Governor closes schools in Philly suburb county hit by virus

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's governor on Thursday closed schools and other facilities in a suburban Philadelphia county that has been hard-hit by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said the order regarding Montgomery County will take effect Friday for all schools as well as community centers and entertainment venues. Critical infrastructure, including health care facilities and pharmacies, will remain open.
Pennsylvania has reported 22 cases of COVID-19 infection, and more than half are in Montgomery County, which has more than 800,000 residents.
Wolf said the approach is planned to last for two weeks but will be continually evaluated.
The governor urged nonessential retail establishments in Montgomery County to shut down. He said gas stations, groceries, government facilities, utilities and mass transit should continue to operate.
In the rest of the state, Wolf said he hoped large gatherings will cancel or shut down, particularly those with at least 250 attendees.
He called the steps “far less draconian than what we may have to do in the future if we don't act now.”
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A look at the latest developments in Pennsylvania:
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CASES
All of the cases of positive tests are in eastern Pennsylvania. Hardest hit is Montgomery County with 13 cases, while the first case in Northampton County was reported.
Dozens of tests are pending, although testing remained limited to people who meet certain criteria, including having traveled to certain places or contact with someone who tested positive.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
The vast majority of people recover.
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SCHOOLS
Allentown schools said an employee showed symptoms and was tested for COVID-19, but they gave no information about the outcome. As a result, the district ordered schools closed Thursday and Friday for cleaning, with plans to reopen Monday.
Meanwhile, Temple University in Philadelphia told its 39,000 students that in-person instruction is ending for the semester and online instruction begins Monday. Students in university housing have until the end of next week to leave and students who live off-campus were encouraged to go home.
More than a dozen other schools in Pennsylvania, including as Penn State, Pitt, St. Joseph's and Penn, are taking similar steps.
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CANCELLATIONS
The state Department of Corrections on Thursday stopped all prison visitor buses from private vendors as hospitals and prisons tighten visitor policies or screening.
St. Patrick's Day parades in Philadelphia, Scranton and Pittsburgh were canceled. Schools are canceling competitions, performances, sporting events and more.
Montgomery County is urging the cancellation of public events, while Philadelphia officials are urging people not to attend events of more than 5,000 attendees, including professional sporting events. The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia said Thursday that it was closing for a cleaning and would reschedule the day's events.
Wolf's administration told tens of thousands of state workers to avoid out-of-state business travel and large gatherings, but the administration stopped short of ordering otherwise healthy employees to work from home.
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