LEHIGH COUNTY

CEDARBROOK: Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation gradually began to accept visitors Sept. 14 at the Allentown campus, per Cedarbrook’s visitation policy modeled after Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Pennsylvania Department of Health guidance.

The policy allowed a visitation opening at the Fountain Hill campus Sept. 18, pending no new cases of COVID-19.

This protocol marks the beginning of step two of the Cedarbrook visitation plan, which is designed to be a very cautious and gradual process. Be advised rules and guidelines are subject to change at any time for the safety of Cedarbrook residents.

Current regulations from the state and federal governments indicate one new coronavirus case shuts down visitation for up to 28 days after each case.

All potential visits must be scheduled by a social worker during the allotted time frame before each visit.

Visitation hours are 9-11:30 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Emergency visits can be scheduled at a mutually agreeable time, pending the circumstance. Scheduling will be coordinated based on a resident’s unit and schedule.

Each residential unit will be assigned a day of the week for visits. Visit times will be scheduled on the hour and will be 30 minutes in length. Visits can be split into two 15-minute intervals to accommodate up to four visitors.

At this time, visitation will occur in designated areas outside in the courtyards between the C and D wings at the Allentown campus and the main courtyard at the Fountain Hill campus. In the case of inclement weather, visits will occur indoors in the family room at Allentown and the main dining room at Fountain Hill. Table placement is used to ensure at least 6 feet of distance is between residents and visitors, and all visits will be monitored by Cedarbrook staff to ensure compliance with safety measures.

Initial visitations have proceeded smoothly and joyfully as residents and families reunited for the first time since early March. Masks are mandatory and must be worn at all times during each visit. Residents will be wearing surgical or cloth masks, while visitors will receive specialized masks provided by the facility.

Temperature checks, risk factor screening and a statement indicating one understands these guidelines are required upon signing in. The area is thoroughly sanitized following each visit.

NORTHMAPTON COUNTY

CONTACT TRACING COURSE: Northampton Community College (NCC) will offer classes in COVID-19 contact tracing through a combination of virtual training on Zoom video conferencing and the learning management system Blackboard. Program training dates are Oct. 19 - 23 and Oct. 26 - Nov 13.

Contact tracing, a core disease control measure employed by local and state health department personnel for decades, is a key strategy for preventing further spread of COVID-19. There is an immediate demand for contact tracing to continue to flatten the COVID-19 curve. Communities must scale up, train a large contact tracer workforce, and work collaboratively across public and private agencies to stop the transmission of COVID-19.

This course covers the fundamentals of COVID-19 and expectations regarding the role of contact tracing. Participants will identify strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Participants will learn to:

- Identify the primary components of COVID-19 contact tracing

- Describe COVID-19 contact tracing protocol

- Apply COVID-19 contact tracing protocol to realistic scenarios and self-paced and more.

The course will be delivered through a combination of live training and self-paced learning. The course fee: $399. The currently unemployed, people with past healthcare experience and students majoring in a healthcare discipline are encouraged to attend. Average pay per hour is $17-$20. To enroll, visit northampton.edu/HealthcareCourses. For more information call 610-332-6585.

PENNSYLVANIA

PLCB CHECKS: Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement Officers visited 839 licensed liquor establishments from Oct. 2 through 4 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 10 notices of violation and 43 warnings for failing to follow COVID-19 requirements. As mandated by the liquor code, a notice of violation precedes the issuance of an administrative citation, which is civil in nature, and is intended to provide licensed liquor establishments notification of the nature of violation(s) discovered. The investigation remains open during this period, pending review by the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement (BLCE). Because the investigation is ongoing, names of establishments issued a notice of violation will not be released at this time. Each BLCE district office posts a monthly public information release that includes details on citations issued by that office.

Compliance checks are unannounced and can occur anywhere in the commonwealth, although the focus is on areas experiencing higher coronavirus transmission rates.

THE WORKPLACE: 66 percent of Pennsylvanians believe that returning to the workplace should be optional, reveals a study.

• One in three believe the mental health benefits of returning to the workplace outweigh the risks of COVID-19.

• Two-thirds would report a colleague for not following COVID-19 health protocols.

• Half think that the staggered reintroduction of employees into the workplace is discriminatory.

Since the start of the pandemic, millions of Americans have been working from home instead of going into their usual place of work. As the economy slowly re-opens, many workers in public-facing jobs, like shops, bars and restaurants, have already gone back to their workplace. Office workers are among those who could soon be asked to do the same, and the question on many people’s minds is - can my boss force me to go back to work?

Brauns Law Accident Injury Firm conducted a survey of 5,650 workers (aged 18+) which found that 66 percent of Pennsylvania employees believe that returning to the workplace should be optional. Understandably, many employees remain nervous about their health, and in particular if their fellow colleagues follow safety protocols properly and if their employers provide a safe working environment. The survey also revealed that 72 percent of employees would report a colleague for not following Covid-19 health protocols.

COVID ALERT PA: With the launch of the exposure notification apps COVID Alert NJ and COVID Alert NY, Pennsylvanians who downloaded COVID Alert PA will now be able to get notifications to their smart phones if they are exposed to COVID-19 when they travel to these states or to Delaware.

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

The app can be found in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store by searching for “COVID Alert PA.”

RESTAURANT CAPACITY: Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin and Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding reminded Pennsylvania restaurant owners that they may increase indoor capacity from 25 percent to 50 percent through a new self-certification process. Self-certification ensures that these businesses operate safely and instills customers and employees with confidence knowing they can dine and work safely but will not lead to additional inspections or penalties.

Restaurants can access the online self-certification form on PA.GOV/COVID. 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. Self-certification is required for restaurants to increase their indoor capacity to 50 percent.

FLU SHOTS: With cold and flu season approaching and the ongoing threat of COVID-19, the Department of Aging stressed the importance of older adults getting their immunizations.

Older adults are advised to get the following immunizations:

• Influenza (flu) vaccine – all older adults

• Tetanus and diphtheria (Td) vaccine, or Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine – adults 65 and older

• Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine or PPSV23 – adults age 65 and older

• Shingles (Herpes Zoster) vaccination – adults 60 and older

For more information on vaccines for older adults with chronic health conditions, visit the Department of Aging’s website.

Older adults may be able to receive their flu shots at their local senior center. They should contact their local Area Agency on Aging.