BETHLEHEM

HARVEST DAZE 7 NIGHTS: Downtown Bethlehem’s 15th annual Harvest Fest is canceled due to the pandemic. “We had to cancel the festival because there would be no way for the thousands of people who normally attend the huge street festival to safely social distance. It was a devastating call to make because it’s a huge blow to the downtown business community,” said Tammy Wendling, manager of the Downtown Bethlehem Association. Wendling worked with business owners to develop a solution to help salvage some of the lost revenue.

Rather than pack people into the downtown all at once, they decided to spread the festivities out over five days through Oct. 5 and sell passports so that they could set a safe number of participants. Guests can buy a passport that entitles them to free food and drinks at area restaurants including Edge and The Hotel Bethlehem Tap Room and discounts at local shops including Franklin Hill Vineyards and The Gem Shop. Passports start at just $5 and include free parking.

Details on Harvest Daze & Nights Facebook page

RENT ASSISTANCE: Executive Director of New Bethany Ministries Marc Rittle represented the Lehigh Valley Regional Homeless Advisory Board (RHAB) at United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley’s recent Public Policy and Advocacy Committee (PPAC) meeting. Along with Senator Pat Browne, Rittle discussed an amendment to Act 24 of 2020 that will ease state requirements of state rental assistance funds for the CARES Rent Relief Program. While this was not the only topic on the agenda, this discussion came at a time when tensions had been high as evictions increased after the moratorium ended.

The CARES Rent Relief Program, established by Act 24 of 2020, provides $150 million for rental assistance for those renters impacted by COVID-19-related job loss. Unfortunately, there are barriers limiting the use of funds, including a $750 monthly limit that landlords need to agree to, a rule that requires families to be in arrears for over 30 days before accessing the funds, and a requirement that landlords sign waivers agreeing not to charge for remaining rent after PHFA funding is accepted.

The amendment discussed seeks to combat these barriers and help families receive funds more quickly. The State of PA is reviewing the bill which changes the $750 limit to 130 percent of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rent in the region where a family lives. The bill will also eliminate the 30-day requirement, allowing New Bethany to assist families before the situation worsens. The landlord waiver requirement will also be removed, and instead, an option to use alternative forms of financial assistance to make rent whole will be available. The deadline for applications will also be extended to Oct. 31.

LEHIGH COUNTY

ELECTION DROP BOXES: Drop boxes for mail-in ballots will be available for residents at five select municipal buildings in Lehigh County. Last Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled that drop boxes will be allowed for the upcoming 2020 general election. As a result, the Lehigh County Election Board finalized that five boxes will be available at the following locations.

For more information, including drop box locations, please contact the Lehigh County Voter Registration Office at 610-782-3194 or Public Information Officer Laura Grammes at 610-782-3002.

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY

COVID TESTING: The Department of Community and Economic Development, Emergency Management Services and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Coordinated Health Allentown Hospital (LVH-CHA) announce a new schedule for the drive-through testing center at 3100 Emrick Boulevard, Bethlehem Township which began Sept. 28. Hours of operation will now be Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday/Thursday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

A physician’s order is not required but, to be eligible for testing, individuals must report or display one or more CDC-recognized symptoms of COVID-19: fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat or loss of taste and/or smell. The drive-through site is open to everyone, but only residents of Northampton County will have the cost of testing covered by the County if they do not have health coverage. All testing will be through HNL Lab Medicine unless insurance requires an alternate laboratory. Participants should bring a photo ID and their insurance card, if they have one, with them to the testing site.

TESTING STATS: The latest data from the COVID-19 drive-through testing site at 3100 Emrick Blvd. in Bethlehem Township show a 4.0 percent positive rate for the virus.

“We can see in the data that the number of people being tested is steadily increasing,” says County Executive Lamont McClure. “With a positivity rate at this site of 4 percent, this is not the time to let down our guard. Please wear your mask, wash your hands and stay six feet apart if you can.”

GRACEDALE VISITATION: Gracedale entered Step II of their re-opening plan on Friday, Sept. 18 following the completion of universal testing at the facility. No residents or staff showed positive results for COVID-19.

“While we are beyond thrilled that these visitations will be beginning, we must respectfully ask that, for the health and safety of our residents and staff, all visitors please scrupulously abide by the rules and regulations,” says Lamont McClure. “Lives depend upon it.”

Gracedale has resumed family visitations in Tower 7, which has been converted for this purpose. Infectious control procedures are in place. Anyone entering the facility for a visit will only be allowed in the elevator to travel to and from Tower 7 for a half-hour visit with their loved one. Areas will be disinfected per CDC protocols in between visits.

Family members who would like to schedule a visit can call the Therapeutic Recreation Department at 610-829-3671.

PENNSYLVANIA

PLCB ENFORCEMENT: Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement Officers visited 816 licensed liquor establishments from Sept. 25 through 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 nine notices of violation and 22 warnings for failing to follow COVID-19 requirements. s

SAFE VOTING: The Pennsylvania Department of Aging encourages older adults to be informed about their options for voting in the Nov. 3 general election if they are concerned about being able to vote safely amid COVID-19.

Older adults opting to vote by mail-in ballot should apply for one as soon as possible at votesPA.com.

Here are some guidelines for voting by mail-in ballot:

•Read the ballot and instructions carefully.

•Pay attention to where you place your pen. Don’t rest it on the ballot as it could potentially make an unintended mark somewhere and the tabulator will not read it correctly, or the pen could accidentally mark a candidate for whom you didn’t want to vote.

•Return the ballot by mail or in person to your county Board of Elections or officially designated drop-off site as soon as possible.

•Be sure to place your ballot in the inner secrecy envelope and then put the secrecy envelope into the outer return envelope, which you must sign. County election officials will not count your ballot if it is returned without both envelopes. Be sure to sign the declaration on the outer envelope so the ballot will be counted.

In addition, Pennsylvania voters now have the option of voting in person at their county election office before election day. Just go to your county election office, request a ballot, fill it out and submit it – all in the same visit.

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY TRAINING: The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced that through the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program (PAMSP) it is partnering with multiple vendors to resume motorcycle safety training classes for Pennsylvania residents through a statewide pilot program for the rest of the calendar year. Classes were put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic and are restarting with COVID-19 mitigation measures in place.

American Motorcycle Training, Inc., P&P Enterprises Inc./DBA Appalachian Cycles, Shaeffer’s Harley Davidson, and Total Control Training, Inc. are the first approved vendors that will provide motorcycle safety trainings.

Classes will be scheduled through the remainder of the 2020 calendar year, weather permitting, at multiple training sites throughout Pennsylvania. Class schedules are coordinated by each third-party training provider for their individual locations and additional information can be found at www.penndot.gov/PAMSP. Additional classes and locations will continue to be added.

Considering COVID-19 health concerns, PennDOT will continue to offer a virtual motorcycle training course for individuals under 18 who are required by law to complete a department-approved motorcycle safety course before they can take the skills test and obtain their motorcycle license. To schedule or for more information on this course, visit www.penndot.gov/PAMSP.

COVID ALERT PA: The departments of Health and Community and Economic Development have announced the launch of a new statewide public health awareness campaign - PA Unites Against COVID - to remind Pennsylvanians that they have the power to stop the spread of COVID-19, and provide them with tools and resources to help educate others and join the fight against the virus.

Downloadable resources, including posters and social media toolkits for community outreach, and information on the new COVID Alert PA app can be found on PA.gov/COVID.

COVID Alert PA is a free, voluntary mobile app developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health in partnership with NearForm, UPenn, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory using the Apple and Google Exposure Notification System. The app’s features include an interactive COVID-19 symptom checker, opt-in for alerts for potential exposures to the virus, updates on the latest public health data about COVID-19 in PA, and advice for what to do if you have a potential exposure to COVID-19.

RESTAURANT SAFETY: From Sept. 14 through 20, the Bureau of Food Safety performed 596 total inspections, 18 of which were complaint-driven and 10 were COVID-19 specific complaints. The bureau distributed 60 COVID-19 complaint-driven educational letters. Ten COVID-19 related complaints were referred to local and county health jurisdictions. Three formal Warning Letters were issued and one citation filed.

A county by county breakdown of COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions can be found on the Department of Agriculture’s website.

Consumers with general food safety complaints or concerns about non-compliance for COVID-19 mitigation can file a report online at http://www.pda.pa.gov/FoodSafetyComplaint/.

For more information about the Department of Agriculture’s COVID-19 response, visit agriculture.pa.gov/covid.

RESTAURANT SELF-CERTIFICATION: Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin today announced that restaurants can now access the online self-certification form on PA.gov/COVID. The self-certification is available in English and Spanish, and will be available in other languages soon. The recently announced self-certification process enables restaurants, private social clubs and ?food service businesses that serve dine-in, sit down food in a regular, non-event capacity to increase indoor occupancy to 50 percent while adhering to mitigation efforts that will keep employees and customers safe.