Stay At Home Order Extended to April 30

The Stay At Home order for us here in Allegheny County, as well as other counties around the state, has been extended to April 30th. As a reminder, here is what that means:

Individuals may leave their residence only to perform any of the following allowable individual activities and allowable essential travel:

• Tasks essential to maintain health and safety, or the health and safety of their family or household members (including pets), such as obtaining medicine or medical supplies, visiting a health care professional, or obtaining supplies they need to work from home
• Getting necessary services or supplies for themselves, for their family or household members, or as part of volunteer efforts, or to deliver those services or supplies to others to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences
• Engaging in outdoor activity, such as walking, hiking or running if they maintain social distancing
• To perform work providing essential products and services at a life-sustaining business
• To care for a family member or pet in another household
• Any travel related to the provision of or access to the above-mentioned individual activities or life-sustaining business activities
• Travel to care for elderly, minors, dependents, persons with disabilities, or other vulnerable persons
• Travel to or from educational institutions for purposes of receiving materials for distance learning, for receiving meals, and any other related services
• Travel to return to a place of residence from an outside jurisdiction
• Travel required by law enforcement or court order
• Travel required for non-residents to return to their place of residence outside the commonwealth
• Anyone performing life-sustaining travel does not need paperwork to prove the reason for travel.

The following operations are exempt:

• Life-sustaining business activities
• Health care or medical services providers
• Access to life-sustaining services for low-income residents, including food banks
• Access to child care services for employees of life-sustaining businesses that remain open as follows: child care facilities operating under the Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning waiver process; group and family child care operating in a residence; and part-day school age programs operating under an exemption from the March 19, 2020 business closure Orders
• News media
• Law enforcement, emergency medical services personnel, firefighters
• The federal government
• Religious institutions

Individuals experiencing homelessness are not subject to this order but are strongly urged to find shelter and government agencies are urged to take steps needed to provide shelter for those individuals.

International students, foster youth, and any other students who would otherwise experience displacement or homelessness as a result of campus closures are exempt and may remain in campus housing.

Schools Closed Indefinitely, but Continue Virtual Learning

Governor Tom Wolf yesterday announced that public schools will be closed indefinitely across the state, but the Department of Education is endeavoring to present schools with opportunities and resources for distance learning.

Online Learning Platforms

Beginning today, March 31, schools interested in establishing new course offerings or supplementing existing continuity of education programs can subscribe to the online learning platforms Odysseyware and Edgenuity. These platforms provide online access to coursework in English Language Arts, math, and many other subjects for students in grades K-5 and 6-12, respectively.  There is no cost to schools to use these resources. If your school is interested in pursuing any of these resources, please complete and submit the survey you will receive from your local intermediate unit by noon on Friday, April 3.  If you do not receive the survey, please contact the executive director of your local intermediate unit.

Public Broadcasting Partnership

Additionally, PDE has partnered in recent weeks with the statewide leads for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) to offer communities with limited internet access use of instructional programming that is being broadcast by all of Pennsylvania’s PBS affiliates. Each PBS affiliate is providing instructional blocks of programming targeted to different grade spans, varying by region, and began March 30: https://www.learningathomepa.org 

Equity Grants

Equity has been at the forefront of every decision PDE has made over the past five years; that commitment doesn’t change in the context of an emergency response – in fact, it’s all the more important to redouble these efforts when vulnerable students and communities are most at risk.  As such, PDE will be offering equity grants to help schools overcome gaps in student access to instructional materials. Grant funding may be used for any of the following: 1) digital technology purchases, such as laptops, tablets, or hot spots; 2) non-digital purchases, such as paper, postage or transportation of materials; and 3) accommodations that increase access to learning. An abbreviated grant application period will open on Monday, April 6 and close on Friday, April 10. More details will be posted to PDE’s website later this week.

Do you need a COVID-19 test? Here’s where you can go.

Thank you WESA for putting together this list!

A number of COVID-19 testing sites have opened in and around Pittsburgh in the past week. Here’s a list of the sites, and what you need to know before you go.

Central Outreach Wellness Center Sites

Locations and hours:

Pittsburgh Zoo Parking Lot, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh PA 15206

Open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning March 23.

2360 Hospital Drive, Aliquippa PA 15001

Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 23. Hours will expand from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning Tuesday, March 24.

Testing site: Drive through.

Open to public? Yes.

Who is eligible?

Anyone presenting symptoms of COVID-19, including dry cough, fever, and/or shortness of breath, and who have other risk factors such exposure to someone infected with coronavirus

What should you bring?

A photo ID and an insurance card. However, patients will not be turned away if they don’t have insurance, or if they cannot produce a photo ID.

Allegheny Health Network

Locations and hours:

AHN Wexford Health + Wellness Pavilion, 12311 Perry Highway, Wexford, PA 15090

AHN Bethel Park Health + Wellness Pavilion, 1010 Higbee Drive, Bethel Park, PA 15102

4220 William Penn Highway, Monroeville, PA 15146

AHN West Side Health + Wellness Pavilion, 4247 West Ridge Road, Erie, PA 16506

Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Testing site: Drive through.

Open to public? No.

Who is eligible?

Patients who have been evaluated for COVID-19 symptoms and have a prescription from an AHN provider. The site is not open to the general public. 

How to get an appointment/referral:

Those experiencing symptoms can call AHN’s nurse hotline, 412-Nurse4U (412-687-7348) to discuss symptoms or arrange a video visit through MyChart. After assessment, those who qualify for testing will be contacted with an appointment time to visit one of AHN’s collection sites.

UPMC

Location and hours:

2000 Mary St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203

By appointment only.

Testing site: In-person, no drive through.

Open to public? No.

Who is eligible?

Patients who have a physician referral and have been approved for COVID-19 testing by UPMC’s infection prevention team. Patients must have an appointment to visit UPMC’s testing site, it is not open to the general public.

How to get an appointment/referral:

Patients experiencing mild COVID-19 symptoms (no fever, no shortness of breath) should call their primary care provider or use UPMC Anywhere Care for an initial consult. Those with high fever or shortness of breath should go directly to their local emergency department for care.

What should you bring?

Instructions will be provided when patients are contacted about their collection appointment.

Facebook Live Q & A Chat

As we navigate this health crisis together, I want to be as accessible as possible for your questions. Every Friday at 12pm, I will be live on Facebook to chat about what the state is doing to combat Covid 19. Join me! 

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