouth College study found that nurses and other long-term care staff who work multiple jobs may be more likely to spread COVID-19 among elderly residents.
With higher rates of second job-holding among direct care workers and nurses in long-term care than other workers, and many of these workers moving across health settings from their first to second jobs, this creates a potential pathway for COVID-19 transmission, said Kristin Smith, a visiting sociology professor.
Smith co-authored the study, which links the high rates of illness and death in long-term care facilities to the economic challenges of many nurses and staffers at these facilities.
New Hampshire has the nations highest percentage of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities (81%), Smith wrote, so understanding employment dynamics and disparities in this sector could never be more timely than now.
The study found that many direct-care workers have relatively low wages and limited hours, compelling them to find extra work. In fact, according to the study, nurses and other direct-care workers are 32% to 35% more likely to hold at least one other job.
Newports Woodlawn Care Center experienced an outbreak after a staffer likely brought in the illness, infecting more 13 staff members and more than half of the 40 residents. Four deaths were associated with the outbreak.
In Hanover, the Hanover Terrace home is currently dealing with an outbreak that has infected 68 of the 74 residents. Administrators at that home also believe the illness was brought in by an employee.
The Sullivan County Nursing Home in Unity has been disease-free so far. Administrator Ted Purdy said that early in the pandemic, he made the decision not to use any per diem staff working at other facilities.
Because of the COVID-19 issues, weve really worked hard to make sure people only work for us. Thats been important to us, Purdy said.
Smiths study was based on second job data from 2010 to 2019 from the Current Population Survey.
While low wages and limited hours applied to both nurses and direct-care workers, lower hours were correlated more with registered nurses and licensed practical nurses.
The results also showed that nurses with children and Black nurses were more likely to hold second jobs than White nurses. Female and married nurses were less likely to have a second job.
Nurses had higher wages than direct-care workers and worked 30% more hours.
The COVID-19 pandemic is shining the spotlight on inequalities throughout our society, particularly in health care systems, where we are now seeing real-life implications for loved ones in nursing homes, who are such a vulnerable population, Smith said.
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DeKALB Northern Illinois University announced one new coronavirus case Friday, finishing off the week with just 14 new cases of the virus.
It was the lowest count since the week of Oct. 12, in which there were only 12 new cases.
The school announced one new recovery as well. Both the new cases and new recovery were in students.
In all, there are nine positive employees currently on campus and 27 positive students. There have been 592 total positive tests and 556 recoveries.
In surveillance testing results released Monday, nine students tested positive among 699 tests conducted last week, a 1.3% positivity rate. For the week of Nov. 16, the previous full week of surveillance testing, there were eight positives in 739 tests, a rate of 1.1%.
The schools quarantine and isolation use remained at 3.1%.
The university first welcomed students back to campus Aug. 19, and classes began Aug. 24. Students living on campus were required to submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test before moving in.
Post-Thanksgiving break, NIU classes that werent already being offered online were transitioned to remote if able to do so, although some courses could remain in person, with the campus and residential halls still open for students. No decision has yet been made on any spring graduations for the Class of 2021.
According to the school, a 14-day quarantine begins after individuals first show signs of COVID-19 symptoms, not when they receive a positive test for the virus. A case is considered recovered after the 14-day period is over.
Although specific surveillance testing results are reported weekly on Mondays, positive tests found through the program are included in daily statistics.
Daily COVID-19 case data from the DeKalb County Health Department may not reflect daily data from NIU because some students or employees may live outside the county and still test positive for the virus.
This week, an inmate at the Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen died from COVID-19. This is the fourth inmate in the state to die from the virus.
MONROE, Wash. Families of inmates in Washington state prisons are voicing their concerns as COVID-19 case counts climb.
Some of those families said the state isnt doing enough to protect the incarcerated population.
In April, a riot broke out at the Monroe Correctional Complexover the prisons handling of the virus after several inmates tested positive.
I could tell you, my husband is a sweet man whos made some mistakes, but he is my everything and I love him, said Twyla Kill, whose husband is an inmate.
While her husband hasnt had the virus, she said shes fearful every day.
Us as families out here knowing these conditions are going on, its very scary and were feeling helpless, she explained.
Kill runs a public Facebook group called, The Truth is Inside Out COVID-19 Prison Support Group.The Truth is Inside Out COVID-19 Prison Support Group
With over 800 members, the group serves as an outlet for families of people incarcerated in Washington state. They write letters to lawmakers and hold rallies demanding change to the prison system.
Besides my own trauma behind it, I share with a lot of theirs. Its the same for all of us. Its very hard, Kill said.
This week, an inmate at the Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen died from COVID. This is the fourth inmate in the state to die from the virus since the start of the pandemic.
Kill said this scares her more than anything.
I think that people should understand that these are human beings like everyone else and they have families and loved ones, and communities and the stress level for them inside and for families outside is extreme.
As COVID-19 vaccines start arriving in Washington on Monday, according to Kill, state health officials should consider the prison population in terms of vaccine distribution.
I isolate because Im high risk but there are people in there that are severely high risk that have no opportunity to isolate, she explained, Thats the situation and if theyre stacked on top of each other the way that they are, they should be at the top of a vaccine conversation.
The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) released the statement to KING 5 News on their vaccination plan:
The Department of Corrections is in direct and ongoing communications with the Washington Department of Health regarding vaccine distribution prioritization. Agency leadership is currently working on the agencys vaccination implementation plan and continues to work toward the goal of being able to have vaccinations available for as many staff and incarcerated individuals as possible.
Regarding the conditions for inmates across the state, the DOC said:
Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 are then appropriately placed on quarantine status or in medical isolation, per the Departments COVID-19 Screening, Testing, and Infection Control Guideline, depending on whether they are symptomatic or asymptomatic and are kept separate from healthy individuals. The Department is working hard to provide the best quality healthcare to all individuals in its custody.
The DOC said it is "enhancing its efforts to fight COVID" and have "put in place several quality improvement measures since the beginning of the pandemic.
The Washington State Department of Health said that the state has not yet released its allocation guidance past Phase 1A, which does not include inmates or corrections officers.
Kill said something needs to be done before more inmates lives are put at risk.
COVID-19 remains the same. DOC has to change what theyre doing, she said.
Ashanti announced Saturday on Instagram she tested positive for Covid-19.
"Hey y'all I can't believe I'm saying this but I tested positive for COVID-19. I'm ok and not in any pain. I'm actually down to do the verzuz from my house... we're trying to figure it all out!!!" the singer posted.
She later posted a video saying "never in a million years did I think I would get Covid."
"First time this has struck us so close to showtime," Verzuz posted on Instagram. "We apologize to our incredible audience! Get well soon, Ashanti."
The showdown between Ashanti and Keyshia Cole is part of an ongoing series by producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. It launched as a way to entertain fans during quarantine and has since become a cultural phenomenon on social media.
Prisons are prime incubators for the disease, as social distancing and basic contagion protections are largely impossible behind bars.
In Texas prisons, more than 26,000 prisoners have caught COVID-19 since the first confirmed case in March.
And at least 168 prisoners have died after catching the virus.
There have also been 7,340 coronavirus cases among prison staff and at least 26 employee deaths. The surviving relatives of those prison employees say they have been unable to get first-responder benefits.
By the fall, the Texas prison system led the nation in COVID-19 prisoner deaths, according to a study from the University of Texas at Austin.
Prisons are prime incubators for the disease, as social distancing and basic contagion protections are largely impossible behind bars.
An investigation by WFAA and The Marshall Project showed that the spread of COVID-19 behind bars was also due to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's lackluster response, potentially exacerbating outbreaks and putting surrounding communities at risk.
Here's how the novel coronavirus has spread in Texas prisons:
Jan. 21 - The first case of COVID-19 is confirmedin the U.S.
Jan. 30 - The World Health Organization declares a public health emergency. The first person-to-person transmission of the virus is confirmed in the U.S.
Feb. 26 - The Correctional Managed Health Care Committee, which oversees healthcare in Texas prisons, has its first meeting to discuss planning and response to COVID-19.
March 11 - The Texas Department of Criminal Justices chief health services provider calls a meeting to discuss revamping the agencys pandemic flu plan to address COVID-19. It's the same day the WHO declares the coronavirus a pandemic.
March 12 - TDCJ makes a video showing staff how to wear PPE. The agency has since fought reporters requests to release that video or see what instructions it provides.
March 13 - Gov. Greg Abbott declares a state of disaster, and Texas prisons end all visitation.
March 16 - TDCJ activates its incident command center at headquarters in Huntsville and begins holding daily conference calls to discuss the situation. And, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stops the execution of John Hummel due to the pandemic. It is the first of several executions called off due to COVID-19.
March 20 - The Correctional Managed Health Care Committee issues its first COVID-19 policy, greenlit by three joint medical directors but without input from the agencys security staff. The same day, the governor approves TDCJs requestto temporarily suspend the fees prisoners are usually charged for medical treatment, allowing better access to medical care during the pandemic.
March 23 - A contract prison employee working at the Jester 1 Unit in Richmond becomes the first staff member to test positive for COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention releases interim guidance on managing COVID-19 in jails and detention centers, outlining when facilities need soap, sanitizer, PPE, and social distancing.
March 24 - Prison factoriesbegin making masks for staff and inmates, distributing them to elderly inmates to start. The agency also begins minimizing prisoner transfers between units. The same day, TDCJ announces thefirst prisoner- a 37-year-old at Lychner State Jail - has tested positive for the virus.
March 30 - Medically vulnerable inmates at the Pack Unit, a geriatric prison in East Texas, sue TDCJ to demand betteraccess to soap, hand sanitizer and social distancing.
April 6 - Kevin Wilcher, a 49-year-old officer at the Estelle Unit in Huntsville, becomes the first staff member to die from the virus.
April 7 - Bartolo Infante, a 72-year-old at the Telford Unit, becomes the first prisoner to die of COVID-19after spending four days in an outside hospital battling viral pneumonia. The same day, four prisons Murray, Jordan, Beto and Telford go on lockdown due to viral outbreaks at the units.
April 10 - The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among prisoners crosses into triple-digits with 132 inmates testingpositive. Eighteen prisons are on lockdown. During lockdowns, the agency says only staff assigned to each unit will work at those units.
April 11 - The geriatric Pack Unit in Navasota sees its first COVID-19-related fatality when Leonard Clerkly dies. His cause of death is not confirmed for two more days. Two days later, the prison system suspends intakes from county jails.
Coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal justice and immigration. Since March, The Marshall Project has been tracking how many people are being sickened and killed by COVID-19 in prisons and how widely it has spread across the country and within each state.
April 16 - Federal District Judge Keith Ellison issues a preliminary injunction in the Pack prisoners lawsuit, ordering the prison system to provide hand sanitizer and face masks for inmates. TDCJ appeals the order the next day.
April 18 - The prison system changes how it tracks positive cases, now noting only where the prisoners are currently located and making it more difficult to track outbreaks. So far, 18 have recovered and 376 have tested positive as well as 183 staff.
April 19 - Prisoner Russell Hill dies of COVID-19, though the prison system does not publicly acknowledge his death for five more months.
April 22- TheFifth Circuit stays Judge Ellisons order, saying that TDCJ does not have to comply with it while the court considers the agencys appeal.
April 29 - The number of infected prisoners crosses the 1,000 mark, with 1,050 positives among the inmate population and 381 among the staff. TDCJ notes 12 prisoner and 5 staff deaths in connection with the virus. Thirty-seven units are on lockdown, sparking complaintsfrom prisoners who cannot call their families and are subsisting on shoddy bagged meals.
May 12 - The prison system deploys strike teams and beginsmass testing the inmate population, including prisoners who are asymptomatic.
May 15 - Prison officials promise to improve the food served during lock-term lockdowns, ordering fresh vegetables and tray lids to deliver hot meals.
May 17 - Prisoners and staff continue reporting deteriorating conditions at several units, including the Smith Unit in Lamesa where staff say a sewer line problem causes toilets to overflow with feces after a water outage.
Coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal justice and immigration. The toilets are overflowing-again. As if crowded conditions inside prisons were not enough of a challenge during a pandemic, some Texas prisoners are also facing a familiar foe: the system's historically-bad plumbing.
May 29 - Strike teams have tested more than 51,000 prisonersand nearly 14,000 staff members using Curative oral swabs. So far, 5,469 prisoners and 879 staff have tested positive, and 36 prisoners and seven employees have died from the virus.
June 5-The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals vacates the courts preliminary injunction because TDCJ substantially complied with the measures ordered by the district court and they remanded the case to the district court.
June 10 - By now, more than 1,000 prison staff and 7,200 inmates have confirmed positives, and 59% of the state's 106 units are on lockdown. Staff report they are routinely being forced to work at other units, even during lockdowns. Some say they have been written up for refusing.
June 15 - In an effort to stop delaying releases, officials announced that they will resume the transferof prisoners who need to be moved to other units to complete programs needed to make parole.
June 30 - After a monthslong pause on intakes, the prison population drops under 130,000 for the first time in decades, closing out the month with 126,590 behind bars. But the agency resumes picking up new prisoners from county jails in July, starting with just 250 per week.
July 2 - Abbott issues a statewide executive order requiring facemasks in counties with 20 or more positive cases.
July 8 - Texas carries out the first execution since the startof the pandemic, putting to death 45-year-old Billy Wardlow.
July 13 - By this point, the agency has reported12,007 cases and 94 deaths among the prisoner population, and 2,160 cases including nine deaths among the prison systems employees. The trial begins in the case of the Pack Unit prisoners who sued TDCJ to demand social distancing, hand sanitizer, soap and other protections.
July 18 - Prisoners at the understaffed Briscoe Unit riot and take a corrections officer hostagefor several hours after breaking out of their cells amid a lengthy lockdown.
Aug. 24 - Despite the attempts at decreased transfers due to the pandemic, TDCJ is forced to evacuate three units in southeast Texas in preparation for incoming Hurricane Laura.
Sept. 29 - ThePack Unit prisoners win their lawsuit, as Judge Keith Ellison issues an expansive ruling in their favor, laying out a long list of requirements TDCJ must comply with to better protect inmates.
Sept. 30 - The prison population dipsto barely 120,000 for the first time in at least two decades, and TDCJ closes three units - Garza East, Jester 1, and Bradshaw. Another 3,379 beds in wings at other units across the state are temporarily shut down due to a lack of staff.
Oct. 13 - The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturns Judge Ellisons order, saying that the number of positive cases decreased without a court order. The Pack Unit prisoners later appeal the decision.
Oct. 29 - The number of active prisoner cases dips down to 251, and agency data lists 22,141 inmates as recovered. More than 218,000 incarcerated people have been tested and 166 are believed to have died in connection with the virus. There are 648 active staff cases, in addition to 21 deaths and 4,786 recoveries.
Oct. 30 - At a Texas Board of Criminal Justice meeting, Executive Director Bryan Collier announces that wardens will oversee surveillance testing at each unit every three weeks beginning Nov. 8.
Nov. 16 - The Supreme Court declines to intervene and enforce the district court's injunction in the Pack Unit lawsuit, which would have required certain basic safety procedures.
Dec. 1 - Texas prison officials confirmed plans to shut down two more prisons following a massive population decrease during the pandemic. The goal is to have the prisons closed by the end of the year.
Dec. 2 - Kenneth Russell died of COVID-19 two weeks after he was hospitalized, prison officials said. He is one of 25 TDCJ employees who have died from coronavirus complications.
More from our investigation:
WFAA has partnered withThe Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization that covers the U.S. criminal justice system, to produce No Way Out: COVID Behind Bars.Keri Blakingeris a staff writer with The Marshall Project based in Houston. Her work has focused on prisons and prosecutors.
Area eateries and breweries spent the weekend adjusting to new COVID-19 restrictions put in place by Gov. Tom Wolfs administration.
On Thursday afternoon, Wolf announced a series of new restrictions intended to curb COVID-19 cases. Some of those restrictions that last through 8 a.m. on January 4 included ending indoor dining and closing gyms. The restrictions are on top of mitigation measures already in place since spring due to the pandemic that has claimed more than 770 Bucks Countians lives and sickened more than 22,000 locals.
With these measures in place, we hope to accomplish three goals: First, stop the devastating spread of COVID-19 in the commonwealth. Second, keep our hospitals and health care workers from becoming overwhelmed. And third, help Pennsylvanians get through the holiday season and closer to a widely available vaccine as safely as possible. This is a bridge to a better future in Pennsylvania, the governor said.
The news was met not all that warmly by many area business owners who serve food and drinks and have followed past restrictions and put their own safety measures in place.
Mike LaCouture, one of the owners of Broken Goblet Brewing that started in Bristol Township and is now located along State Road in Bensalem Township, said he was disappointed by the latest restrictions.
I am not surprised. I am saddened, unbelievably so, for all the employees ours included who are affected by this two weeks before the holidays. He is taking a sledgehammer approach to the problem, which is both expected and unfortunate because a business like ours has been taking this so seriously and is probably one of the safest, cleanest places you would visit in the last nine months, he said.
Additionally, LaCouture said the governor is in a tough position because some businesses arent following the guidelines that have already been in place.
We suffer for others flippancy to the whole thing, he said.
Jake Howell, one of the owners of Second Sin Brewing Company on Grundy Lane in Bristol Township, said he understands the steps that are being taken to control the spread of COVID-19.
Overall, given the rise in cases something needs to be done, shutdown or otherwise. The issue is that the orders seem to be disproportionately targeted at bars and restaurants, but somehow 500 people going into a big box store isnt an issue. Also, one would imagine that the six months since the last shutdown would have been used to plan for this one, so that service industry workers and small business owners could have some assistance, especially at this time of year, he said.
Nicholas Brachelli, who owns Hoagie Xpress on Bristol-Emilie Road in Bristol Township, said the restrictions are tough on restaurants and bars.
Is it a necessary evil? I dont have the right answer for that, but it is hard to watch local businesses shut down and local families directly impacted during the holiday season, he said, adding he hopes the community would pull together to support local eateries.
John Longstreet, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association,said the governors latest order would have a considerable impact on businesses. He also noted theres not the federal aid like in spring to help small businesses and their owners and employees.
The short notice of the shutdown and timing could not be worse as employers will be forced to lay off thousands of more workers as we head into the holiday season, he said.
LaCouture said Broken Goblet Brewing has gone back to outdoor seating only to comply with the governors order.
I really think that will dwindle, and so we will have to try and survive on takeout and our new shipping services, he said.
At Broken Goblet Brewing, which has a large outdoor area, a few outdoor heaters wouldnt be enough to keep customers warm as the cold weather moves in. He said the team priced it out and it would cost them $60,000 to create an effective setup or 15 propane heaters at more than $5,000, plus the price of propane.
For now, the brewery has been making it work with six fire pits that use a cord of wood per a weekend, LaCouture said.
At Second Sin Brewing Company, Howell said theyre making due with outdoor seating and a propane heater.
Hopefully we can continue to offer the space to our guests, he said. We will be shortening up our hours to close around sundown on the weekend. Well post our finalized hours on social media once they are set. Also, we have had curbside pickup as an option since the previous shutdown. Finally, we will be starting delivery on Fridays and Saturdays.
Brachelli, whose Hoagie Xpress hasnt offered indoor seating since the pandemic started, said takeout has been keeping his business steady.
Simply call in your order ahead of your arrival. When you arrive at the store you walk up to the window pay and collect your order and on your way. It creates minimal contact not only for our customers but also our staff. It worked rather seamlessly in the spring when we had heightened restrictions so we will be revisiting it starting next week when we open for business, he said.
For the two breweries, both have been complying with government safety guidance and even taking precautions steps further.
LaCouture said Broken Goblet Brewing has spent thousands on safety for customers and employees. They added Plexiglass, upgrades to the HVAC system, and completely reworked their new taproom.
In the restaurant and bar industry, COVID-19 and the restrictions has made business tough locally and nationwide.
The impact of COVID-19 truly cannot be put into words, Brachelli said. It has impacted everything from day-to-day operations to bearing a heavy mental toll on everyone. As long as everyone practices social distancing mask wearing, and good hand washing hygiene, possibly and end is in sight.
For Second Sin Brewing Company, they just passed a year since opening. The first shutdown lasted longer than they had been open at that point.
I think we can say the COVID has had a substantial negative impact on our business. All we are doing now is trying to make it through the winter and hope that the vaccine roll out lets us get back to normal as soon as possible, Howell said.
When our employees suffer, the owners suffer. And I know there are others like us in the area, LaCouture said.
Overall, Broken Goblet Brewing has seen business drop 60 percent to 70 percent due to COVID-19 and even with a 350 percent to 400 percent increase in takeout and the sale of packaged beer.
The general consumer is unaware of the mathematics of in-house dining/drinking versus takeout, but that really is not their problem. It is a fact of life right now for us, LaCouture said.
While most restaurants, bars, and other businesses seem to be following the states new regulations, there has been talk of some that are not.
Two area eateries that are rumored to be protesting the mitigation measures did not respond to requests for comment.
A high-profile objection has come from Jim Worthingtons Newtown Athletic Club in Newtown Township. The large regional health club said will remain open for the sake of our loyal members.
We believe that we are doing more service to our community if we remain available for them to continue their exercise and healthy lifestyle regimes which in the end, according to the science, are among the best lines of defense against COVID-19, a social media post from the club said.
Local and state authorities are empowered through law to enforce the governors orders. While there have been some county and state enforcement actions, local Levittown-area law enforcement have not been involved in any high-profile enforcement actions.
Bucks County Commissioners Chairperson Diane Ellis-Marseglia said she is sure state officials would not implement the mitigation measures unless they believe circumstances are dire.
I am looking forward to a federal response with national standards so that every state, and every county, can be aligned with a greater plan. Rather than think of this as being imposed, I suggest thinking of it doing our share to contribute and cooperate for the greater good, she said.
We have consistently told people to mask up and follow the protocols. Its obvious that while most people followed that advice there are many who ignored it for whatever reason. The new mitigation measures will hopefully help stop the spread so that our hospitals arent overwhelmed. We know restaurants will suffer the most. We encourage Bucks Countians to help our restaurants as much as they can through takeout and delivery orders, Commissioner Bob Harvie said.
During this critically important time we need our elected officials in Washington Democrats and Republicans alike to come up with a stimulus package that will help every American in need and lift our business community through this public health crisis, said Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo.
We all need to support our heroes: the healthcare workers, people on the front lines caring for others and our emergency service providers, and the way we can do that is by continuing to wear masks, staying safe and following the social distancing guidelines, he added.
I certainly understand the governor felt he needed to do something to stem the high tide of cases, Bucks County Health Department Director Dr. David Damsker said in a statement. However, I do feel very badly for the affected businesses, and was hoping we could have been successful reducing the cases prior to implementing any additional restrictions. In the meantime, we need to continue wearing masks and limiting any unnecessary gatherings from now through the holidays.
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