Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine is painting a bleak picture on the coronavirus front. She says a study projects the state's hospitals could run out of ICU beds next month and the state's coronavirus-related death toll could nearly double by March. She maintains the state has no plans to reinstitute lockdowns but adds ultimately that decision will be made by you. "If we all do our part and we stand united, then we might not need any further mitigation measures taken. If people do not follow these measures, if our numbers increase as indicated by a new model, then I can't predict the future and what will be necessary," Levine says. Levine is issuing new requirements, among them telling anyone who travels from out of state to Pennsylvania to get a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arrival. Likewise for anybody living here who travels outside the state and then returns. That excludes commuting for work purposes. Levine is also tightening mask-wearing requirements, saying masks are to be worn any time you are with people outside your household, including while inside your own home.
Pennsylvania's Department of Health has announced a new daily record for COVID-19 cases across the state. Tuesday, 5900 new cases, bringing the statewide total to 275,513 since the beginning of the pandemic. More than two-thirds of those overall cases are considered to be recovered now. 9355 deaths attributed to coronavirus complications have happened in Pennsylvania.
Both of Pennsylvania's senators, Republican Pat Toomey and Democrat Bob Casey, are pressing for greater oversight of nursing homes. The move follows outbreaks of coronavirus at nursing homes. The proposal from Casey and Toomey would add more than 440 troubled nursing homes to a federal oversight program.
The traditional Easton-Phillipsburg football game usually played on Thanksgiving has been moved up to this Saturday at 1 o'clock at P-Burg's Maloney Stadium. The traditional bonfire, fireworks and powder-puff game have also been canceled. The changes come a day after New Jersey announced new gathering limits amid a surge of COVID-19 cases. The state changed indoor limits from 25 to 10, effective Tuesday, and outdoor limits from 500 to 150, effective Nov. 23, the Monday before Thanksgiving.
The Bethlehem Area School District says district winter sports are being put on hold until January 11th. However, that decision won't impact this Friday's Freedom-Nazareth District 11 6A football title game or next Wednesday's Liberty-Freedom football game.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is urging residents to flatten the curve, saying the only way we can do it is together. This comes after the state reported 4060 new coronavirus cases Tuesday and 38 new deaths. Murphy says in order to crush the curve people must continue wearing masks, avoid large gatherings and stay socially distant.
More than 340,000 people are in the loop when it comes to New Jersey's coronavirus updates. According to Gov. Phil Murphy, roughly 345,000 people have downloaded the state's COVID Alert exposure notification app, which acts as a sensor when you're in close contact with someone with the virus. Officials say it sends a secure, random and anonymous code to the other person's phone while your name and location remain private. Murphy is also encouraging residents to cooperate with contact tracers, explaining their sole job is to notify those who may have been exposed to COVID-19.
A local high school has an expensive problem. Despite a study done in July for the $16.8 million renovation project at Cottingham Stadium, new Department of Environmental Protection standards implemented in January now deem the soil as contaminated. That means it has to be removed and transported to a different site in Bethlehem. That could cost the Easton Area School District $400,000. As part of the renovations being done at the stadium, the grass field is being replaced with synthetic turf. In order to do that, workers must dig three feet deep. That soil can no longer remain on the site based on the new DEP standards.
Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar is officially calling this year's general election a record when it comes to voter turnout. Boockvar says nearly seven-million people voted in person or by mail-in ballot during the election. That number exceeds every presidential election since 1960, with just shy of 71-percent of eligible voters participating. Four years ago, about 61-percent of the voting age population cast a ballot.
Pennsylvania's casino revenue grew by 13-percent in October compared to October 2019. Total gaming revenue last month totaled more than $320.2 million, with about 48-percent of that coming from slot machines. Helping push casino numbers higher was sports wagering, which saw an increase of nearly $22 million and internet casino games, which posted a $19.4 million improvement over a year ago.
The "Meeting at the Crossroads" monument is finally being unveiled in Harrisburg. More than 100 people were in attendance Monday morning to celebrate the monument's completion. Two additional statues were added, including one depicting Jacob Compton, a black man who helped Abraham Lincoln escape an assassination attempt. Organizers behind the new monument say it pays tribute to the 15th and 19th amendments as well as symbolizing everyone working together for the right reasons.
The Pennsylvania Farm Show is putting the call out for National Anthem singers to take part in this year's virtual event. State Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding says individuals and groups statewide are invited to upload a video of them singing between now and Monday, December 7th to YouTube or Vimeo and email the link to the Department of Agriculture. The top eight will be announced December 16th.