BETHLEHEM

CELTIC CLASSIC: The 2020 Celtic Classic Highland Games and Festival that had been scheduled for September will not occur due to the coronavirus pandemic, said Executive Director of Celtic Cultural Alliance Jayne Ann Recker. Please see full story on page A2.

For more information on the Celtic Classic Highland Games and Festival and other Celtic Cultural Alliance events, visit the organization’s website at www.celticfest.org and follow them on social media on Twitter (@CelticClassic) and Facebook (facebook.com/CelticClassic).

WALLA GAZOO GOLF TOURNAMENT: Lehigh Valley’s oldest running golf tournament - The Walla Gazoo Golf Tournament, will be held at the Bethlehem Golf Club on Aug. 17. Registration will begin promptly at 11 a.m. and Shotgun will start at noon, BBQ to go and awards to follow. Food and beer will be provided throughout the day, too. Walla Gazoo is Bethlehem Chamber’s most-awaited sellout event of the year. They will be following CDC guidelines and making changes to adhere to COVID-19 mitigation mandates.

COVID-19 SAFETY GRANTS: State Rep. Jeanne McNeill announced that $947,864 in federal funding has been allocated to several area schools and Career and Technical Education centers in her district to assist with implementing public health and safety plans.

The grants were awarded as follows:

• Bethlehem Area School District: $398,450.

• Catasauqua Area School District: $34,000.

• Lehigh Career & Technical Institute: $359,611.

• Bethlehem Area Vocational Technical School: $155,803.

The funds can be used toward the safe reopening of schools, including the purchase of protective equipment, hand sanitizer and/or cleaning products; equipment or technology to take classrooms online; installation of barriers or other protective devices in building structures; or to purchase health apps to assist in contact tracing and monitoring of students.

HISTORIC BETHLEHEM CURBSIDE PICK-UP: Introduced by popular demand! The drive-through pickup was so popular during the Blueberry To Go Market, they’ve decided to bring it to the Visitor Center & Museum Store! Experience a safe, convenient way to shop the online store.

How it works: Browse the store for your favorite items and complete your purchase. Once your order is ready for pickup, you will receive an email notifying you that your order is ready.

Upon arrival at the Visitor Center, please call 610-691-6055 and give your last name as well as the make and model of the vehicle you’re in. They will then bring your order out to you!

The address of our Visitor Center is 505 Main St. Bethlehem.

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY

COUNTY PRISON UPDATE: The Director of Corrections reports that, as of Aug. 3, eight inmates at the Northampton County Prison (NCP) have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. All eight have finished their quarantine periods.

Since the outbreak began in March, eight NCP employees have tested positive for the virus. All eight 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 on March 10. Inmates may still contact their loved ones via phone, tablets or mail.

There are currently 505 inmates in residence at NCP.

DRIVE-THRU SITE: A COVID-19 drive-through testing site is available at Coordinated Health-3100 Emrick Blvd., Bethlehem Township, 18020. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.. Saturday hours are available are on Aug. 8 and 22 from 9 a.m. – noon. The drive-through testing center is located in the parking area to the rear of the Coordinated Health Building and is separate from patient parking and routine patient care.

LEHIGH VALLEY

COVID-10 SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF: The PA CDFI Network has announced that the second grant application window for the COVID-19 Relief Pennsylvania Statewide Small Business Assistance program opened Aug. 10 and will remain open for 15 business days, closing at 11:59 p.m. Aug. 28.

If you applied during the first application window you should have received notification of your application status by Aug. 10. You do NOT need to reapply in the second round. Qualified applications will be automatically rolled over into the next funding round for consideration.

If you haven’t yet applied, get your applications in Round 2. In order to get funds to businesses in need as quickly as possible, the second application window will be the final opportunity to apply for the program. Have you been wondering if this grant is right for you?

For pre-application questions call Yajahira Rodriguez @ 484-893-1032 or Chris Hudock, director of the Rising Tide Community Loan Fund, a subsidiary of Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, 1337 East Fifth Street | Bethlehem, Pa 18015

EDU-CHILD CARE PROGRAM: To protect students and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, several local school districts have decided to pursue fully virtual or hybrid scheduling. For many working parents and families, these decisions create a problem: how to support and supervise children’s learning while also maintaining essential job income. This dilemma is shared by families throughout the Lehigh Valley, creating the need for a new virtual schooling childcare option. Accordingly, the Greater Valley YMCA (GVY) and Lehigh Valley Children’s Centers (LVCC) are partnering to provide a Valley-wide Edu-Childcare Program framework this fall.

The Edu-Childcare Program will provide an affordable, safe and accessible option for working families. Edu-Childcare will be offered at several locations throughout the Valley, at GVY branches, LVCC Centers, other provider sites, as well as in local schools. In this program, children in Kindergarten through age 13 will complete their remote lessons in a safe, well-equipped classroom with supervision and support. In addition, Edu-Childcare will provide opportunities for socialization, physical education, art, music, STEM and literacy activities. Nutritious daily meals are included. All Program sites will operate under strict safety guidelines informed by the Centers for Disease Control.

United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley will be convening local childcare providers in the hopes of expanding this program Valley-wide. “Partnering in new ways for the good of community is paramount to successfully stabilizing our kids and families. Our United Way is excited about the possibilities that exist with this blossoming collaboration to further support working families with school-age children,” said Jill Pereira, Vice President, Education and Impact, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

This virtual meeting will take place on Thursday, Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. Providers interested in joining this meeting should reach out to Madeline Falcone at madelinef@unitedwayglv.org.

PENNSYLVANIA

TESTING SITES: Efforts to expand testing across Pennsylvania are bing made to ensure that every Pennsylvanian who wants a test can get one.

Pennsylvania has conducted the ninth highest total number of tests for COVID-19 in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 1.6 million tests have been completed, which equates to 13 percent of the Pennsylvania population.

At the height of the first wave in April, statewide testing capacity was limited to under 8,000 tests per day. Pennsylvania is now averaging more than 22,000 test results per day, as of Aug. 1, and is testing about 4 percent of the population each month.

The most updated testing sites and information is available at the Department of Health. Testing sites continue to be added.

For the updated commonwealth map of testing sites, visit Pennsylvania COVID-19 Viral Testing Sites.

RECREATIONAL SPORTS: The Pennsylvania Department of Health and Department of Education have jointly recommended that Pre-K–12 school and recreational youth sports be postponed until at least Jan. 1, 2021, to protect children and teens from COVID-19.

The administration is providing this strong recommendation and not an order or mandate. As with deciding whether students should return to in-person classes, remote learning or a blend of the two this fall, school administrators and locally elected school boards should make decisions on sports.

Highlights of the recommendation to pause youth sports until Jan. 1, 2021:

• Applies to team and individual, school and non-school recreational youth sports;

• Includes competitions, intramural play and scrimmages;

• Continue conditioning, drills and other training activities on an individual basis;

• Does not apply to collegiate and professional sports;

• Gathering limits remain unchanged - no more than 25 persons may gather indoors and 250 outdoors.

The administration is updating existing sports guidance to reflect this recommendation.

The administration recognizes the importance of getting children back to school, while also protecting the safety and well-being of students and educators. Guidance for schools is available. The guidance represents endorsed best public health practices related to social distancing, face coverings, hand hygiene, and cleaning and disinfecting in school settings. It also outlines how to accommodate individuals with disabilities or chronic conditions, procedures for monitoring symptoms, and responding to confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 in the school community.

PLCB COMPLIANCE CHECKS: Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement Officers visited 1,168 licensed liquor establishments from Aug. 5 to 6 to ensure businesses are abiding by COVID-19 mitigation requirements that include social distancing, masking, and other health and safety requirements of the liquor code.

Liquor Control Enforcement Officers issued seven notices of violation and 38 warnings for failing to follow COVID-19 requirements. Violators may face administrative citation by the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. Continued violations put an establishment’s liquor license at risk, either through the citation process or upon application for renewal. More information is available on the enforcement page of the state police COVID-19 portal.

Complaints regarding licensees not complying with COVID-19 mitigation mandates may be directed to the BLCE at 1-800-932-0602 or reported through the BLCE’s online complaint form.

HIGHER ED OPERATIONS: Governor Tom Wolf is dedicating approximately $28 million to postsecondary institutions and adult basic education providers to assist them in implementing public health and safety plans and help them to resume operations in the fall. The funding will be used to help keep students, faculty, and staff safe and assist institutions in meeting the unique challenges of providing instruction during COVID-19.

BREASTFEEDING: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the state, the Pennsylvania Department of Health encouraged people who are breastfeeding to take proper steps to protect themselves so their babies can get the essential nutrients needed to develop and stay healthy.

Parents confirmed to have COVID-19 should take all possible precautions to avoid spreading the virus to their baby. Breastfeeding mothers who have tested positive for COVID-19 and choose to breastfeed and/or express breast milk should:

• Wear a cloth face covering while feeding and during expression of milk;

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before each feeding, before touching any pump or bottle parts, and before expressing breast milk;

• Use a dedicated breast pump (not shared);

• Follow recommendations for proper pump cleaning after each use; and

• If possible, expressed breast milk should be fed to the infant by a healthy caregiver who does not have COVID-19, is not at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19, and is living in the same home.