BETHLEHEM

JUST BORN DONATION: In an effort to support its local community, Just Born Quality Confections recently committed $100,000 to COVID-19 relief in the Lehigh Valley. They explain, “Just Born Quality Confections, a family-owned company since 1923, can only thrive if the community where we live and work thrives as well. An important part of our company culture is to act as a catalyst for positive change through grants, volunteerism, community events, and product donations. Many in our community continue to be impacted by the pandemic, which is why we are committing $100,000 to help with relief efforts.

“We will partner with United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley to invest $50,000 in the COVID-19 Community Response Fund which aims to strengthen safety-net services for community members who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. We will invest an additional $50,000, utilizing a special grant process, for nonprofit organizations on the front lines providing food and housing assistance.

“This commitment is a small way we can help our community heal as we continue to navigate through these unprecedented times.”

LEHIGH COUNTY

EMPLOYERS BREAKFAST: The Lehigh Valley Employment Coalition’s fifth annual recognition breakfast, previously scheduled for Oct. 14, has been canceled, due to concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic. The event is expected to be rescheduled for spring 2021.

For more information, contact Amilynn Harris at 484-387-0250 or LVECoalition@gmail.com.

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY

CENSUS: Lamont McClure reminds the residents of Northampton County to Be Counted! and fill out the 2020 U.S. Census form. Residents can respond by mail, by phone, or online until Sept. 30. As of Aug. 25, only 74.8 percent of Northampton County residents had responded to the Census.

The county has installed computers in the Government Center at 669 Washington St., Easton and at the Department of Human Services Building at 2801 Emrick Blvd. Bethlehem, for anyone who would like to fill out their form online.

Pennsylvanians who have not responded to the 2020 Census should expect a Census enumerator to contact them in person or over the phone. All Census workers must carry a valid ID badge with their photo, U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and expiration date. Residents can call 800-923-8282 to check if a visitor works for the Census.

Residents do not need to be concerned about safety and security, as Census answers can’t be used against an individual, and data security is managed by security experts operating at the highest levels. Under Title 13 of the U.S. Code, the U.S. Census Bureau cannot release any information that identifies individuals, and anyone who breaks this law faces a fine of up to $250,000 and/or up to five years in prison.

For more information and resources related to the 2020 U.S. Census, please visit pa.gov/census.

COUNTY FESTIVAL: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the second annual Northampton County Festival, which was scheduled for Oct. 10, has been canceled. It will be held next year Saturday, Oct. 16 at Louise Moore Park from 11 am.m – 5 p.m..

CORONER’S REPORT: As of Aug. 23, data collected by the Northampton County Coroner shows that 280 people have passed away due to COVID-19 in Northampton County (251 Northampton County residents, 29 residents of other counties and states).

As of July 14, the Lehigh County Coroner released data of 55 COVID-19 related deaths of Northampton County residents.

Residents: Allen Twp., 1; Bangor, 2; Bath,1; Bethlehem Twp., 59; City of Bethlehem, 29; City of Easton, 39; Forks Twp., 6; Freemansburg, 1; Hanover Twp., 1; Hellertown, 11; Lehigh Twp., 2; Lower Nazareth Twp., 3; Lower Saucon Twp., 2; Moore, 1; Nazareth, 2; Northampton, 3; Palmer Twp., 31; Plainfield Twp., 1; Tatamy, 1; Upper Nazareth Twp., 82; Washington Twp., 21; Williams Twp., 3; Wilson, 3; Wind Gap, 1.

Non-residents: Astoria, NY, 1; Bronx, NY, 1; Bucks County, 4; City of Allentown, 4; 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; Schuylkill County, 1; South Whitehall Twp., 1; Upper Macungie Twp., 1; Washington NJ, 1.

Demographic data for 280 deaths reported by the Northampton County Coroner:

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

Average age of the deceased is 83.2 years

Gender – 53 percent Female, 47% percent Male

Race: 88 percent White, 6 percent African American, 2 percent Asian, 4 percent Hispanic

Demographic data for 55 deaths reported by the Lehigh County Coroner

The ages of the deceased range from 43 to 98 years.

Average age of the deceased is 77.3 years

Gender – 44 percent Female, 56 percent Male

Race: 80 percent White, 16 percent Hispanic, 2 percent African American, 2 percent Filipino, 0 percent Asian

PENNSYLVANIA

COVID-19 GRANTS: Governor Tom Wolf has announced that 23 awardees will receive $10 million in grant funding through the COVID-19 Vaccines, Treatments and Therapies (CV-VTT) program to support the rapid advancement of vaccines, treatments and therapies by qualified biotechnology entities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the 23 projects, $6.8 million was awarded to 12 vaccine projects, nearly $1.2 million was awarded to five therapy projects, ?nearly $1.6 million was awarded to five treatment projects, and $430,000 was awarded to a project that will support the build out of physical infrastructure, advancing the development of leading edge innovations in the fight against SARS-CoV-2.

Projects awarded funding include those that will study the use of cancer medications on COVID-19 patients; the development of a research and training space to accelerate the pace of COVID-19 treatment development; the acceleration of vaccine development efforts; and the development of a protective antibody for at-risk individuals, including the elderly, among other innovative and promising new ideas.

For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, Pennsylvanians should follow https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/.

UNEMPLOYMENT: Pennsylvania will get nearly $1.5 billion to provide an extra $300 per week to eligible unemployed workers through the temporary federal Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

To qualify for the extra $300, the program requires that eligible individuals must receive at least $100 per week in benefits from:

•Regular Unemployment Compensation (UC);

•Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC);

•Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA);

•Extended Benefits (EB);

•Short-Time Compensation (STC) or Shared Work; and

•Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA).

Individuals must also self-certify that they are unemployed or partially unemployed due to disruptions caused by COVID-19.

Payments will be made to eligible claimants retroactively from Aug. 1, 2020.

The LWA program is not a true unemployment insurance program and is funded by $44 billion from FEMA that is intended for storm disaster relief. For this reason, payments to eligible workers will be delayed as states, including Pennsylvania, create new systems or processes.

RESTAURANT VIOLATIONS: From Aug. 17 through Aug. 23, the Bureau of Food Safety performed 734 total inspections, 51 of which were complaint-driven, and 20 were COVID-19 specific complaints. The bureau distributed 152 COVID-19 complaint-driven educational letters. Thirty COVID-19 related complaints were referred to local and county health jurisdictions. Three formal Warning Letters were issued.

A county-by-county breakdown of COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions can be found on the Department of Agriculture’s website. The data will be updated weekly, with data from the previous week.

Among other requirements, all businesses in the restaurant and retail food service industry authorized to conduct in-person activities are mandated to:

•Require all customers to wear a mask while entering, exiting, or otherwise traveling through the restaurant or retail food service business (mask may be removed while seated).

•Require employees to wear masks at all times.

•Provide at least six feet between parties at tables or physical barriers between customers where booths are arranged back to back.

•Ensure maximum occupancy limits for indoor and outdoor areas are posted and enforced.

The Bureau of Food Safety has always operated with an education-first model, and always works to educate and correct on-site before taking official action. Businesses unwilling to correct on-site will first receive a warning letter, followed by monetary citations ranging from $25 to $300 per offense. Following an initial warning, food safety inspectors will follow up with unannounced inspections to ensure compliance or issue citations as necessary.

Consumers with general food safety complaints or concerns about non-compliance for COVID-19 mitigation can file a report online.

PLCB ENFORCEMENT: Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement Officers visited 1,004 licensed liquor establishments from Wednesday, August 26 through Thursday, August 27 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 two notices of violation and 18 warnings for failing to follow COVID-19 requirements.

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.

EARLY WARNING DASHBOARD: Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine today released a weekly status update detailing the state’s mitigation efforts based on the COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard. Updates will be released each Monday beginning today.

The dashboard is designed to provide early warning signs of factors that affect the state’s mitigation efforts. The data available on the early warning monitoring dashboard includes week-over-week case differences, incidence rates, test percent-positivity, and rates of hospitalizations, ventilations and emergency room visits tied to COVID-19.

As of Thursday, August 20, the state has seen a seven-day case increase of 4,456; the previous seven-day increase was 5,598, indicating a 1,142-case decrease across the state over the past week.

The statewide percent-positivity went down to 3.4% from 4.0% last week. Counties with concerning percent-positivity include Perry (9.1%), Huntingdon (7.8%), Northumberland (7.3%), Indiana (7.1%), Union (5.9%), Susquehanna (5.7%), York (5.5%), Beaver (5.3%), and Blair (5.0%). Each of these counties bears watching as the state continues to monitor all available data.

STORE REOPENING: The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has announced the grand re-opening of a Fine Wine & Good Spirits at Stefko Shopping Center, 1844-A Stefko Blvd., Bethlehem, Northampton County.

CHILD CARE PROVIDERS: Governor Tom Wolf today announced his plan to distribute more than $117 million in CARES Act funding to child care providers across Pennsylvania – the third of three distributions to sustain an industry that builds healthy foundations for our children, facilitates employment and economic opportunity for working parents, and is the keystone for every other aspect of our economy.

Earlier this summer, the Wolf Administration distributed about $104 million in CARES Act funding to child care providers licensed by the Department of Human Services’ Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL). The distribution method of this latest round of CARES funding is based on the findings of researchers at Penn State Harrisburg’s Institute of State and Regional Affairs, who studied the impact of COVID-19 on Pennsylvania’s child care industry. In total, $220 million has been allocated to support child care providers across Pennsylvania.

Before the COVID-19 crisis, 7,017 licensed child care providers were operating in Pennsylvania. As of late July, more than 200 of those providers have indicated an intention to permanently close their doors. The third round of CARES funding will be distributed to 6,893 providers.