BETHLEHEM

BAPL BOOK SALE: The library has decided to host a drive-up version of the popular BAPL book sale. The date is set for June 27 at the Main Library, scheduled to run from 10-4 or until supplies last. The way it works is that you simply drive up to the Main Library at 11 W. Church St. and buy a bag (or two or three) of books for $5 each. There will be bags for kids and adults, as well as popular themes, but the exact contents of each bag will be a little bit of a mystery.

Please note the sale is cash only and no change can be given. Drive on up and get an assortment of surprise reading material for just a few dollars while supporting the library!

Drive-up book sale at the Bethlehem Area Public Library, June 27, 10-4 (or until supplies last, BAPL Main Library, 11 W. Church St., $5/bag, cash only, no change given.

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY

COUNTY PRISON: Since the outbreak began, seven NCP employees have tested positive for the virus. All seven have finished their quarantine periods and have returned to work.

The prison’s vendor, PrimeCare Medical, is closely monitoring the health of the inmates. Employees and inmates are following guidelines established by PrimeCare Medical to prevent further transmission of the virus. All inmates and employees have their temperatures checked multiple times a day.

To protect the health of inmates and employees, volunteers, visitors and tours were banned from the prison March 10. Inmates may still contact their loved ones via phone, tablets or mail.

There are currently 469 inmates in residence at NCP. Forty-nine non-violent inmates have been granted extended furloughs.

TESTING SITE: The Northampton County sponsored Covid-19 drive-thru testing site at Easton Hospital will remain open until June 26. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The coronavirus testing site is located in the main parking lot at Easton Hospital, 250 S. 21st St. The risk of viral transmission at a drive-thru site is much lower than at a walk-in clinic.

FREE NIHM MEMBERSHIPS: The National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH) is giving back to healthcare workers who have fought tirelessly to keep the community safe and healthy throughout the coronavirus pandemic through a newly announced ‘Pay It Forward’ membership campaign. Retroactive to March 14, when the museum facility closed to visitors, until the museum reopens any new membership purchased will allow the NMIH to provide an employee of St. Luke’s University Health Network with a free one-year family membership.

CORONER REPORT: As of June 11, data collected by the Northampton County Coroner shows that 233 people have passed away due to Covid-19 in Northampton County (207 Northampton County residents, 26 residents of other counties and states).

Residents: Allen Twp., 1; Bangor, 1; Bethlehem Twp., 54; City of Bethlehem, 19; City of Easton, 38; Forks Twp., 6; Freemansburg, 1; Hanover Twp., 1; Hellertown, 5; Lehigh Twp., 2; Lower Nazareth Twp., 3; Lower Saucon Twp., 1; Moore, 1; Nazareth, 2; Northampton, 3; Palmer Twp., 29; Plainfield Twp., 1; Tatamy, 1; Upper Nazareth Twp., 73; Washington Twp., 1; Williams Twp., 3; Wilson, 2; Wind Gap, 1.

Non-residents: Astoria, NY, 1; Bronx, NY, 1; Bucks County, 4; City of Allentown, 3; Glen Garden, N.J., 1; Lehigh Co., 2; Lopatcong Twp. NJ, 1; Lower Macungie Twp., 1; Millersburg, PA, 1; Monroe County, 6; Montgomery County, 1; Phillipsburg, NJ, 2; Upper Macungie. 1; Washington N.J., 1.

Demographic data for 233 deaths reported by the Northampton County Coroner:

The ages of the deceased range from 29 to 106 years of age.

Average age of the deceased is 82.7 years

Gender – 52 percent Female, 48 percent Male

Race: 87 percent White, 7 percent African American, 2 percent Asian, 4 percent Hispanic

PENNSYLVANIA

DAIRY AND FOOD GRANTS: $40 million in funding through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is available to support Pennsylvania’s dairy industry and food security programs, following months of uncertainty and loss from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specifically, $15 million will provide an opportunity for dairy farmers to receive direct relief payments and $5 million will reimburse dairy farmers who participate in the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) program by donating excess dairy product to the commonwealth’s charitable food system.

Also, $15 million will go to the State Food Purchase Program, which provides cash grants to counties for the purchase and distribution of food to low income individuals, and $5 million will go to the PASS program to reimburse the agricultural industry for the costs involved in harvesting, processing, packaging and transporting food that they donate to the charitable food system.

DISABILITY FUNDING: $260 million in CARES Act funding will be distributed to the providers of services supporting Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism. This was received with praise by advocacy groups.

ONLINE GAMING: With land-based gaming options unavailable during the entire month of May, Pennsylvania operators continued to see substantial increases in activity through online options for casino type games. May 2020 revenue for online casino-type games, which include slot machines, table games and poker, jumped 30 percent over the previous month of April 2020.

Further emphasizing the significant increase in online play during the Covid-19 shutdown of casinos is the jump in revenue in just two months. The $55,838,789 May online casino-type revenue figure was more than double the revenue generated from those games in March when revenue stood at $24,884,830.

SENIOR CENTERS: The Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) has issued reopening guidance for aging services providers located in counties that are entering the green phase.

In collaboration with representatives of Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and adult day centers (ADCs), PDA has developed guidance and procedures for resuming operations of adult day centers, senior community centers (SCCs), and aging and protective services that involve in-person consumer contacts and in-home visits.

The reopening guidance documents, including health screening and other tools developed by PDA, can be found by clicking on the DOH website and scrolling to “Covid-19 Reopening Provider Guidance.”

SCHOOL GRANTS: The School Safety and Security Committee (SSSC) within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) has approved the opening of two funding announcements totaling $157.5 million that school entities are immediately eligible to apply for to address Covid-19-related health and safety needs for the 2020-21 school year. Information about the grants and the application process can be found on PCCD’s School Safety and Security webpage.

Eligible uses for the funding include the purchase of cleaning and sanitizing products; training and professional development of staff on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases; equipment purchases; modifying existing areas to support appropriate social distancing of students and staff; providing mental health services and supports; purchasing educational technology for distance learning; and other health and safety programs, items or services necessary to address the COVID-19 disaster emergency.

DISASTOR DESIGNATION: The director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, Randy Padfield, emphasized the need for continuing Governor Tom Wolf’s proclamation of disaster emergency in order to continue commonwealth response efforts and make state, county and local governments eligible for federal reimbursement of costs associated with the Covid-19 response.

Padfield said the commonwealth was awarded a federal disaster declaration to reimburse costs related to Public Assistance emergency protective measures, which include expenses such as emergency medical care, purchase and distribution of commodities like consumables and PPE, and communicating vital health and safety information to the public.

The lack of a state proclamation signals that funding and resources from the federal government are no longer needed to cope with the pandemic. The federal government could terminate the federal disaster declaration, which means any costs expended after the federal termination would not be eligible for reimbursement.

UNEMPLYMENT RATE: The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) released its employment situation report for May 2020. The May unemployment and jobs surveys collected data that referenced the week from May 10 – 16 prior to many counties moving to the yellow phase of reopening from the Covid-19 pandemic.

MASKS: Governor Tom Wolf reminded Pennsylvanians that mask-wearing is required when entering any business in all counties in the state in both yellow and green phases of reopening. Masks are considered critical in stopping the spread of Covid, now and in preparation for a possible resurgence of the virus in the fall.

A recent study from Cambridge and Greenwich universities in the United Kingdom found that cloth masks, “even homemade masks with limited effectiveness can dramatically reduce transmission rates if worn by enough people, regardless of whether they show symptoms.”

Peer-reviewed studies published in scientific journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine corroborate the need for masks and the U.S. Surgeon General said that wearing a mask doesn’t impinge on our freedom – it gives us more freedom from unknowingly spreading Covid-19.

GENERAL ELECTION: Governor Wolf signed into law House Bill 2502, now Act 35 of 2020, that requires the Department of State to publish a report on the June 2, 2020, primary election. The report will help identify any necessary changes to the Pennsylvania Election Code before the general election in November.

The report will include a series of data points for each county relating to the reforms of Act 77 of 2019 and Act 12 of 2020, including the numbers of mail-in ballots that were applied for and received, the number of new voter registrations received, and what time each county began to pre-canvass and canvass absentee and mail-in ballots.

DRIVING TESTS: The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) reminds customers beginning June 20 any customer in need of an appointment for a skills test, including motorcycle skills tests, may now schedule online by visiting www.dmv.pa.gov or by contacting the PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services Call Center at 717-412-5300.