ONGOING COVERAGE -- COVID by Dave

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voice

Dark distinction: The U.S. now has the highest COVID-19 death toll in the world at more than 20,000. Page A10

the citizens’

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SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2020

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

WARREN RUDA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

vehicles travel along Broad street in Hazleton last week.

WHY HAZLETON? Several factors made southern Luzerne County a COVID-19 hot spot

By STeVe MOcarSKy STAFF WRITER

AZLETON — As COVID-19 whipped through this small city perched on a mountain in southern Luzerne County, making it one of Pennsylvania’s epicenters for the disease, residents and officials searched for the possible cause. They identified several: The region’s burgeoning warehouses and food packing plants crammed hundreds of workers together on round-the-clock shifts. Those workers often lived in densely packed apartment buildings that facilitated transmission. Many traveled regularly to hardhit New York City, the source of a wave of new Hispanic residents who arrived in Hazleton seeking work and more affordable living over the past few decades. Latinos brought with them a cultural tradition of caring for elderly parents, grandparents and extended family members under the same roof, increasing the likelihood of spreading the disease in the household, and a language barrier likely contributed to a lack of understanding of precautionary measures to slow the spread of the disease. “The most-spoken language in Hazleton is Spanish,” community activist Annie Mendez said. “Why not call an emergency meeting with (Hispanic leaders)?” Lehigh Valley Health Network’s two COVID-19 testing centers in Hazleton have reported the vast majority of the county’s

WARREN RUDA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

People wait outside a Lehigh valley Hospital facility in Hazleton last week. positive cases. Hazleton has about onetenth of the county’s population, but roughly 88% of the county’s novel coronavirus cases. This past Wednesday, Mayor Jeff Cusat said the total number of positive cases confirmed in Hazleton was around 1,000, when the state Department of Health had announced 1,134 for the entire county. As of Saturday, Luzerne County ranked third in the state for confirmed coronavirus cases per capita, trailing Monroe and Lehigh counties, respectively. For every 100,000 residents, Monroe County had 462 positive cases, Lehigh County had 447 and

Luzerne County had 432.

curfew imposed Cusat went to the extreme of imposing a curfew on April 5, in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., in an effort to promote social distancing and keep people at home. Officials in at least six other nearby municipalities followed suit. On April 3, Luzerne County Manager David Pedri asked Gov. Tom Wolf to deploy the Pennsylvania Army National Guard to assist in Hazleton, a request Wolf declined. Cusat said last week he didn’t think the Guard would be needed to enforce the cur-

few, as the city has a competent police department, but he would like the Guard to be available to set up a field hospital if Lehigh Valley Hospital Hazleton became overwhelmed with patients as the virus continues to spread. About 10 days ago, hospital president John Fletcher said social distancing in Hazleton was only at about 18% and would need to increase to about 70% if the hospital was not to eventually be overwhelmed with coronavirus patients. A hospital spokesman did not respond to a request for updated social distancing numbers late last week. As of Wednesday, the hospital had 22 confirmed COVID-19 positive patients admitted, plus one suspected positive case. Five of those patients were in the intensive care unit on ventilators, according to spokesman Brian Downs. Cusat said last week he’s fairly certain that not all of the coronavirus patients reside in the city proper, but Hazleton’s estimated population of about 30,000 to 35,000 is roughly equal to the populations of nearly all the surrounding townships and boroughs combined. The Census Bureau pegs the city’s population closer to 25,000, but local officials believe city residents were significantly undercounted in the last decennial census. Please see hazleTON, Page A3 ADVE RTISE M E NT

Two deaths, 47 cases reported in county By Michael P. Buffer STAFF WRITER

Two more people have died and another 47 COVID-19 cases have been documented in Luzerne County, according to the state Department of Health. The department reported 1,372 cases and 17 deaths in the county on Saturday morning, up from 1,325 cases with 15 deaths recorded a day earlier. The mortality rate is 1.24%. Luzerne County Manager David Pedri identified the new victims as two women, both 93. “Both passed away in local medical facility,” Pedri said in an email. “Our thoughts and

cOrONaViruS By The NuMBerS

A look at the latest coronavirus case numbers: Luzerne County PennsyLvania New cases: 47 New cases: 1,676 New deaths: 2 New deaths: 78 Total cases: 1,372 Total cases: 21,655 Total deaths: 17 Total deaths: 494

prayers go out to their families during this holiday weekend.” The number of new confirmed cases reported Saturday was the smallest one-day increase in the county since March 29. The statewide total of COVID-19 cases increased by 1,676 and is now up to 21,655 in all 67 counties in Pennsylvania. The department

have tested positive to date, less than 3% of patients have been 18 or younger. About 7% are 19-24 years old, 41% are 25-49, 29% are 50-64, and nearly 21% are 65 or older. Most of the patients hospitalized are 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. There have been no pediatric deaths to date. The state remains under a stay-at-home order, while schools are closed until the end of the academic year and non life-sustaining businesses are closed indefinitely.

reported 78 new deaths among positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 494. Luzerne County has the third most cases per capita in the state — 431.6 per 100,000 residents. Monroe County is 461.85, and Lehigh County is 446.76. A total of 98,498 patients contact the writer: statewide have tested negative mbuffer@citizensvoice.com to date. Of the patients who 570-821-2073, @cvmikebuffer

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Coronavirus PandemiC

SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2020

THE CITIZENS' VOICE A3

Virus has renewed interest in 1918 pandemic Book details impact of the Spanish flu in the Wyoming Valley. By matt Bufano Staff Writer

When Mar tin Novak began working on his latest book, he may as well have been writing about ancient history. The Spanish flu, which killed tens of millions of people, happened more than 100 years ago. The coronavirus has spur red a renewed novak interest in the outbreak, however, and insight about its local impact can be found in Novak’s exhaustively researched

book, “Spanish Influenza in the Wyoming Valley: The Human Cost of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic.” “I believe it was devastating for the Wyoming Valley,” Novak said. “The statistics bear it out that Pennsylvania was one of the hardest-hit states in the country. Part of that was probably due to the heavy manufacturing in Pennsylvania. There was coal mining, iron works, garment factories, silk-making factories, dress factories — all places where people were within close quarters of one another, which afforded the influenza virus ample opportunity to find new victims.” A resident of Springfield, Virginia, whose ancestors hailed from Northeastern Pennsylvania, Novak was drawn to the subject after researching his family history.

He discovered numerous tragic stories of people and families whose lives were forever changed by the Spanish flu. “It certainly took away quite a bit of a generation because the age group that it affected most was those between 18 and 35,” Novak said, “which are the prime years of your life.” Unlike today’s nationwide efforts related to social distancing — and without the guidance of organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization, both of which were founded in the 1940s — Novak said Spanish flu mitigation measures were instituted at a local level. That included closing saloons, schools, theaters and other public places. However, the U.S. was fighting World War I and cit-

ies including Pittston, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre held parades to support the effort and sell war bonds. “And so thousands of Wilkes-Barre citizens obligingly came to demonstrate their patriotism,” Novak wrote of the Sept. 27, 1918 parade in the city. “The spectacle of the mass parade was astounding. … Sixteen full city blocks were crammed with marchers in the parade and those who lined the route to watch and cheer. The Wilkes-Barre Liberty Loan parade was certainly the largest in the Wyoming Valley. It is also certain that many in the crowd that night would contract influenza in the coming days and weeks.” According to figures from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Scranton saw 70 people die from influenza and pneumonia during the last

Buy tHe Book individuals can purchase ‘Spanish influenza in the Wyoming Valley,’ which was published in December, on amazon for $5.99 as a 191-page eBook. the paperback version sells for $14.50.

0.1% for the regular flu, Novak wrote. “They would feel ill one evening and by the next afternoon they were dead,” Novak said. A sense of community and helping one’s neighbor persisted in the face of tragedy, though, including the Scranton Republican’s Order of Santa Claus feature. In December 1918, the newspaper published articles seeking donations to benefit the neediest community members, including children. “Even though probably they didn’t have very much money or resources themselves, they still understood that there were people that were worse-off than them,” Novak said.

four months of 1915. Pittsburgh had 508 deaths and Philadelphia 1,330 in the same span. Those numbers jumped extraordinarily during the last four months of 1918 in which Scranton had 1,048 fatalities, Pittsburgh 5,240 and Philadelphia 12,219. Novak reported 50,000 Pennsylvania children were made orphans by the Spanish flu, including 1,134 in Luzerne County. Contact the writer: The Spanish flu’s mortali- mbufano@citizensvoice.com ty rate was 2.5% compared to @CVBufano

Movement supports heroes and restaurants By stePHanie Panny Staff Writer

Two weeks ago, Anzalone Law Office began a movement to support both front line workers and local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic: #feedaheropledgenepa. The office encouraged businesses around the area to buy food from the small businesses affected by closures and deliver it to workers who are helping patients and the community during these times. One of the four businesses that have joined the movement — Assured Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania — plans to follow in Anzalone’s footsteps and donate food every day it can. “We think that this whole movement of taking care of first responders is definitely important for use to do right now with the whole coronavirus pandemic happening,” said Derek Zambino, executive vice president. “They are asked to do so much for the community and we would like to support them through this time. What better way to do that then by supporting local businesses, local restaurants, that are also impacted by the pandemic?” Zambino said AssuredPartners is primarily targeting medical professionals in hospitals, fire/rescue, EMT and police officers. So far, the business has raised $4,000 in house to order food for donation and has given food to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, and plans to add the Lehigh Valley Health Network center in Hazleton to the list. Zambino said the company is committed to doing this every day through the end of April. He added if the quarantine extends past that time, the company will raise more money and keep donating. “When clients need us to be there, we’re there for them in our daily lives,” Zambino said. “This pledge to feed a hero is just another way to show our support.” Contact the writer: spanny@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2051

Warren ruDa / Staff photographer

Crews from Progressive Pipeline Management clean the Hazleton Public Transit Center on Friday afternoon.

HaZLeton: Economic, cultural, language factors at play from page a1

economic factors Teri Ooms, executive director of the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development based at Wilkes University, said she believes the continued operations in one of the Hazleton area’s major employment sectors is a large contributor to the spike in coronavirus cases there. “I think probably a large part of the reason has to do with the business sector concentrated there that includes warehouses, manufacturers and distribution centers,” said Ooms, a social scientist and researcher with a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a master’s in finance. The Hazleton area’s proximity to the intersection of Interstates 80 and 81 have made it a prime location for facilities that ship products long distances. Hazle Twp., which borders the city of Hazleton, has some of the largest such facilities in the area, including an Amazon Fulfillment Center. Cargill, a meat-processing plant located just over the Hazle Twp. border in Schuylkill County, closed down last week after 130 of the plant’s 900 employees tested positive for COVID-19. “You’ve got these large facilities with hundreds of people and they usually work three shifts, seven days a week, and the processes don’t lend themselves to social distancing, so you can’t always be six or more feet apart,” Ooms said. She also said running three shifts doesn’t always allow time to follow new sanitizing guidelines released by the state. Representatives of Amazon and Cargill did not respond to requests for comment Saturday.

temporary workers Ooms also noted that many of the people who CourteSy of aSSureD partnerS work at these companies are Hospital administrators at supplied by temp agencies Wilkes-Barre General that don’t offer sick days or Hospital accept a delivery other benefits. “It could be that missing a of donated pizza.

day’s work means not being able to put food on the table to feed your family,” Ooms said, so health officials’ advice to stay home when sick can likely go unheeded. Many of the companies that do offer sick leave to employees frown on employees using it, Ooms said. “The demographics of our region don’t really allow people to have time off and be paid, and I think we have to recognize that, especially because this is a high-poverty area. Less than one in five households earn more than $25,000 a year,” she said. The fact that Hazleton’s Latino population is close to 60% also throws a language barrier into the mix. More than half of the households in Hazleton speak Spanish, according to the U.S. census Bureau. Mendez, the activist in the Hispanic community, thinks local elected officials should have reached out to and coordinated with the Hispanic community sooner and to a greater extent to make sure people with limited English proficiency understood all of the safeguards they should take in connection with the virus. Culturally, the Latino population is “very familial oriented, with several generations living under one roof. Children take care of their parents and grandparents,” Ooms said. Larger numbers of people living in the same household can make it more difficult to socially distance oneself, she said.

multi-family housing Cusat agreed with Ooms and also noted that most properties in the city are residential multi-family dwellings, meaning apartment houses and double-block homes. “Even if they don’t share the interior, they still share hallways, porches, screen doors,” Cusat said. Cusat also said many of Hazleton’s residents have family in New York and New Jersey, where the disease

Covid-19 HosPitaLiZations Brian Downs, spokesman for the Lehigh Valley health network, said that of all the CoViD-19 positive patients who are being treated in the five hospitals throughout the LVhn network,16% were being treated at Lehigh Valley hospital-hazleton as of Saturday. of all coronavirus patients in the network on ventilators, 13% were being treated at LVh-hazleton, he said. and at LVh-hazleton, 23% of the in-hospital positive patients are in the intensive Care unit. the others are not.

more onLine

“So we clearly have more in-hospital positive cases at (sites other than hazleton),” Downs said. But people should not take this as an indication it’s not a problem in hazleton and Luzerne County and let their guard down, Downs said. “the social distancing, staying home unless absolutely necessary to go out and not gathering in large groups, even if you think no one is sick, must continue to get this under control and to start bringing the cases and greater threat down,” he said.

addressing concerns

Watch videos from hazleton native Joe maddon (in english) and baseball great albert pujols (in Spanish) on how to help stop the spread of coronavirus at citizensvoice.com.

swelled earlier. Cusat negotiated with two local van companies that voluntarily agreed to halt shuttle service to New York and New Jersey and has since asked companies that shuttle employees to local industrial parks to limit the number of passengers to four. Cusat also said he believes the messages he and health officials are disseminating to the general public are quickly finding their way to the Hispanic community. He said a bilingual city employee translates all of his social media messages during working hours, and local Hispanic journalists translate news from federal, state and local officials and post it online. They stopped publishing paper editions of their newspapers after Wolf ordered many of the businesses where they distributed the newspapers to close.

a call for more cleaning Mendez said she knows scores of people who work in the Hazleton area industrial parks. She maintained that agencies that provide the industries with temporary workers bring in workers from

They also should have foreseen outbreaks connected to their facilities because of the working conditions there and taken action sooner, she said. Mendez also noted that a majority of plants in the Hazleton area have “point systems” in which employees are assigned a point each time they call off or are late for work. When they reach a certain number of points, they are terminated, she said. These same plants don’t offer even their full-time employees sick days, only personal days that, like vacation days, must be scheduled in advance. Hazle Twp. Supervisor Jim Montone took issue with several of Mendez’s claims related to management not providing personal protective gear or enforcing social distancing protocols, as well as her claims that elected officials didn’t respond fast enough or appropriately. After receiving complaints about working conditions over the past couple weeks, Montone said, he dispatched a code enforcement officer to the plants. He said the officer found that new plant safety protocols established by the state were being followed, and if they weren’t, it’s because management was unaware of them. Montone said “not closing the borders to New York and New Jersey (was) a big problem” in slowing the spread of the virus. He pointed a finger at Gov. Wolf for refusing to do so, although some legal scholars have said governors are limited in border action and that only Congress can regulate interstate commerce. Montone dismissed the notion that local officials could have done more earlier to protect the well-being of workers at industrial parks. “I believe we acted as soon as we could,” he said.

Allentown, Reading, Harrisburg, New York, New Jersey and other places when they can’t fill requests for workers with local residents. Mendez also said workers had been telling her that management at many of the sites had not been following proper sanitization or social distancing until recently, nor had they been providing employees with adequate personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves. At some companies, she said, workers used to having fresh masks and gloves after breaks and bathroom trips have been provided with only one mask or pair of gloves daily and not instructed on any new usage guidelines. She said management initially tried to keep it quiet when an employee tested positive for the virus to prevent panic and having healthy employees calling off out of fear of catching the disease. All of these things, Mendez said, contributed to the further spread of the virus at the plants. She believes plant management bears more blame than the temp agencies because Contact the writer: “they’re responsible for what smocarsky@citizensvoice.com goes on under their roofs.” 570-821-2110, @mocarskyCV

WB_VOICE/PAGES [A01] | 04/21/20

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the citizens’

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CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING ■ Big firms get $300M in loans meant for small businesses ■ Senate approves $483B aid deal, sends it to House ■ Parents choose to forgo home school for their children ■ More people turn to gardening during outbreak ■ Coronavirus pandemic affects sales of lottery tickets

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2020

NEWSSTAND 50¢

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

MIXED RESPONSE

Many county nursing homes refused to respond to inquiry over COVID-19 patients at facilities

COVID-19 claims 14 more lives in county The increase was attributed to a different method of tracking deaths. By JAMES HAlPIN STAff WriTEr

MArk MorAN / STAff phoTogrAphEr

A patient is placed into an ambulance at Timber Ridge Health Center in Plains Twp. By STEVE MOCARSKy STAff WriTEr

fficials at 13 of the 24 nursing homes in Luzerne County have refused to say whether any residents tested positive for COVID-19 in response to a request, but President Donald Trump’s administration has now agreed to make that information public. U.S. Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, secured a commitment by the Trump Administration to publicly release the names of nursing homes across the country that have cases of COVID-19, the senators’ offices announced Tuesday. The decision follows a letter the senators sent earlier this month urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

ONlINE EXTRA

and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to release this “critical information” to nursing home residents, their families, health care professionals, first responders and the public.

Some facilities respond A spokesman for Guardian Healthcare reported two of its nursing homes in Luzerne County had positive cases — Mountain Top Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center had 33 confirmed cases and River Run Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in WilkesBarre had two. Guardian’s other two facilities in Luzerne County — Birchwood and Guardian Healthcare and Rehabilitation Centers in Nanticoke — had none. Please see RESPONSE, Page A5

read the letter Sens. Bob Casey and ron Wyden sent to the CDC and CMS asking for the release of nursing homes with CoViD-19 cases at citizensvoice.com.

■ pittston man mourns loss of both parents to CoViD-19. Page A5 ■ patient advocate, nursing home official says state needs more action to confront CoViD-19 deaths. Page A5

AREA NURSING HOME RESPONSES TO CASES Thirteen of Luzerne County’s 24 nursing homes provided no details about CoViD-19 cases at their facilities as of Thursday last week.

Reported positive cases ■ Mountain Top healthcare & rehabilitation Center: 33 cases ■ river run healthcare & rehabilitation Center, kingston: 2 cases

Refused to provide case information ■ The gardens at East Mountain, plains Twp. ■ The gardens at Wyoming Valley, Wilkes-Barre ■ The Manor at St. Luke Village, hazleton ■ The pavilion at St. Luke Village, hazleton

Did not respond to inquiry

Reported no positive cases ■ Birchwood healthcare & rehabilitation Center, Nanticoke ■ Allied Services Center City residence (formerly St. Luke’s Villa), Wilkes-Barre ■ guardian healthcare & rehabilitation Center, Nanticoke ■ hampton house, hanover Twp. ■ ManorCare health Services, kingston ■ Allied Services Meade Street residence (formerly Little flower Manor), Wilkes-Barre ■ Allied Services heinz Transitional rehabilitative Unit, Wilkes-Barre ■ The Meadows, Dallas ■ Wesley Village, Jenkins Twp.

■ highland Manor rehabilitation & Nursing home, Exeter ■ kadima rehabilitation and Nursing at Lakeside, Dallas ■ kadima rehabilitation and Nursing at Luzerne, Drums ■ kingston health Care Center, kingston ■ Mercy Center Nursing Unit, Dallas ■ Mountain City Nursing & rehabilitation Center, hazle Twp. ■ riverstreet Manor, WilkesBarre ■ Smith health Care, Mountain Top ■ Timber ridge health Center, plains Twp.

Luzerne County experienced a sharp increase in its COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday as the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported another 14 fatalities. The death toll in the county now sits at 50, up from 36 on Monday. The health department also reported 33 new cases, bringing the total of known cases to 1,800. During a media briefing Tuesday, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine attributed the increase in fatalities, which was experienced across the state, to a different method of tracking deaths. In addition to including confirmed COVID-19 deaths, the state is now including “probable cases” in which the victim had symptoms and contact with a positive person but was not personally tested. “In the last number of days we’re reporting more deaths,” Levine said. “But it’s not like that many deaths occurred in 24 hours. This is a collection of reports over the last couple of weeks.” Luzerne County Manager Dave Pedri echoed that sentiment, noting that only three of the 14 deaths occurred Monday. The other 11 died between Thursday and Sunday, he said. “Today the county hit 50 deaths,” Pedri said. “That is 50 of our mothers, fathers, neighbors and friends who we have lost. While we all strive to break free of this quarantine, we cannot lose site of the fact that we are still in the midst of this fight.” Pedri identified those who died Monday as three women, ages 80, 85 and 101. All were residing in nursing homes, he said. Please see CASES, Page A5

ADVE RTISE M E NT

Officials working to add phone registration Wilkes-Barre “Muni” option for coronavirus testing site at arena Golf Course

Test registration currently can only be completed online. By JIM HAlPIN AND BOB KAlINOwSKI STAff WriTErS

WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Pre-registering to be tested for the coronavirus outside the Mohegan Sun Arena can currently only be done via the health department’s website, but the state Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said Tuesday that her department is working to add a phone registration option by the end of the week.

way that people can register by phone.” In the meantime, Levine said she did not see a problem with family members signing up a relative who does not have internet access using the website, although she cautioned that only symptomatic people are being tested. First responders, health DAVE SChErBENCo / STAff phoTogrAphEr care workers and people 65 and older who are experiencPeople in cars line up for testing Tuesday outside ing symptoms can now get Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Twp. tested at Mohegan Sun Are“We were not satisfied said. “We are working with na with an appointment. with the answer that you had them at the (Department of to use the internet,” Levine Health) at finding another Please see TESTING, Page A5

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CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2020

THE CITIZENS' VOICE A5

Pittston man describes parents’ battle with virus BY BOB KALINOWSKI STAFF WRITER

MARK MORAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Mountain Top Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center reported 33 positive cases of COVD-19 at their facilities.

RESPONSE: 9 nursing facilities did not respond to coronavirus inquiry FROM PAGE A1

The spokesman said the facilities have sufficient personal protective equipment and that staff follow CDC and DOH guidelines, but he did not provide details about protocols for residents who present symptoms of or test positive for COVID-19. Allied Services, Ecumenical Enterprises, HRC ManorCare and United Methodist Homes all reported zero cases in their combined seven Luzerne County facilities. Priority Healthcare and Consulate Health Care, which operate a total of four facilities, refused to provide case numbers, citing patient and employee privacy concerns. Officials at the nine other nursing facilities in the county did not return calls or emails. Among those that were non-responsive was Timber Ridge Health Care Center, a 180-bed for-profit facility in Plains Twp. where an unusually high number of resident deaths occurred recently based on a four-year comparison of obituary information. At least 18 Timber Ridge residents have died in the past three weeks, obituaries showed. How many of those deaths could be attributed the coron av i r u s p a n d e m i c i s unknown because the facility administrator and the De par tment of Health refused to say, citing privacy concerns. “We cannot comment on the current status of our residents or staff to ensure their privacy,” said in an emailed statement in response to questions about the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths at Timber Ridge for a previous story.

Details explained A handful of nursing

home representatives provided detailed responses to the newspaper’s questions. Wesley Village Executive Director Danielle Janeski noted that two residents were tested for COVID-19 and both tests were negative. She said test kits are available to the facility upon request and administered when a doctor orders a test. Janeski said residents can be tested for COVID-19 after presenting at least one symptom, regardless of whether they have underlying medical conditions. She said parent company United Methodist Homes has “an ample supply” of all personal protective equipment. Asked about isolation protocols, Janeski said staff follow infection control guidelines as recommended by the CDC, CMS and state Department of Health. “We have plans for cohorting residents in an isolated area should it be needed if we have a suspected or positive COVID-19 diagnosis, again as recommended by the CDC, CMS and the DOH,” she said. Linda Kanarr, CEO of Ecumenical Enterprises, operator of The Meadows in Dallas, said the facility had no confirmed cases. If a patient presented any COVID-19 symptoms, they would be sent either to a Geisinger hospital or to the patient’s health care provider. Kanarr said staff is “very cautious about privacy,” but she believes providing statistical information to the public is important, and keeping patients, their families and facility staff informed about protocols and procedures is equally important. Kanarr said the facility has been ordering PPE over the last several weeks and is “in a really good place” with supplies. She said the state DOH has been “extremely

supportive” of nursing homes and directed them to sources for obtaining PPE and other supplies. Julie Beckert, spokeswoman for HRC ManorCare, said she was aware of no positive COVID-19 cases at Hampton House in Hanover Twp. or ManorCare Health Center in Kingston. She also provided a detailed response to questions about resident and staff protocols and procedures. Beckert also said precaution measures include creating an Airborne Isolation Unit as part of the facilities’ infection control and treatment plan. “This means we will designate an isolation unit for patients who meet our isolation criteria (higher risk patients); the unit will have barriers installed to protect other residents and employees and keep higher risk patients in a focused treatment area; we will have personal protective equipment dedicated to this unit; as much as possible, we will have dedicated staff on the unit in CDC-approved PPE; … special cleaning, disposal, laundry and sanitizing measures will be enforced,” she explained in an email. Jim Brogna, a spokesman for Allied Services, confirmed there were zero cases in any of the company’s three facilities in WilkesBarre and said staff were following CDC and DOH guidelines. Consulate Health Care spokeswoman Jennifer Trapp declined to provide numbers of COVID-19 cases for Manor at St. Luke Village or Pavilion at St. Luke Village in Hazleton, but also said the facilities were following CDC and DOH guidelines. Contact the writer: smocarsky@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2110, @MocarskyCV

TESTING: Takes about 10 minutes FROM PAGE A1

On Tuesday, testing was conducted outside the arena, a facility being run by the Department of Health, the state Emergency Management Agency and the state National Guard. The number of tests administered was not available at press time. “I just want everyone at home and the community to know that the National Guard is out here, we are on state active duty, and that we are here to facilitate a smoothly running facility as possible,” said 1st Lt. Owen Dietrich, offi-

cer in charge of the National Guard forces supporting the COVID-19 testing site. “And we’re doing everything that we can — us as the state, and the country — to get through this as smoothly as possible.” Those who are approved to testing show up at the testing site at an approved time and must show identification. Several people tested said the process takes about 10 minutes. Everyone tested is advised to go home to self-isolate and their results should be ready within several days. The public and members of the media were not per-

To our valued customers:

mitted on the grounds of the arena. Police and sheriff ’s deputies stood watch at the perimeter. Traffic was strictly controlled, as Highland Park Boulevard near the arena was blocked off between Mundy Street and the entrance and exit ramps of Interstate 81. Those leaving the testing site must travel back on Highland Park Boulevard and then are directed by police back onto Interstate 81 so they don’t visit any businesses.

Alfred and Beverly Cannarella of Pittston, set to celebrate 50 years of marriage in August, died of the coronavirus days apart earlier this month. Their deaths came just weeks after starting inpatient rehabilitation together at the Timber Ridge Health Care Center in Plains Twp. The couple’s son, Al Cannarella of Pittston, describes his parents as longtime warriors against health problems who just couldn’t conquer their final battle with the coronavirus — a disease that is particularly lethal to those with preexisting conditions like them. “My parents were fighters,” the Pittston man said. His father, Alfred Cannarella, 73, who beat bladder cancer and was battling leukemia, died on April 6. Less than a week later, his mother, Beverly, 70, a kidney transplant survivor of 40 years with heart problems, died on April 12. Because of strict quarantine measures enacted because of the virus, both

SUBMITTED

Alfred and Beverly Cannarella of Pittston died weeks after starting inpatient rehabilitation together at the Timber Ridge Health Care Center in Plains Twp. died in hospitals without loving family members by their side. Final words, like a goodbye from a son to his beloved mom, had to be done on the phone with the help of a stranger — the nurse that happened to be in the room. “She was asking for us. It w a s g u t - w re n ch i n g t o explain we couldn’t be there, to explain to someone you love you can’t see them,” Al Cannarella said. Even their last rites before death were done by speaker phone. Al Cannarella, 48, said the last time he saw his mother was March 20 when she

entered Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton for mobility issues. At the time, his father was also experiencing weakness from his cancer treatments. The family decided they both would be admitted to Timber Ridge on March 26 for rehabilitation. “We thought having them together would be an ideal situation,” Cannarella said. Cannarella said both parents tested negative for the coronavirus on March 31, but both would eventually become infected. Please see BATTLE, Page A8

Patient advocate: State needs more aggressive action to confront deaths BY TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER STAFF WRITER

Pennsylvania must take more aggressive action to halt the spread of the coronavirus in long term care facilities, including testing all residents and workers and possibly designating certain facilities to house only people who test positive, a patient advocate and an official with a nursing home trade association said. As of Monday, 27 of the 36 COVID-19 deaths in Luzerne County involved residents housed at nursing homes and personal care homes, according to the state Department of Health. In Lackawanna County, nursing home and personal care home residents account for 24 of the county’s 41 deaths. The figures are similar statewide, with 682 of the 1,204 victims residing at facilities, the department reported. The deaths continue to mount despite measures the homes implemented to halt the spread, including barring visitors, testing employees to determine if they have a fever and isolating infected residents. But little has been done to address the most pressing issue: identifying carriers of the virus who show no symptoms, said Zach Shamberg, executive director of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, a

trade group for long term care facilities. “One of the toughest things is to find those workers who come in and, through no fault of their own, may test positive for the virus and not have any symptoms. That’s a big reason why this spread so quickly,” Shamberg said. Facilities are not able to do that yet, however, because test kits remain in short supply, he said. “Testing is the next domino to fall,” he said. “We’ve got to get everyone tested ... It is the only way we will be able to return to normal.” Shamberg said facilities also continue to fight to obtain personal protective equipment, which is crucial to protect employees and prevent them from spreading the disease to patients. “We represent the most vulnerable population, most of whom have underlying health issues,” Shamberg said. “When you couple that with the fact we are fighting every day for PPE, ... more staff and emergency funding, when you put all those factors together, it really is the perfect storm.” Kevin Kavanagh, director of Health Watch USA, a patient advocacy group, said efforts to halt the virus from entering facilities fell short with catastrophic outcomes. “You try to wall off the

home from the outside. Once COVID-19 gets into the nursing home environment ... it tends to ravage residents and it does not stop,” Kavanagh said. Many homes tried to halt the spread by isolating residents to a specific floor. Kavanagh said the government must consider taking it a step further and designate one facility to house infected patients. Shamberg agreed that may be the next step, acknowledging it would be a massive undertaking to move residents, but not impossible. He noted Massachusetts did that early on in the pandemic. Shamberg said the federal government also took another positive step forward on Sunday, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued new regulations that require nursing homes notify families of residents if they have residents who test positive for the virus. Shamberg said PCHA urged its member facilities to provide those reports, but not everyone did. The organization fully supports the mandate. “I think the most important responsibility a nursing home has is to the loved ones of its residents. The line of communication has to be open,” he said. Contact the writer: tbesecker@timesshamrock.com;

CASES: 1,564 fatalities so far in state FROM PAGE A1

The other fatalities included two men, ages 63 and 64, who died in area hospitals, he said. The rest were all in nursing homes and were identified Contact the writer: as three men ages 55, 88 and bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, 92, as well as six women ages 570-821-2055, @cvbobkal 71, 90, 94, 95, 95 and 96.

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The rate of the disease’s spread has continued to slow, but Gov. Tom Wolf ’s stay at home order remains in effect until May 8. So far across the state, there have been 34,528 COVID-19 cases with 1,564 fatalities. To date, less than 3% of patients have been 18 or younger, while 6%

are 19-24, 39% are 25-49, 28% are 50-64 and 25% are 65 or older. The majority of those who have been hospitalized or killed have been 65 or older, according to the health department. Contact the writer: jhalpin@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2058

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CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING ■ House OKs $3T aid bill; Senate says not so fast ■ Retail workers getting hurt trying to enforce mask rules ■ Professionals, utilities offer tips for reopening businesses ■ U.S. retail sales plunged a record 16% in April ■ Geisinger CEO: Only 16% of 18,000 tested were positive NEWSSTAND 50¢

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2020

Geisinger will bring senior clinic to downtown

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Health network has leased property in Wilkes-Barre’s Midtown Village. BY dENISE AllABAUgh STAFF WRITER

SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Chris Baranowski, owner of Rolling Paws, a mobile dog grooming business, applied three times for an exemption from Gov. Tom Wolf’s coronavirus shutdown order.

CLOSED, BUT NOT SURE WHY Business owners frustrated by waiver process BY BOB KAlINOWSKI STAFF WRITER

Chris Baranowski comes in contact with virtually no humans during her workday — just dogs — so she can’t understand why she wasn’t granted a waiver to continue to operate her business during the coronavirus shutdown. She doesn’t have an office or storefront people visit that could be contaminated. As a mobile dog groomer, she comes to them in a pickup truck pulling her grooming trailer. It’s just her and the dog inside. “I’ve been curbside the four years I’ve been open. I have no human contact unless the person

Inside today

Business . . . . C1 Horoscope . . C3 Classified C4-10 Lottery . . . . . . A2 Crossword. . . C2 ObituariesA10-11 Editorial . . . . . A9 Pets . . . . . . . . . B4 Health. . . . . . . B5 World/Nation . A8

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lOCAl BUSINESSES dENIEd Click on this story at https://www.citizensvoice.com for a list of local businesses that were denied exemptions by Gov. Wolf’s administration. is eldery. I go in, grab the dog or meet the person at the doorway and take the dog back to the enclosed trailer. I take the dog back to the door and go to my next appointment,” Baranowski, 36, said. Baranowski’s truck, which hasn’t stopped from the moment she started Rolling Paws Mobile Grooming Spa four years ago, has been idle for nearly two months outside her Wilkes-Barre Twp.

home. She applied for an exemption three times, but her requests for a waiver were denied each time. Rolling Paws is one of hundreds of businesses in Luzerne County that were denied an exemption to continue to operate during the coronavirus shutdown. Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all nonlife-sustaining businesses to shutter during the lockdown. However, last Friday he announced 6,060

Wyoming County will enter yellow phase Restrictions will be lessened in 12 more Pa. counties.

BY BORYS KRAWCZENIUK ANd dAvId SINglEtON STAFF WRITERS

They thought Wyoming County would remain under the state’s toughest coronavirus restrictions until June 4. “And all of a sudden — bingo! — we’re not ready,’” Giovino said. “I told my husband that as soon as we rip this apart, Gov. Wolf is going to say we can open in the yellow.”

At Giovino’s Flooring, owner Rebecca Giovino cursed her timing Friday. Last weekend, she and her husband started remodeling their showroom on Route 92 in Eaton Twp. Please see COUNtIES, Page A11

exemptions statewide out of 42,000 requests. Many of the businesses in Luzerne County denied exemptions are construction companies, real estate firms, salons, and vaping shops. Most are small, locally owned businesses, but even a national chain, like the Barnes and Noble book store, was denied an exemption. The owner of a Back Mountainbased plumbing, heating and excavating business said his company is on the list of businesses denied an exemption despite getting conflicting advice from the state. Please see WAIvER, Page A11

New developments are coming to Midtown Village in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Geisinger has signed a long-term lease agreement to construct a clinic for seniors at the site of the closed Katana restaurant and other vacant space in Midtown Village in downtown WilkesBarre, the property owner said. Sandy Insalaco Jr., partner with the Insalaco Development Group, said construction is expected to begin immediately on Geisinger’s new 10,000-square-foot clinic. Ron Beer, chief administrative officer for Geisinger Northeast, said they have been on the lookout for ways to make health easier for “our neighbors” in downtown Wilkes-Barre. He said Friday that plans are in motion to bring a Geisinger 65 Forward Health Center to 41 S. Main St. in Midtown Village. The center will be similar to Geisinger 65 Forward Health Center that opened in Kingston in August and it will have the same amenities and features, he said. Geisinger 65 Forward Health Centers are geared toward older adults and Beer said, “We feel having a health center like this in downtown Wilkes-Barre is a perfect fit to support the health and well-being of those who live in that section of the city.” “The location is within walking distance of bus stops and will have dedicated parking spots nearby,” he said. Please see mIdtOWN, Page A11

3 more deaths, 14 new cases in county STAFF REPORT

The number of COVID-19 deaths in Luzerne County increased by three on Friday, the state department of health said. The death toll is at 127. The department reported 14 new positive cases, bringing the total to 2,491 cases. The number of negative cases is 7,587. Luzerne County Manager David Pedri said the

latest deaths are an 8 5 - ye a r- o l d m a l e, a n 85-year-old female and a 66-year-old female. The 66-year-old died in a hospital, while the two 85-yearo l d s d i e d i n nu r s i n g homes. Health department statistics show there are 404 positive cases and 93 deaths in Luzerne County nursing homes or personal care homes. In addition, 71 employ-

ees have tested positive for COVID-19. Statewide there are 986 additional cases, bringing the total to 60,622. In addition, the state reported 124 deaths, bringing the statewide total to 4,342. The department of health said 47 people were tested at the drive-thru test site at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Twp. To date, 1,837 tests have been administered.

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SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2020

THE CITIZENS' VOICE A11

Walter Ford Williams Jr. May 8, 2020

Walter Ford Williams Jr., 57, husband of Ann Gildea Williams, died Friday, May 8, 2020, at Prisma Health Tuomey in Sumter, S.C. Born June 26, 1962, in Meridian, Miss., he was a son of Walter Ford Williams Sr. and Dolores Austin Williams. He was employed at Continental Tire Company. He enjoyed riding his Harley-Davidson and was an avid fisherman. He loved his grandchildren dearly and loved spending time with them. Survivors include his wife of 16 years; his parents of Wilkes-Barre; children, Penny Gyle, Wilkes-Barre; T.J. Edwards, Alden; Cathi Wil-

liams, Wilkes-Barre; Louise Potter, Florence, S.C., Robert Gyle, Wilkes-Barre; and Julie Gyle, Nanticoke; two brothers, Michael Williams, California; and Robert Williams; Harvey Lake; two nieces, Samantha Williams; and Michelle Williams, WilkesBarre; and a great-niece, Tallie Perry, Wilkes-Barre. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Pamela Edwards, Wilkes-Barre. A memorial service will be held at a later date in WilkesBarre. Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematomark moran / STaff phoTographer rium, Sumter, S.C., is in charge of the arrangements. Geisinger hopes to have its new clinic for seniors open by the end of the year in Midtown Village in downtown

Wilkes-Barre.

Mary M. Kosciolek May 15, 2020

Mary M. Kosciolek, 78, of Nanticoke, passed away Friday, May 15, 2020, of natural causes in Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. She was born in Nanticoke and was the daughter of the late Edward and Frances Kolodziej Kosciolek. She was a former member of St. Stanislaus Church, Nanticoke, that is now St. Faustina Parish. Mary was employed by Atwater Inc., Plymouth, as a switchboard operator until her retirement. She was preceded in death,

from page a1

in addition to her parents, by four sisters. Presently surviving is a sister, Rita Swain, Nanticoke; nephews, Dale and wife, Mara, Hunlock Creek; Gary and wife, Brenda Swain, Florida; great-nephews, Anthony Swain, Hunlock Creek; Nathan Swain, Florida; and cousin, Mary Ellen Kolodziej, Wilkes-Barre. Private graveside services will be held Tuesday in St. Stanislaus Cemetery with the Rev. James Nash officiating. Arrangements by Grontkowski Funeral Home P.C., 51 West Green St., Nanticoke.

E. Jean Wilson (Monk) May 14, 2020

E. Jean Wilson (Monk), 91, of Dallas, died, Thursday, May 14, 2020, at her home in East Dallas. Because of COVID-19 requirements, a memo-

rial will be announced at a later date. Arrangements from Richard H. Disque Funeral Home, 2940 Memorial Highway, Dallas.

Carl S. Puskar May 13, 2020

Carl S. Puskar, 84, of Edwardsville, died, Wednesday, May 13, 2020, at his home. Due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic, private

visitation and funeral will be held from Andrew Strish Funeral Home, with private graveside service in St. Stephen’s Cemetery, Lehman.

Carolyn Ann Butry May 15, 2020

Carolyn Ann Butry, 81, of Wilkes-Barre, passed Friday, May 15, 2020, at ManorCare Health Services of Kingston. Services will be held pri-

Al Beech Food Pantry When: 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays Where: Church of Christ Uniting, 786 W. Market St., Kingston. Requirements: Wyoming, West Wyoming and Exeter residents are eligible. Proof of residence is required.

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The center is tentatively expected to open by the end of the year, he said. In addition to the former Katana, Insalaco said the clinic also will extend into the building in Midtown Village formerly occupied by Swift Kennedy Associ-

vately at the convenience of her family. Arrangements are from Yanaitis Funeral Home Inc., Plains Twp.

the second Monday of every month Where: Sacred Heart of Jesus Hall, 529 Stephenson St. Requirements: Open to residents of Duryea that meets the income requirements under the federal guidelines. All applicants must register at least 10 days in advance of the distribution date by calling Lois Hancyzc at 570-4572482.

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When: Noon, May 28 Where: Dupont Borough When: 4 p.m., May 21 Where: Bethel United Meth- building on Chestnut Street odist Church, 532 Main St. Requirements: Open to Notes: Volunteers are residents of Dupont and Susneeded to unload and distrib- con ute food at 1:30 p.m. For inforExeter mation, call 570-921-9899. When: 10 a.m. Saturdays Duryea until everything is gone When: 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Where: Barber Ford

NEWS IN BRIEF

from page a1

While he believed his industry was exempt from the beginning, Sean McGrath, owner of R.N. Fitch and Sons in Dallas, said he applied for an exemption to be on the safe side and because someone in the industry told him he might need proof of the exemption to apply for assistance. After not hearing anything from the state, he filled out the online exemption form again. The first response he got from the state was an email saying he didn’t even need an exemption and could continue work. Then, he got an email days later, saying he must close down. “It’s just very confusing. My assumption is you have two different people reading it and one person made a

CITIZENSVOICE.COM

Your source for breaking news

Co-owners Bianca Lupio and Autumn Eckert posted a photo on Facebook of the Boozy B’s sign put up on the building. Lupio said they don’t have a date yet when they can open. When they moved to Wilkes-Barre, she said their liquor license was being

transferred but the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board closed down amid the COVID-19 outbreak before they could get it. “We are waiting for them to reopen so we can get our license,” she said. Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2115, @CVallabaugh

‘What’s unfortunate is some people are following the rules and some people aren’t following the rules.’ SEAN McGRATH

r.n. fitch and Sons owner

judgement call,” McGrath said. “In defense of the state, they had so many requests, there was a lot of confusion.” With the conflicting response, McGrath said he’s limiting his work to emergency calls and is forced to pass on a lot of work that is now going to other contractors, some who ended up on last week’s exempt list despite being the same exact type of business. “What’s unfortunate is some people are following the rules and some people aren’t following the rules. We did our best to exercise good

an exception because it could be life-sustaining to the animal. “We see them every four to six weeks. Their hair gets matted. Their nails get long. We clean their ears. We prevent a lot of underlying health issues,” Baranowski said. “A vet might not see them for a year.” She didn’t think the lockdown has been fair to small business owners, while big box stores like Walmart and Home Depot — filled with hundreds of people at a time — were allowed to remain open. “I have no livelihood. They took it from me. My business, beside my family, is my life. Those dogs I take care of are like my own,” Baranowski said.

judgement. We are trying to do all the right things,” McGrath said. The document listing all the companies denied exemptions even gets confusing, as it notes that “businesses are permitted to continue lifesustaining activity regardless of whether it obtained or was denied an exemption.” Efforts to reach officials with the state Department of Economic and Community Development, which processed the exemption requests, were not successful Friday. Contact the writer: Baranowski thinks dog bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com grooming should have been 570-821-2055, @cvbobkal

COUNTIES: Caution remains in yellow phase Wolf did exactly that, announcing Friday that Wayne, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties can start living under looser yellowphase restrictions starting May 22. That allows even non-essential businesses like Giovino’s to reopen. The counties are among 12 that the state said stemmed the virus’ spread enough to move out of the state’s strongest restrictions, known as the red phase. They join Carbon and Columbia — both bordering virus-plagued Luzerne County — and Adams, Beaver, Cumberland, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry and York, where Wolf lives. Moving to yellow means an end to stay-at-home orders and the reopening of more businesses and services. Under red, only essential or life-sustaining businesses and services can open. The yellow phase still forbids the opening of nonessential businesses that attract large crowds — bars, restaurants, gyms, casinos and theaters — or require

close contact, including hair and nail salons and barbershops. Bars and restaurants can offer takeout or delivery as they do in the red phase. Schools remain closed, but child care centers can reopen with restrictions. Only nine of the 12 new counties headed for yellow met a key state threshold, 50 cases per 100,000 residents over a two-week period. Beaver, Columbia and Cumberland were all slightly above. Wayne was at 10 cases per 100,000, Wyoming at 26 and Susquehanna at negative five because recalculations actually reduced its caseload the last two weeks. Wolf urged yellow-phase county residents to keep social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands and using hand sanitizer to prevent further spread. Wyoming County Commissioner Rick Wilbur and Wayne County Commmissioner Joseph Adams echoed the governor’s call for keeping up the safety protocols. “This is a first step. We still

have a long way to go,” Wilbur said. “I think it’s great news, don’t get me wrong, it’s very, very good news.” Wilbur said he will join a task force organized by state Rep. Karen Boback, R-117, Harveys Lake, meant to move the county from yellow to the green phase, where all firm restrictions are lifted. Adams said the case data showed the county deserves a shot at living under fewer restrictions. “We’re very, very excited about it,” he said. He credited local residents and businesses for adhering to state guidelines meant to

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slow the virus’ spread. The move to yellow will allow most Wayne small businesses — which make up 85% of the county’s employers — to reopen, he said. “There’s enthusiasm for getting somewhat back to normal,” Adams said.

JOHN R. SCHMIDT, SR.

Happy Birthday In Heaven

WILKES-BARRE TWP.

Lewis and the arena are working on rescheduling the Dylan, Lewis arena concert for a later date. shows canceled Ticket refunds will be made available at the point Two upcoming concerts of purchase. scheduled for the Mohegan Tickets purchased for the Sun Arena have been canDylan show will automaticeled. The Aaron Lewis concert cally be refunded from the scheduled for May 29 and the ticketing company. For information, visit Bob Dylan show scheduled for July 7 have been canceled www.mohegansunarenapa. because of the ongoing coro- com. — Staff report navirus pandemic.

ates, Kevin & Kacy’s Ice Cream Shoppe and Oddball Goods. Boozy B’s, which features alcohol-infused ice cream and was formerly located in West Pittston, also is opening a new location in Midtown Village where a popcorn shop was formerly located.

WAIVER: Process is ‘just very confusing’

from page a1

FOOD DISTRIBUTION To add your food distribution to the list, email the time, date, place and any requirements to citydesk@ citizensvoice.com.

MIDTOWN: Boozy B’s headed downtown

GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN Sadly Missed By Wife Madelene 4 Children & Grandchildren

Till We Meet Again, Wife Charlotte, daughter Barbie, Bob, Paige & Brent son David, Betty & Jenny, Heather, Ronnie, Tyler, Tanner & Tori

WB_VOICE/PAGES [A01] | 06/18/20

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NEWSSTAND 50¢

GREEN DAY

Search for police board members Business owners excited as county enters ‘green’ phase on hold

Brown wants scope of police advisory panel’s duties to be absolutely clear. By sTeVe MoCarsKy STAff WriTEr

Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown has postponed requesting applications for citizen police advisory board members until he’s developed a clearer scope of responsibilities for the panel. Brown said he initially intended to post applications for board membership on Wednesday, but he decided to “hold of f ” because “anyBrown one who

MArk MorAN / STAff phoTogrAphEr

Pierce Street Deli owner Ken Bond, along with his daughter, Jordan Bond, left, and her friend Liv Cavill prepare for the move to green at the restaurant in Kingston.

By BoB KalinowsKi STAff WriTEr

he Pierce Street Deli in Kingston will be decorated in green. Staff at the R Bar in Newport Twp. will wear “Straight Outta Quarantine” shirts. Luzerne County enters the “green” phase of reopening today, meaning businesses that have been closed or restricted the longest due to the coronavirus shutdown can reopen. Among the changes, people can dine in at a restaurant again or visit a salon — with social distancing restrictions. “I want to cry, laugh, be happy and be nervous at the same time. All of them. So many different emotions,” said Lauren Maga, R Bar coowner. R Bar had an employee meeting on Wednesday to prepare for the reopening, which allows bars and restaurants to operate at 50 percent normal capacity. It was the first time the staff gathered in full for

months, as Maga reviewed new post-lockdown rules with them. “It’s like a whole new restaurant opening all over again. But we’ll figure it out like we always do,” Maga said. “We are so excited. You don’t realize how long it really was since you saw everybody. I’ve never seen my employees so excited to come to work.” During the quarantine, R Bar had been relying on takeout sales and, more recently, outdoor dining. Under the new rules, R Bar will be able to accommodate about 80 customers at a time, Maga said. Customers must wear masks while walking through the restaurant and a maximum of six people will be allowed at a table. There will be no reservations initially. Staff will be wearing “Straight Outta Quarantine” shirts, a spin off of the famous 1988 album logo for the rap music group NWA.

rules, restrictions remain in green phase With Luzerne County and several others transitioning into the green reopening phase today, gov. Tom Wolf is reminding residents that masks are still required to enter a business. “Mask-wearing has proven to be an important deterrent to the spread of the virus, and as more counties move to green and more things reopen, we need to be vigilant in our efforts to continue our mitigation efforts,” Wolf said in a press release. rules and restrictions in green phase include: ■ Masks are still required when entering a business. ■ restaurants and bars may open at 50% occupancy. ■ personal care services, including hair salons and barbershops, may open at 50% occupancy, but by appointment only. ■ All entertainment venues, such as casinos, theaters, and shopping malls, may open at 50% occupancy. ■ indoor recreation, health and wellness facilities, such as gyms and spas, may open at 50% occupancy with appointments strongly encouraged. ■ All businesses operating at 50% occupancy in the yellow phase may increase to 75% occupancy. ■ Large gatherings of more than 250 people are prohibited. ■ Telework is strongly encouraged. ■ All businesses must follow social distancing and cleaning guidance established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention and the state Department of health. — BoB KalinowsKi

Please see green, Page A5

ab A SI ou sk BO GN t o NU -ON ur S! !

Are you someon ne that hat likes to help people?

PUBliC sQUare CeleBraTion Black Lives Matter Wilkes-Barre will hold a Juneteenth celebration noon to 8 today on public Square in Wilkes-Barre. But in 2020, as the coronavirus ravishes black America disproportionately, as economic uncertainty wrought by the pandemic strains black

SUE ogroCki / ASSoCiATED prESS

People walk past a Black Wall Street mural in the Greenwood district in Tulsa, Okla., on Monday. pocketbooks, and as police brutality continues to devastate black families, Juneteenth is a day of protest. Red velvet cake, barbecued ribs and fruit punch are optional.

For many white Americans, recent protests over police brutality have driven their awareness of Juneteenth’s significance. Please see aCTion, Page A6

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Holiday celebrates day when all enslaved black people learned they were now free.

In just about any other year, Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating the day in 1865 that all enslaved black people learned they had been freed from bondage, would be marked by African American families across the nation with a cookout, a parade, a community festival, a soulful rendition of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.”

Just, equal treatment

Please see Board, Page A5

Juneteenth, a day of joy, pain, becomes a day of national action By aaron Morrison and KaT sTaFFord ASSoCiATED prESS

wants to apply should know what will be involved and the commitment that will be necessary.” The mayor said he has already received calls from several people who told him they would like to sit on the board, whose members he has said would “represent major diversity groups comprising our city.” Brown announced at a city council meeting last week that he intended to appoint a sevenmember advisory board “to work with the police department,” and also that he would seek funding to outfit city police officers with video cameras to be worn on their bodies. He said the two initiatives would “address some of the issues that we’re currently dealing with and also will be a way we can more or less build up trust” in the community. A local Black Lives Matter group and other community leaders organized several protests and marches in the city over the past three weeks to demand police accountability after the May 25 death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody.

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BOARD: Local NAACP president believes proposal not enough FROM PAGE A1

that he developed a mission statement for the advisory board, which will be “to bring forward, assist, recommend and advise the mayor as to community policing issues including personnel questions which may arise in the city of Wilkes-Barre.” “The board is intended to ensure just and equal treatment for the full range and diversity of the residents of the city of Wilkes-Barre as they interact with the city’s police department,” according to the statement. Brown also said he didn’t see a need for a citizen police review board that is being proposed by city Councilwoman Beth Gilber t McBride. McBride is crafting an ordinance which would MARK MORAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER establish a board that acts in From left, Ariel Coledo, R Bar co-owner Lauren Maga, and Robert Burke don their ‘Straight Outta Quarantine’ an advisory capacity but shirts at R Bar in Newport Twp. would take on an investigative role if a misconduct allegation is made against a police officer. FROM PAGE A1 Brown said Wednesday he saw no need for investigatory “We’re trying to make powers because there is a light out of a bad situation,” system in place within the Maga joked. police department to review Pierce Street Deli in and investigate such comKingston decorated the plaints. business in green for FriA member of the public day’s reopening of Luzerne can fill out and sign a comCounty. The business will plaint and meet with a lieualso feature some green food tenant to discuss the situaofferings, like cream of tion and ways to address it, broccoli soup and green Brown said. cupcakes. For “more egregious” alle“It’s basically a play on gations, or if the individual the going green. We did it to is dissatisfied with the outbe fun with it. We are trying come of dealing with the to make it feel as normal as lieutenant, the individual possible, but keeping it safe. has the option of taking the That’s what people want,” complaint to the Luzerne said the deli’s owner Ken County District Attorney’s Bond. MARK MORAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The deli has been open for takeout during the pandem- Tables in the dining room at R Bar in Newport Twp. will accommodate a maximum ic and recently offered out- of six people. door dining on its patio wh e n t h at o p t i o n w a s approved by the state. “It was nice seeing people in chairs, seeing people eating their meals,” Bond said. He’s said he’ll be glad to It was unclear see loyal customers eat how many police indoors soon. “Our indoors is so big and officers called off. spacious that we can safely BY KATE BRUMBACK accommodate our customASSOCIATED PRESS ers,” Bond said. ATLANTA — Atlanta While businesses will be police officers called out sick reopening, Gov. Tom Wolf Thursday to protest the filing reminded residents on of murder charges against an Thursday that masks will officer who shot a man in the still be required to enter a back, while the interim chief business. acknowledged members of “In yellow and g reen the force feel abandoned counties, it is required that amid protests demanding masks are worn when visitmassive changes to policing. ing businesses to protect Interim Chief Rodney Bryemployees, employees’ famiMARK MORAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ant told The Associated Press lies, and communities as a whole,” Wolf said in a press Pierce Street Deli owner Ken Bond said he’s looking forward to seeing more of his in an interview that the sick calls began Wednesday night release. “Mask-wearing has loyal customers at the Kingston eatery. and continued Thursday, but proven to be an important deterrent to the spread of tious reopening of the coun- ly gatherings, missed Little masks and practice social said the department has sufficient staff to protect the the virus, and as more county. League games, all for the distancing, he said. ties move to green and more “Our small businesses benefit of the community “We have to make sure city. It’s not clear how many things reopen, we need to be need the relief. Our families and to keep everybody safe. there’s not a second wave,” officers have called out. “Some are angry. Some are vigilant in our efforts to need the relief,” Pedri said. Everybody is ready to get Pedri said. “We saw how fast continue our mitigation “Every citizen of the county out and about.” it came the first time and it fearful. Some are confused on what we do in this space. efforts.” has stepped up during this Going g reen “doesn’t could hit again quickly.” Some may feel abandoned,” Luzerne County Manager crisis, maintaining social mean a free for all,” Pedri Contact the writer: bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com Bryant said of the officers. David Pedri said he’s look- distancing, practicing good warned. “But we are there to assure ing forward to a safe, cau- hygiene. They missed famiPeople still need to wear 570-821-2055, @cvbobkal

GREEN: Some restrictions remain in place

Office or the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he said.

An independent panel Ron Felton, president of the NAACP Wilkes-Barre Branch 2306, said an advisory board “is not enough,” and that the branch “supports a totally independent Citizens Review Board.” Felton disagrees with the mayor and police union that investigations into law enforcement by law enforcement are adequate. “We want something independent of any internal affairs investigation, and also of an investigation by the DA’s office,” Felton said. “These systems that are in place aren’t working.” Felton acknowledged that he and a group of other black community leaders met with Brown last week to discuss police and community issues, but he recommends a broader community “listening forum” to hear from more residents and “see what incidents residents have had.” He also said a branch member is reviewing a draft of McBride’s ordinance and the final report of The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing developed during President Barack Obama’s Administration, and the branch will make recommendations based on those reviews. Felton said he expects “an uphill battle with the police union” because “no one wants to relinquish their autonomy … but that’s a battle we’re willing to have.” Contact the writer: smocarsky@citizenwsvoice.com 570-821-2110, @MocarskyCV

Atlanta police call out sick to protest shooting charges them that we will continue to move forward and g et through this.” Prosecutors brought felony murder and other charges against Garrett Rolfe, a white officer who shot Rayshard Brooks after the 27-year-old black man grabbed a Taser during a struggle and ran, firing it at the officer, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said. Howard said Brooks was not a deadly threat at the time and that the officer kicked the wounded man and offered no medical treatment for over two minutes as he lay dying. Another officer, Devin Brosnan, who the district attorney said stood on Brooks’ shoulder as he struggled for his life, was charged with aggravated assault and violation of his oath. Rolfe and Brosnan both contend their actions were justified and turned themselves in Thursday. Please see POLICE, Page A12

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State aims to boost contact tracing in NEPA

Efforts are underway to add tracers amid fears of a COVID-19 surge in the coming weeks and months. BY DAVID SINGLETON STAFF WRITER

of our related-arts teachers have been certified as K-through-six teachers in the past ... and we’re going to utilize all our teachers in any way, shape or form that we can to lower these class sizes to spread our students out so that we are recognizing the social distance protocols.”

With the number of new COVID-19 cases edging up during a hot summer, development of a more robust contact tracing infrastructure ahead of a worrisome fall and winter remains a work in progress in Northeast Pennsylvania. The state Department of Health says the 69 contact tracers available in its Northeast district are adequate to manage the current level of coronavirus cases. At the same time, efforts are underway on a number of fronts to bolster the regional capacity to perform contact tracing amid fears the COVID-19 pandemic could surge again in the coming weeks and months. Contact tracing is the process health professionals use to identify, notify and monitor people who have come into close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The exposed individual is then encouraged to self-quarantine to help stem the spread of the infection. Most public health officials view contact tracing as a critic a l t o o l fo r i d e n t i f y i n g instances of community spread and preventing more serious coronavirus outbreaks. As of last week, there were 654 contract tracers trained and operating across the state, Maggi Mumma, deputy press secretary for the Department of Health, said in an email.

Please see SCHOOLS, Page A3

Please see TRACING, Page A3

SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A protective shield is placed on a desk in a classroom at the Wyoming Area Secondary Center in Exeter.

LEARNING CURVE School districts deciding between hybrid, traditional plans BY MICHAEL P. BUFFER STAFF WRITER

The Wyoming Area, Wyoming Valley West and Pittston Area school districts announced last week hybrid reopening plans with groups of students splitting days with in-person instruction and remote learning. But Pittston Area’s hybrid plan is only for grades 7-12. Pittston Area students in kindergarten through the sixth grade will come into their schools five days a week. “Our younger students have a great deal of difficulty with the virtual platforms,” Superintendent Kevin Booth said at MORE ONLINE Tuesday’s school For more on board meeting reopening “We also underplans from stand that childlocal school care is a big condistricts, visit cern for many of www.citizensvoice.com/ our parents, and reopening-schools/ we are going to provide for our students to be here five days a week.” Gov. Tom Wolf closed all schools in the state March 16 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and schools finished the 2019-20 academic year providing online and remote education to all students. The state Department of Education has issued a guidance for schools and school districts and will allow local decisions on reopening schools. Pittston Area is going to limit class size to 15 to 18 students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Every Wyoming Area student will be given a protective desk shield. The district ordered 2,620 desk shields at a cost of roughly $40,700. “We feel 15 to 18 students can be spaced out in a classroom with our social distancing guidelines,” Booth said. The state Department of Education released additional guidance July 16 that recommended desks be spaced at least 6 feet apart. “We’ll be using faculty in different manners than we have in the past,” Booth said. “Many

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COVID-19 soaring back in the Midwest Daily new infections are leveling off at higher numbers. BY JULIE BOSMAN, MANNY FERNANDEZ AND THOMAS FULLER THE NEW YORK TIMES

CHICAGO — First, the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast were hit hardest as the coronavirus tore through the nation. Then it surged across the South. Now the virus is again picking up danCHAD RYHM / THE NEW YORK TIMES gerous speed in much of the John Day cuts Treyshaun Brooks’s hair in Iowa City, Midwest — and in states from Iowa, on Friday. The coronavirus is again picking up Mississippi to Florida to Calidangerous speed in much of the Midwest. fornia that thought they had

already seen the worst of it. As the United States rides what amounts to a second wave of cases, with daily new infections leveling off at an alarming higher mark, there is a deepening national sense that the progress made in fighting the pandemic is coming undone and that no patch of America is safe. In Missouri, Wisconsin and Illinois, distressed government officials are retightening restrictions, and sounding warnings about a surge in coronavirus-related hospitalizations. Please see VIRUS, Page A3

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CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Sunday, auguSt 2, 2020

tHE CItIZEnS' VOICE A3

24 new COVID-19 cases in county StaFF REPORt

Luzerne County has 24 new positive COVID-19 cases and no new deaths, according to information released Saturday by the state Department of Health. That new case count pushes the county total of

positive cases to 3,276, and the death toll remains at 183. Statewide there are 888 additional cases, bringing the total to 112,936. The state reported 15 more deaths, bringing the statewide total to 7,204.

COVID-19 in NEPA community health district aSSOCIatEd PRESS FILE

Maria Fernanda works on contact tracing at the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County in May. Officials in Pennsylvania are planning on adding to its contact tracing staff, including in the northeast region.

TRACING: State plans to hire 1,000 across Pa. FROM PagE a1

The number includes the state’s approximately 130 community health nurses, along with personnel at local county and municipal health departments, such as the one in Wilkes-Barre. Although Mumma said the state is meeting its existing need for contract tracing, the department has warned that hundreds or even thousands more tracers could be required if COVID-19 cases take off again in the fall. On Friday, the Department of Health announced a nearly $23 million federally funded contract with Insight Global to recruit, hire, train, and support 1,000 paid contact tracing staff. Insight Global will work with the department to recruit, interview, hire, train and support contact tracers, contact tracer supervisors and care resource manager positions. The hourly rates for these positions range from $18 to $22 an hour for contact tracers and $22 to $24 an hour for contact tracing supervisors and care resource managers, according to the department’s press release. It will take thousands to do what needs to be done, said Dr. Jignesh Y. Sheth, chief medical officer of the Wright Center for Community Health. Sheth, who believes public health officials erred by not launching a rigorous contact tracing effort at the pandemic’s outset, said Germany dealt successfully with COVID-19 by having “by far the best contact tracing in the world,” employing five tracers for about every 20,000 people. With a population of 12.8 million, Pennsylvania needs to have about 3,200 people performing contact tracing to

match that, he said. “We have clear data in front of us,” Sheth said. The state health department is pulling together six regional partnerships across the commonwealth — consisting of health systems, health centers, community organizations, businesses, foundations, colleges and universities and others — to discuss contract tracing, explore coordination and facilitate collaboration. Three of the consortiums have started to take shape, but the department is still working to set up a date for a first meeting in Northeast Pennsylvania, Mumma said. Geisinger anticipates being part of both Northeast and Northcentral partnerships, said Stephanie Gryboski, the health system’s senior director of emergency management. The Northcentral group has already met once. Geisinger launched a contact tracing program for its patients in April but found by May that it and the state were duplicating efforts. Because the state currently has enough tracers, Geisinger has pulled back and is no longer doing routine tracing, Gryboski said. However, it still tries to educate patients who test positive about contact tracing and what to expect when the Department of Health calls. “The state has basically said they can handle it for now, but they want to develop these relationships so if in the future something happens and they need more resources, at least they have started those steps to integrate the health agencies and others to get them involved,” she said. The Lehigh Valley Hospital Network continues to per-

form contact tracing in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, spokesman Brian Downs said in an email. So far, it has traced more than 700 people, most of them from Luzerne County. Much like its state counterpart, the Wilkes-Barre Health Department is handling the necessary contact tracing with its existing staff, which includes three community health nurses, Director Henry said. “However, we do have another eight people that we have hired that will handle any additional cases ... if the volume becomes much larger,” he said. In addition to mobilizing regional partners, the state Department of Health has advertised for the hiring of a contact tracing field manager to coordinate and lead the tracing efforts in Northeast Pennsylvania. The individual would be based in Lackawanna County but have responsibility for multiple counties, Mumma said. “These field managers were a determined need to assist with regional coordination to place volunteers, work with partnerships and mobilize efforts as needed,” she said. The department is also advertising for another community health nurse for the Nor theast re gion. The employment ad notes the nurse is being hired specifically to perform contact tracing for COVID-19. The importance of contact tracing was punctuated two weeks ago when Luzerne County Judge William H. Amesbury announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. The announcement came a day after the judge participat-

ed in a golf tournament with other judges and lawyers. Both Gryboski and Sheth see potential pitfalls as Pennsylvania seeks to bulk up its contact tracing capacity. The most obvious one to Gryboski is testing — there’s not enough, which means some cases go undetected, she said. “As long as we have really good testing throughout the state that identifies positive cases around which we can then do contact tracing, that’s going to help us,” Gryboski said. “The contact tracing alone won’t work.” Whatever improvements the Department of Health plans to make to the tracing infrastructure need to be in place before the flu season fully hits around November, when the need could be up significantly, Sheth said. But he also foresees a clash of wills. The whole purpose of contact tracing is to identify people who have potentially been exposed to COVID-19, he said. They need to self-quarantine and, if they do leave their homes, they need to wear masks. The issue is what happens when individuals won’t selfquarantine or won’t wear a mask, he said. “I don’t know that we clearly have the answer because we still hear the debate about whether masks are effective, and there have been hundreds of studies clearly saying masks are effective in reducing the spread of infection,” Sheth said. “It’s not a political question. It’s a medical question, and all the experts have answered it.” Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com 570-348-9132

SCHOOLS: Many districts finalizing plans FROM PagE a1

Pittston Area will determine how many classrooms and teachers the district will need in kindergarten through sixth grade after parents decide whether to register students for the inperson option or the virtual option. “We hope to have numbers finalized by mid-August,” Booth said Thursday in an email. Pittston Area will be setting up town hall meetings for parents, Booth said. “This is not an easy time in education,” he said. “We know it’s not as easy time for parents. It’s not an easy time for students, and we are doing everything in our power to make school as normal as possible in this completely abnormal time.” Wyoming Valley West officials began working on a reopening plan two months ago with the goal of beginning the school year “with traditional in-person instruction in the same way we are used to beginning every school year,” Superintendent David Tosh said at Thursday’s school board meeting. “However as our meetings have developed and progressed, it is becoming increasingly clear that trying to meet the social distancing guidelines and mandates in three buildings that house over 1,200 students — mainly our high school, our middle school, and State Street Elementary School — is an

enormous task,” Tosh said. “... Even in our smaller elementary buildings, smaller classrooms are bigger obstacles for providing the recommended socially distanced environment for whole community learning.” Meeting “stringent guidelines for sanitation and spacing” on school buses is also a challenge, Tosh added. “Given the size of our district, the potential cost of scheduling enough extra bus runs to ensure student safety i s p r o h i b i t ive, ” To s h explained. Under the Wyoming Valley West hybrid plan, students whose last names begin with A-K will physically go to school for in-person instruction Mondays and Tuesdays, and students with last names beginning with L-Z will go to school Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesday will be a cleaning day, and students will have remote and online instruction on the days they’re not physically in school. Wyoming Area will split students into two geographic groups, and the groups will alternate days in school. Students from Harding, Falls, West Pittston and parts of Exeter will be in Group A, and students from Wyoming, West Wyoming and the remainder of Exeter will be in Group B. Wyoming Area students will be required to follow the state mandate on facial coverings when they’re on buses and entering school buildings.

“Every student will be given a protective desk shield,” Wyoming Area Superintendent Janet Serino said at Tuesday’s school board meeting. “That shield will be on their desk, and when it is and they are behind that shield, they can remove their mask at that time.” Wyoming Area ordered 2,620 desk shields at a cost of roughly $40,700. Greater Nanticoke Area is planning for students to physically be in school in two groups — a group on Monday and Tuesday and the other group on Thursday and Friday. The district is moving up the first day of school from Sept. 2nd to Aug. 31, so each group of students will get the same amount of overall “in-class” time during the first week, Superintendent Ronald Grevera said. Other school districts are planning to open schools for all students who want to physically attend school five days a week and don’t enroll in a cyber or remote option. Crestwood Superintendent Robert Mehalick said a hybrid plan makes life difficult for parents who work. Schools aren’t built to allow 6 feet of space between students, so Crestwood will aim for 3 feet, Mehalick said during Thursday’s school board meeting. Wilkes-Barre Area will let students decide if they want to physically attend school or participate remotely for the first of the school year’s two

semesters. Classes will include both students physically in school and students participating remotely with a fixed camera in every classroom to stream each class live. A third option is the Wilkes-Barre Area Cyber Academy, and it does not provide daily real-time interactions, unlike the remote learning option with a traditional classroom schedule. Parents and guardians must select one of the options available by Aug. 14, and if they don’t choose an option, students will be enrolled for remote classroom learning for the first semester. The Lake-Lehman School District is providing three options for students — traditional, livestream or cyber. Parents and guardians need to make a choice by Friday. “We understand the difficulty of providing mandates within a state that is so diverse,” Lake-Lehman Superintendent James McGovern said in a email. “We accept the responsibility of trying to do what is best for our students, families and employees while recognizing state/federal guidelines and meeting community expectations.” School districts must post reopening plans online and submit them to the state Department of Education before resuming instruction. Contact the writer: mbuffer@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2073, @cvmikebuffer

Cases Fatalities

Susquehanna

Wayne

209 26

Wyoming

57 8

158 8

Lackawanna

Pike

1,898 212

524 21

Luzerne

3,276 183

Schuylkill

885 49

Monroe

1,587 123

Carbon

359 28

northampton

Lehigh

4,828 335

3,843 290

COVID-19 BY THE NUMBERS a quick glance at the global spread of the coronavirus as of aug. 1.

World cases

United States cases

17,752,790

4,611,517

(up from 17,497,354 on July 31)

(up from 4,556,232 on July 31)

World deaths

United States deaths

682,717

154,188

(up from 677,279 on July 31)

(up from 153,268 on July 31)

— NUMBERS REPORTED AS OF 7:45 P.M. SATURDAY FROM JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

EDITOR’S NOTE: the Johns Hopkins university website relies upon publicly available data from multiple sources that do not always agree. More frequent updates of the map often result in higher case numbers than may be available from other sources that are updated less frequently.

VIRUS: Many states seeing cases rise FROM PagE a1

In the South and the West, several states are reporting their highest levels of new coronavirus cases, with outbreaks overwhelming urban and rural areas alike. Across the country, communities including Snohomish County, Washington, Jackson, Mississippi, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, have seen coronavirus numbers fall and then shoot back up — not unlike the two ends of a seesaw. In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker sounded an unusually somber note this past week as he delivered a warning that reverberated across the state: Even though Illinoisans had battled an early flood of coronavirus infections and then managed to reduce the virus’ spread, their successes were fleeting. As of Thursday, the state was averaging more than 1,400 cases a day, up from about 800 at the start of July. “We’re at a danger point,” Pritzker said in Peoria County, where the total number of cases has doubled in the past month. Gone is any sense that the country may soon get a hold of the pandemic. Instead, the seven-day average for new infections hovered around 65,000 for two weeks. Progress in some states has been mostly offset by growing outbreaks in parts of the South and the Midwest.

“There’s a sort of collective tiredness and frustration, and of course I feel it, too — we all feel it,” said County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the top elected official in Harris County, which includes Houston. “So it’s difficult to know that there’s no real end in sight.” In U.S. communities that saw improvement in June, such as Milwaukee County in Wisconsin, there was a widespread feeling of relief, said Dr. Ben Weston, the director of medical services for the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management. But then mask-wearing and social distancing began to relax. “There was a sense of complacency, like, ‘We’re finally beyond this; it’s finally getting better,’” he said. “We were seeing our numbers go down, but the reason is because of physical distancing. It’s because people were being so careful. There was no reason to think that cases weren’t going to rise.” On Thursday, Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, made another attempt to get a handle on the outbreaks in his state, issuing an order that every Wisconsinite wear a mask indoors in public beginning Saturday. Many states have traced new outbreaks to the loosening of the economically costly restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.

EVE EdELHEIt / tHE nEW yORK tIMES

People visit Clearwater Beach in Clearwater, Fla., last week amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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DOWNTOWN GHOST TOWN

Wilkes-Barre office workers not expected back until 2021

BY STEVE MOCARSKY STAFF WRITER

ven with college students back at downtown campuses, sidewalks in center city WilkesBarre remain mostly barren, and the absence of office workers is one major reason. The downtown resembled a ghost town in March after Gov. Tom Wolf ordered non-essential businesses shuttered and required employees who could work from home to do so to slow the spread of COVID-19. And although retail shops were allowed to re-open when Luzerne County entered the least-restrictive “green” phase in mid-June, and King’s College and Wilkes University resumed in-person classes about two weeks ago, office workers make up a large part of the downtown demographic. Larry Newman, executive director of the downtown management organization Diamond City Partnership, estimates that roughly half of all people who work downtown work in offices, and that’s more than 5,000 people. Newman said that NEWMAN downtown retail and food businesses have felt the impact of their absence, as sales are off “anywhere from 50 to 80 percent from their sales this time last year,” based on conversations he’s had with owners and management. He and other local economic development experts say most downtown of fices continue to have employees work remotely in one form or another as they follow coronavirus pandemic restrictions. Please see DOWNTOWN, Page A4

MARK MORAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Kamri Jacobs, co-owner of Nucleus Raw Foods on Public Square, has been serving customers vegan food and drinks like smoothies through a takeout window. Jacobs said she misses the lunch rushes from nearby office workers who have been working from home amid the pandemic.

Downtown W-B business owners see drop in sales Fewer office workers means smaller lunch rushes for many. BY DENISE ALLABAUGH STAFF WRITER

WILKES-BARRE — The scene inside Anthracite Newsstand on Public Square looks different amid the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions which limit occupancy to 25 percent. Customers can’t sit at the counter to enjoy food or drinks

and plexiglass dividers were installed between tables. Ann Marie Bossard, co-owner of Anthracite Newsstand which has been in business for more than 60 years, said they have lost more than half their business as a result of the restrictions coupled with a majority of downtown Wilkes-Bar re of fice employees working from home. “It is affecting us very much. It really is,” Bossard said. “It’s hurting big time.” Bossard said they have been abiding by Gov. Tom Wolf ’s

orders and restrictions but she hopes they will be lifted soon. In addition to plexiglass barriers they purchased for tables, she said they also bought additional plexiglass dividers so people could sit at the bar but they were not permitted to use them. “It would protect them but he (Wolf) said it’s no good,” Bossard said. “They’re not legal in Pennsylvania. There are some states that have them and they are operating and using them but we’re not allowed to use them here. Nobody is allowed to sit at

the bar at all.” Bossard is thankful for the customers who are still coming and supporting their long-time downtown Wilkes-Barre business but she said she misses many office employees from businesses like GUARD Insurance and Highmark who have been working from home amid the pandemic. “Thank God all of our regulars are still coming,” she said. “We’re very lucky.” Please see BUSINESS, Page A4

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After Democrats’ big 2018 gains, more House seats could flip in Pa. Republicans are trying to defend incumbents in more evenly divided districts. BY MARC LEVY ASSOCIATED PRESS

HARRISBURG — In the shadow of Pennsylvania’s status as a battleground state in the presidential election, Democrats will fight to defend their

gains in Congress two years ago and, possibly, add another seat or two as the state’s suburbs continue to turn against President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Republicans are trying to defend their survivors in more evenly divided districts, while hoping to knock off some of the Democrats’ freshmen and one veteran congressman who keeps winning a district where Trump is popular. Elections in 2018 were fruit-

ful for Democrats: Aided by redrawn districts and antiTrump fervor, they picked up four seats in Pennsylvania, evening the state’s partisan balance in the U.S. House and helping the party recapture the House majority overall. There may be room for more districts to flip. Two incumbent Republicans won by fewer than 3 percentage points in 2018, while Democrats represent two districts that Trump won in 2016.

Here is a look at key races:

1st District Second-termRepublicanU.S. Rep.BrianFitzpatrickinBucks County, just north of Philadelphia, is a top target again for Democrats: He is one of just three House Republicans in the entire country running for reelection in a district won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016’s presidential contest. Please see HOUSE, Page A4

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FROM PAGE A1

A4 THE CITIZENS' VOICE

SuNday, SEpTEmbEr 6, 2020

HOUSE: Bognet trying to unseat Cartwright FrOm paGE a1

daVE SCHErbENCO / STaFF pHOTOGrapHEr

Most of the state employees in the Department of Environmental Protection building on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre are working from home due to the pandemic.

DOWNTOWN: Many workers now teleworking FrOm paGE a1

Teri Ooms, executive director of the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development based at Wilkes University, said she’s found that many downtown of fices have employees working remotely, some have staggered schedules for employees, and only a few have employees solely in their offices. “Those working remotely are indicating there are no immediate return dates because there are too many unknowns. Some businesses can’t physically social distance office spaces or commit to the cleaning requirements, and others find working from home works” for them, Ooms said. Newman estimates only about 10% of large companies’ employees — such as mail room and information technology staff — work on-premises “because they simply can’t do their job from anywhere else.” “I fully expect that pattern to continue into 2021. I hope I’m wrong, but right now, the good money is on many major employers — as well as smaller employers — maintaining a work-from-home posture. What must happen before office employees return to the workplace? “A return in consumer confidence — to be comfortable again in an interior office environment,” Newman said. “Simply put, what we need is a vaccine.” He said public health guidance also must be in place.

When Wolf announced Luzerne County would be entering the green phase, many employers thought they would be bringing employees back to the office relatively quickly. In mid-June, Elizabeth Hartman, communications director for Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies, had said the plan was “to have any employees who are comfortable” start returning to the office on June 29. Hartman said last week that the company is “back to only essential employees working in the office due to the current notice in effect from Governor Wolf. Once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, we will take a gradual and cautious approach to returning to the office.” GUARD is likely the largest downtown employer, with more than 790 workers at its Wilkes-Barre offices. Other employers also are taking a wait-and-see approach. Anthony Matrisciano, spokesman for Highmark Health (formerly Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania), said the company has about 700 employees in the region, and virtually all of them have been working from home since the pandemic started. “We are monitoring the pandemic closely in all of the areas where we have locations, including NEPA,” Matrisciano said. “We will continue to evaluate when it makes sense to return. We have told employees it is unlikely that any employees will return before

early in 2021.” He said Highmark’s “team of doctors and clinicians” will determine when it is safe to do so. Only three of the 62 employees of the Geisinger Pharmacy department at the office on Public Square have worked on site to date, although, next week, two more employees will return to the office to assist with a development program for Wilkes University students, according to Brion Lieberman, vice president of human resources for Geisinger. The remainder of the staff has worked from home and will continue to work from home through Dec. 31, Lieberman said. Likewise, William D. Loose, principal at the Wilkes-Barre office of the Bohlin Cywinski Jackson architectural firm, said the 27 employees there and at the company’s other five offices across the United States are still primarily working from home. Loose said employees have not been brought back to the offices yet because the company’s focus is on “employee health and safety, particularly as they manage caregiving responsibilities” as well as “remaining flexible and supporting our employees through this crisis.” “In many of the cities where we are located, local ordinances still require remote work whenever possible and we have made that consistent across our practice,” Loose said. It’s not just the private sec-

tor where office employees are working remotely. Most or all state employees with the Departments of Labor and Industry and Environmental Protection are working from home as well. Of the 720 Luzerne County employees who work in downtown offices, 352 are in the office on a regular basis, and 239 are working remotely at all times, according to county Manager David Pedri. The remaining 129 employees work remotely on a rotating basis. Since they are rotating, about half of them are in the office on a daily basis, Pedri said. Pedri said there have been discussions about having some employees continue working remotely post-pandemic. “Children and youth and many of the human services teams are thriving in this format so we will likely keep this as an option,” he said. Representatives from some private sector companies said they have similar plans for some employees. Newman said there are five pillars of the downtown economy — office employment; colleges; dining, arts and entertainment; the hospitality market; and residential units. Fortunately, the downtown’s growing resident population has helped many downtown businesses stay afloat, Newman said, and Wilkes-Barre is fortunate to have a diverse downtown economy.

But Fitzpatrick, a mild-mannered former FBI agent who took over the seat from his late brother, has a potent winning formula and is being challenged by a relative political unknown nominated by Democrats. Fitzpatrick has his family’s name recognition and inroads into traditional Democratic voting districts. He is endorsed by top-tier labor unions and persistently uses the theme of being independent; a digital ad calls him the “No. 1 most independent congressman.” He is the only Republican congressman in Pennsylvania who routinely votes against Trump or Republican leadership; he voted with Democrats last summer to condemn Trump for telling four Democratic congresswomen of color to “go back” to the country they came from. He also said he has not decided whether to vote for Biden or Trump this November. Even so, Fitzpatrick voted for Trump’s tax-cut legislation and opposed his impeachment. His opponent, Democrat Christina Finello, attacks Fitzpatrick as too weak to stand up to Trump and silent in the face of Trump’s worst transgressions.

Other downtown WilkesBarre business owners also are seeing impacts from office employees working from home. Kamri Jacobs, co-owner of Nucleus Raw Foods, a vegan restaurant in the Luzerne Bank building on Public Square, said she misses all the downtown office employees who are

working from home. “We miss our lunch rushes with GUARD and Highmark and our friends from Geisinger,” Jacobs said. “They’re working from home and a lot of them don’t live close to Wilkes-Barre.” Despite the decline of office employees in downtown Wilkes-Barre, Jacobs said she still sees a good amount of takeout orders thanks to the restaurant’s

walk-up window while its small dining room is closed. Nucleus Raw Foods, which is based in Luzerne, opened the vegan restaurant with the walk-up window on Public Square in June last year. The walk-up window has been a safe way for customers to pick up their vegan food and smoothies because they are outside, Jacobs said. Even people who are not usually in downtown Wilkes-

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This race is poised to become the state’s most expensive: Four-term Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, possessor of one of the most conservative voting records in the U.S. House, is being challenged by two-term state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale. The race has already attracted more than $500,000 in spending by outside groups after a Democratic opponent with little name recognition came within 2.5 percentage points of knocking off Perry in 2018. The district, which includes the cities of York and Harrisburg, has a Repub7th District lican registration edge of Freshman Democrat U.S. about 20,000, and Trump won Rep. Susan Wild is defending it by 9 points in 2016. her Allentown-area seat 16th District against Republican nominee Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Lisa Scheller, a former Lehigh County commissioner who Kelly is seeking a sixth term in started a pigment manufactur- a northwestern Pennsylvania er for paints, coatings and inks district against a political newand touts her background as a comer, teacher Kristy Gnibus, recovered addict who advo- after Kelly won a race — into which national Democrats cates for people in recovery. Wild, a prominent lawyer in poured cash — by 4 percentage Allentown, scored a 10-percent- points in 2018. Republicans have a slight age-point thumping of her Republican opponent in 2018’s registration advantage — campaign for what was an under 14,000 — but Democratic parts of the district took the open seat. Trump only lost the district same conservative turn in 2016 by 1 percentage point in 2016, as other historically Democratand Republicans are hoping ic parts of Pennsylvania where his top-of-the-ticket strength residents are whiter, less afflucan lift Scheller, who had ent and less educated. Trump’s endorsement in a contested primary.

8th District

17th District

U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb is seeking a second full term after becoming a Democratic star in 2018 for winning two races in two Trump districts — a specialelectioninadistrictTrump won by 20 percentage points and a general election in a redrawn district against a three-term incumbent. Lamb is facing a challenge from Republican Sean Parnell, a decorated Army vet who is a regular guest on Fox News programs — he announced his candidacy during an appearanceon“Fox&Friends”—and is known for his memoir on the warinAfghanistanandauthoring two action novels.

Four-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright in northeastern Pennsylvania is in his third go-round of seeking reelection in a district where Trump is decidedly popular. This time Cartwright is being challenged by Jim BogContact the writer: net, a first-time candidate who smocarsky@citizensvoice.com won a six-person GOP prima570-821-2110; @mocarskyCV ry, in part, by promising to be a staunch Trump ally. The district is anchored by Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, both Democratic bastions. But Barre can pull up, hop out of the party’s voter-registration their cars and ring the bell advantage in the district — for service, she said. still at a considerable 62,000 — Jacobs said she is thankful for the support Nucleus has received during the difficult times from regular customers like Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown, who often orders mixed berry smoothies. “Businesses have been supporting other businesses,” she said. “There are people who are still on the Square who are coming and TImES-SHamrOCK FILE THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE helping out.” GOP candidate Jim Bognet U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright,

BUSINESS: Less of a daily lunch rush FrOm paGE a1

is shrinking, and Republican hopes of capturing the district are perennial. Cartwright, though, had six times the campaign cash as Bognet going into July and phone-banking help from Service Employees International Union. Bognet said his fundraising is accelerating and that he’s been out door-knocking. Plus, he said, the last time Trump was on the ballot, Cartwright only faced token opposition. Plus, the district is a regular destination for Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, which could give Bognet a boost.

Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2115, @CVallabaugh

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