Following the directives established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to limit public gatherings, several of the following meetings / activities might be changed, canceled, streamed or on-line. Check websites and social media as available.

BETHLEHEM AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

2020 SPRING CALENDAR CHANGES: as of 4-1

April 8: Online school day. Elementary school parent conferences canceled.

April 9, 13, 28: Online school day. Spring break days and closure for elections day canceled. State primary election moved to June

COVID-19 and BASD: All communications and links provided by the Bethlehem Area School District during the COVID-19 Crisis can be found by visiting www.basdschools.org/COVID-19. Bookmark this page for future reference.

SCHOOL BOARD: April 20: Board Combined Committee Meeting; April 27: Regular Board Meeting; both in the Education Center; 1516 Sycamore St. Visit www.basdschools.org/calendars#calendar1/20200320/month and click the red circle for updates.

Meeting agendas, dates and times are posted at BoardDocs (https://go.boarddocs.com/pa/beth/Board.nsf); for updates, click the red circle with the exclamation point on the district calendar page, www.basdschools.org/calendars#calendar1/20200320/month.

April committee meetings are tentative; information will be updated online as the situation changes. Visit

BAGGED MEALS: Bethlehem Area School District’s Emergency Food Distribution, in conjunction with Aramark, free bagged breakfasts and lunches to BASD students, including charter school and parochial students, through age 18.Check with Broughal, East Hills, Nitschmann, Northeast, Calypso, Fountain Hill, Marvine and Lynnfield school websites for current distribution information.

www.basdschools.org/calendars#calendar1/20200320/month and click the red circle for updates.

SCHOOL BUILDINGS: BASD school buildings are closed by Governor Wolf’s order. Playgrounds have been officially closed.

ACADEMIC INFORMATION FOR PARENTS: Visit a school’s website for information accessing literacy and other resources during the school closures. Students will be assigned work to complete. Stay up-to-date. Visit the district website: www.BASDschools.org.

CITY OF BETHLEHEM

PUBLIC MEETINGS: Mayor Bob Donchez canceled all public meetings is being extended through April 30, at which time the situation will be reevaluated. This includes the cancellation of the Mayor’s monthly “Open Door” April 13. Please monitor the City’s website at www.bethlehem-pa.gov and social media for additional information on city facilities, public meetings and updates on COVID-19.

CITY COUNCIL: The April 7, Bethlehem City Council meeting was canceled. The next meeting will be April 21 at 7 p.m. and hosted through remote meeting software. The meeting will be live-streamed on YouTube and the public will be able to participate in the public comment sessions through a call-in phone number. The standard five minute time limit will apply to public comment sessions. The city is currently developing procures for remote public comment and will distribute instructions to the public as soon as possible. When ready, call-in instructions will be posted on the city website, distributed to local media, and distributed through select city social media channels.

AIRBNBs: Mayor Bob Donchez has announced that short-term residential rental facilities should cease operations immediately, in accordance with Governor Wolf’s order to close all non-life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania. Owners and operators are subject to immediate closure and/or criminal penalties for operating while the governor’s ban is in place.

PLAYGROUNDS: The city has temporarily either removed or secured the basketball rims in city parks. The city recommends that playground equipment not be used, as it poses an increased risk of spreading the virus. Practice the social distancing guidelines as recommended by the CDC in all places. For information about COVID-19, visit the city’s website at www.bethlehem-pa.gov.

FREE PARKING: There is currently free parking in the 324 S. New St. and 85 W. North St. parking garages until noon April 13. Vehicles will have 24 hours to exit at that time or they will be charged the full duration of their stay.

PARKING CITATIONS: The following parking enforcement changes have been extended until April 13, 2020: Citations will continue to be issued for public safety violations including double parking, handicapped zones and parking spaces, fire hydrants, blocking crosswalks, prohibited zones, loading zones and blocked driveways. Street cleaning enforcement and booting of vehicles as well as citation late fees for penalties from March 1 until April 13, 2020, are suspended until further notice.

REPORT BUSINESS VIOLATORS: Bethlehem residents concerned with businesses operating in violation of the shutdown may call the Bethlehem Service Center at 610-865-7000. Do NOT call 911 for this issue.

CONTACTS: Monitor the city’s website at www.bethlehem-pa.gov and on social media for additional information and updates on COVID-19.

RECYCLING: The Theis/Cornfeld Recycling Center and Yardwaste/Compost Facility are closed until further notice. Curbside recycling pick-up is still following a normal schedule.

POLICE: Residents who need access to the police department may enter through the garage entrance.

CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

PRECAUTIONS: During this time, Bethlehem is strongly encouraging everyone to engage in community strategies to slow the spread of the disease. For individuals working for life sustaining businesses, such as grocery stores, food service and health care, please stay at home if you are sick. For life supporting businesses, if you have any employee with symptoms, please tell them to stay at home.

CONTACT: For questions about COVID-19, please contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 1-877-PA-HEALTH or the Bethlehem Health Department at 610-865-7083.

CITY WATER DEPARTMENT

FLUSHABLE WIPES: The Water and Sewer Resources department advises all citizens to observe the following guidelines for proper disposal of these items: Toilets should be for human waste and toilet paper only. All sanitizing wipes, paper towels, rags, diapers, baby wipes, and anything advertised as “flushable” should not be flushed down the toilet. These materials are not biodegradable and can cause blockages in your home plumbing system, as well as the city’s sewage collection system, which can result in back-ups, overflows, flooded basements and damage to sewage handling equipment. The city’s sewer department is keenly aware of this situation and has stepped up maintenance efforts for sewer main flushing and cleaning to prevent overflows and backups.

HANOVER TOWNSHIP

SPECIAL EVENT: The Hanover Township Northampton County Volunteer Fire Company is will host birthday parades of emergency vehicles for children or special needs adults who cannot have a birthday party during and due to the stay at home order.

Email firechief@htvfc.org to request a visit. The HanNorCo fire and EMS personnel appreciate your staying safe, staying home and washing your hands.

STAY AT HOME: Continue to observe the Governor’s Shelter In Place order. Stay home and stop the spread.

MUNICIPAL BUILDING: Township municipal building is closed to the public. If information is needed, email hanover@hanovertwp-nc.org. Payments made by check may be dropped in the drop box located to the right of the municipal building meeting entrance 24 hours a day.

WASTE & RECYCLING: Residential waste and recycling continues as scheduled. The hauler is being inundated with bulk items. Please do not use this crisis as an opportunity to do the clutter clean out.

COMMUNITY CENTER: The Community Center is closed through April 30. Keep checking on your neighbors and family members. Find out if they need necessities from the grocery store or the other retailers when you go. Limit trips to stores.

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY

CORONER’S REPORT: As of April 3, the coroner has reported the passing of seven Northampton County residents due to COVID-19. Municipalities in which the decedents lived: Forks Twp. (1); Lower Nazareth Twp. (1); Bangor Boro (1); Palmer Twp. (2); Upper Nazareth Twp. (1); Williams Twp. (1). The average age of the Deceased: 81.0 years. The average gender of the Deceased: 57 percent male.

COURTHOUSE: Due to the continuing public health threat posed by the Coronavirus, or COVID-19, the closure of the Northampton County Courthouse to the public, except for emergency actions, is extended. All county offices remain open.

Emergency actions include anyone who needs to post bail; including a bondsman or a third party surety; a person and their legal representative(s) having business before the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County.

For questions as to whether you are required to appear, call Court Administration at 610-829-6700; A person needing to make an application for a ‘Protection from Abuse’ order; a person and/or their legal representative who believes, in good faith, that a statute of limitations pertaining to them may expire within the month.

PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT: On March 27, Northampton County Emergency Management Services (EMS) distributed 24 bottles of hand sanitizer and six boxes of gloves, 25 face shields, four boxes of Tyvek suits, 100 gowns and 516 boxes of masks to Gracedale, the Northampton County Prison, the Department of Human Services and local municipalities: Allen, Bethlehem City, Bethlehem, Bushkill, Forks, Lower Mount Bethel, Lower Nazareth, Moore, Nazareth, North Catasauqua and Pen Argyl.

Donations of hand sanitizer came from local companies. The gloves, masks, face shields, etc. came from the Northeast Terrorism Taskforce and the PEMA Dept. of Health stockpile.

EMS distributed the PPE supplies in response to submitted resource requests.

COUNTY PRISON: As of April 5, no inmate at the Northampton County Prison (NCP) has tested positive for COVID-19 and there are no tests pending. However, two employees have recently reported positive results. As a precaution to protect the health of the inmates, the director of corrections has locked down the prison. The lockdown will continue until the threat has passed.

INMATES MOVED: As of April 1, the Department of Corrections has moved all inmates from the Work Release facility in West Easton to a building on S. Union Street in Easton. The West Easton facility has been made available to the County of Northampton as part of its Emergency Disaster Declaration. It is now being cleaned and prepared in case Northampton County requires a staging area or field hospital as it responds to the outbreak of Coronavirus, or Covid-19.

SMALL BUSINESS TOWN HALL: Northampton County and the City of Easton hosted a Virtual Town Hall event April 2 for businesses affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. Representatives from the county, state and federal government explained what relief programs are available to small businesses with the 380 people who registered for the event.

Northampton County has put $250,000 into a COVID-19 Emergency Relief Loan Fund for small businesses. Applicants can apply for a maximum amount of $15,000 per business. The loans will have a 0 percent interest rate over a 12-month term. Rising Tide will process the loan applications and distribute the money. To help both businesses and individual homeowners, Lamont McClure has extended the 2 percent rebate for Northampton County real estate taxes until May 31.

GRACEDALE: Gracedale Nursing Home is accepting donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which includes gloves, gowns and masks (N95 and surgical) to protect the residents and the staff during the COVID-19 outbreak. Please contact the Gracedale Volunteer Coordinator first at 610-829-3686 to see if your donation meets guidelines and can be accepted. All donations can be dropped off in the lobby at Gracedale Nursing Home at 2 Gracedale Ave., Nazareth, PA 18064.

LEHIGH COUNTY

DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE: District Attorney Jim Martin announced March 20 in light of federal, state and local restrictions due to COVID-19, the office remains equipped to handle any requests from law enforcement for assistance as well as respond to any emergencies. All sworn officers, i.e., county detectives, are working as usual. The district attorney’s office will also continue operations, but as of March 19 with a reduced staff that includes one-third of assistant district attorneys on-site daily, as well as two-thirds assistant district attorneys working remotely. This ratio also applies to the office’s administrative staff. The district attorney’s office will cover any emergency matters before the court.

LEHIGH VALLEY

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS: The Chamber has a new campaign to encourage Greater Lehigh Valley residents to support local businesses. Use the social media hashtag #OpenWeStandLV to encourage people to get involved. Instagram posts with this hashtag are also posted on www.lehighvalleychamber.org/ along with a list of businesses offering curbside pick-up, take-out and delivery options.

In partnership with Adams Outdoor Advertising, local billboards feature “Come and Get It – or We’ll Deliver!” to remind people to support the local community while maintaining social distancing.

SENIOR FAIR: In an effort to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to adhere to Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order for the commonwealth, state Rep. Jeanne McNeill and state Sen. Lisa Boscola have announced their annual Senior Fair, scheduled for April 17, is postponed until a yet-to-be determined date.

PENNSYLVANIA

DISASTER AREA: Governor Tom Wolf today announced the approval of part of his request to the president for a major disaster declaration to support state, county and local response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Pennsylvania.

Under the major disaster declaration, state, county and municipal governments, as well as eligible private nonprofits can receive reimbursement for up to 75 percent of eligible expenses related to the response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Eligible expenses can include but are not limited to costs associated with paying overtime, or materials and equipment purchases. The declaration also provides direct federal assistance, which provides federal materials and supplies to support state and local response efforts.

MASKS: During a COVID-19 press briefing Friday Governor Tom Wolf recommended that all Pennsylvanians wear a mask any time they leave their homes for life-sustaining reasons. As COVID-19 cases steadily rise in the state, Wolf stressed the need to intensify all measures to help stop the spread of the virus.

ELECTIONS/ABSENTEE BALLOT: Order an absentee ballot by visiting www.votespa.com/Voting-in-PA/Pages/Mail-and-Absentee-Ballot.aspx. The election is set for June 2. Vote by absentee ballot and eliminate being in contact with a potential carrier and waiting in line on election day.

CENSUS: As efforts to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus continue in Pennsylvania and across the country, Gov. Tom Wolf has urged the U.S. Census Bureau to consider extending the deadline for the 2020 Census submission beyond July 31 to ensure that Pennsylvanians - and people in every state across the country - can be counted properly.

GUN LICENSES: Based on direction from Governor Wolf’s office, the Pennsylvania State Police released the following information about expired or expiring license to carry firearms permits:

• Permits that expired on March 19, 2020 or later have been extended to May 30, 2020.

• In Pennsylvania, an individual 21 years old or older may apply for a license to carry firearms by submitting a completed application to the sheriff of the county in which they reside or, if a resident of a city of the first class, with the chief of police of that city. The sheriff has 45 days to investigate and determine an individual’s eligibility to be issued a license, which is valid for five years.

• A license to carry firearms is required to carry a firearm concealed on one’s person or in a vehicle. Any person who carries a firearm concealed on or about his person except in his place of abode or fixed place of business without a valid and lawfully issued license commits a felony of the third degree.

PA LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD

ONLINE SALES: The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board resumed limited sales from www.FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com, accepting a controlled number of orders per day.

Customers will be limited to purchasing up to six bottles per transaction from a reduced catalog. All orders must be shipped to home or non-store addresses, and only one order per address will be fulfilled per day.

Access to www.FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com will be randomized to avoid overwhelming the site with high traffic, prevent order abuse and prolong access throughout the day.

The PLCB is not considering reopening stores at this time, although the agency continues to monitor the situation in consultation with the Wolf administration and public health officials.

PA ATTORNEY GENERAL

EVICTION: Attorney General Josh Shapiro made clear that Pennsylvanians can not be evicted from their homes at this time. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered courts closed to eviction proceedings due to the COVID-19 state of emergency. The court’s order is applicable to all Pennsylvania property owners, managers, landlords, as well as mortgage brokers and lenders.

If you believe that you have been wrongfully evicted from your home or wrongfully had your property foreclosed, you can file a complaint with the Office of Attorney General at www.attorneygeneral.gov/submit-a-complaint/.

UNEMPLOYMENT SCAMS: Attorney General Josh Shapiro warned Pennsylvanians that scammers are trying to take advantage of the historic rise in unemployment across the commonwealth by using fake unemployment filing websites in order to steal personal information or to harvest the data to sell to others for uses not properly disclosed to the user. In Pennsylvania, unemployment claims can only be filed with the Department of Labor & Industry at: https://www.uc.pa.gov/. There are many tools and FAQs on the website to assist applicants with questions about the COVID-19 emergency. No other website that requests personal information, provides instruction on how to file, and/or provides an opportunity to “file an unemployment claim” is necessary or part of filing an unemployment claim.

PA GAME COMMISSION

SEEDLING SALES: The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced its Howard Nursery will not distribute seedlings as a result of mandatory closings and delays caused by COVID-19.

The nursery annually has provided over a million seedlings to Hunter Access Program cooperators, who allow public hunting on their properties, the Seedlings for Schools program and public sales.

No seedling beds had been opened yet. All seedlings will remain in beds until next spring for 2021 distribution.

Unfortunately, the nursery had already received public orders. So over the next few weeks, nursery staff will contact those who ordered to provide refunds, which will be provided in the order in which they were received. Seedlings for Schools orders also will be alerted through email in the same order requests were received. The nursery is closed currently; no one is available to answer phone calls. If you call, leave a message and someone will contact you. Please be patient for refunds.

PA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES

HELPLINE: The Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced the launch of a statewide Support and Referral Helpline staffed by skilled and compassionate caseworkers who will be available 24/7 to counsel Pennsylvanians struggling with anxiety and other challenging emotions due to the COVID-19 emergency and refer them to community-based resources that can further help to meet individual needs. The toll-free, round-the-clock support line was officially operational as of April 2. The number to call is 1-855-284-2494. For TTY, dial 724-631-5600.

GIRL SCOUTS

COOKIE SALES: Customers can email Girl Scouts in the Heart of PA at MemberServices@gshpa.org to be connected to a local Girl Scout and begin ordering immediately.

JUST BORN

UPDATE: Due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation, Just Born is extending the following through at least APril 20: temporary suspension of production at facilities in Bethlehem and Philadelphia; office associates working remotely; and our PEEPS & Company(r) Store in Center Valley, remaining closed. All Just Born associates will continue to be paid during this time. They will take this opportunity to clean, sanitize and prepare facilities for social distancing protocols. Easter PEEPS(r) are currently available at all of national, local and online retailers, including peepsandcompany.com.

The Bethlehem Press will continue to update municipal information as it becomes available. Check the BP Facebook page for updates.Following the directives established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to limit public gatherings, several of the following meetings / activities might be changed, canceled, streamed or on-line. Check websites and social media as available.