TIMELINE: Court order extends closure of Allegheny Co. courts until June 1

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Court order extends closure of Allegheny Co. courts until June 1

UPDATE 11 p.m.: A court order has extended the closing of Allegheny County Courts until June 1, despite Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement that most of southwestern Pa. will move into the yellow phase May 15.

Channel 11’s Rick Earle obtained the document which was issued on May 6, two days before Wolf’s announcement.

You can read the full order below:

Allegheny Co. Medical Society distributes face masks, shields to front-line healthcare workers

UPDATE 6:30 p.m.: Face masks have become a key tool in the fight against COVID-19, causing a regional shortage.

The Allegheny County Medical Society has raised $100,000 to buy personal protective equipment, and the organization used that money to distribute about 4,600 face masks and face shields to front-line healthcare workers on Saturday.

“They’ve been given to nursing homes, to emergency responders and today we’re ensuring physicians who are treating patients are given masks,” said Jeremy Bonfini of the medical society.

Allegheny Co. Medical Society distributes face masks, shields to front-line healthcare workers Allegheny Co. Medical Society distributes face masks, shields to front-line healthcare workers

Number of meals given to kids, seniors continues rising

UPDATE 12:18 p.m.: The City of Pittsburgh Department of Parks and Recreation and its partners at Parkhurst Dining and the Salvation Army distributed 5,076 meals to children and seniors this week in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Total meals distributed to seniors: 2,040

Total meals distributed to children: 3,036 (inclusive of all of the below, an increase of 344 meals over the previous week)

• PPS Meals + Parkhurst Meals (Friday only) at our Recs = 1,346
• Salvation Army locations in Homewood and Westside = 1,540
• Donated meals Distributed in Beechview = 150

55,316 coronavirus cases across PA

UPDATE 11:53 a.m.: There are now 55,316 positive cases of COVID-19 across the state, according to the Department of Health

That number is an increase of 1,078 new cases. There were also 72 more deaths, bringing the statewide total to 3,688. 221,791 people have tested negative so far.

Locally, here are the numbers from area counties:

• Allegheny Co.: 1,486 positive cases, 120 deaths, 19,342 negative tests
• Armstrong Co.: 55 positive cases, 3 deaths, 835 negative tests
• Beaver Co.: 482 positive cases, 78 deaths, 2,406 negative tests
• Butler Co.: 194 positive cases, 6 deaths, 2,722 negative tests
• Clarion Co.: 23 positive cases, 1 death, 548 negative tests
• Fayette Co.: 85 positive cases, 4 deaths, 2,148 negative tests
• Forest Co.: 7 positive cases, 0 deaths, 35 negative tests
• Greene Co.: 27 positive cases, 1 death, 517 negative tests
• Indiana Co.: 76 positive cases, 5 deaths, 871 negative tests
• Lawrence Co.: 69 positive cases, 7 deaths, 889 negative tests
• Mercer Co.: 73 positive cases, 2 deaths, 918 negative tests
• Venango Co.: 7 positive cases, 0 deaths, 294 negative tests
• Washington Co.: 124 positive cases, 4 deaths, 2,653 negative tests
• Westmoreland Co.: 415 positive cases, 30 deaths, 5,769 negative tests

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 11,239 resident cases of COVID-19, and 1,605 cases among employees, for a total of 12,844 at 530 distinct facilities in 44 counties. Out of our total deaths, 2,518 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities.

Approximately 3,685 of our total cases are in health care workers.

The latest numbers from Allegheny County

UPDATE 11:03 a.m.: There are now 1,486 cases of coronavirus in Allegheny County, which is an increase of 31 confirmed or probable cases over Friday.

To date, there have also been 120 deaths in the county from COVID-19. 273 people have required hospitalization since the first cases were found in our area.

Women amount to 53% of total cases while men are 47% of cases in the county.

Changes at area farmer’s markets opening this weekend

UPDATE 10:00 a.m.: Steps are being taken to keep shoppers and vendors safe as farmer’s markets start opening.

At the Bloomfield Market, vendors have sanitizing requirements and there are cleaning stations spread throughout. Visitors must wear a mask and only 25 people will be allowed in at a time. There is one-way direction in the aisles and only one person per household is asked to show up.

More details in the video below:

You'll notice changes when heading to farmers markets around the area thanks to COVID-19 You'll notice changes when heading to farmers markets around the area thanks to COVID-19

Coronavirus in Pennsylvania: Saturday morning

UPDATE 6:45 a.m.: With the exception of Beaver County, all areas in southwest Pennsylvania will be moving into the yellow phase starting next Friday.

Gov. Tom Wolf made the announcement Friday afternoon during a news conference. He announced that Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland counties will be in the second wave of reopening.

Beaver County is home to one of the worst nursing home COVID-19 outbreaks in the state. When asked about why Beaver County was not included in the reopening, Wolf said if there are any coronavirus concerns then that area will not be included. He said Beaver County leaders are jeopardizing lives by allowing businesses to reopen. The District Attorney said Friday the office would not go after businesses that open their doors despite remaining in the ‘red’ phase.

To that end, some Beaver County businesses are considering opening on May 15.

The District Attorney’s in Armstrong, Butler and Greene counties also said Friday they would not prosecute businesses that choose to open their doors if they’re not included under the yellow phase designation.

The Diocese of Pittsburgh and Diocese of Greensburg both announced there are plans in place to gradually reopen churches and worship services May 15.

As of Friday, there were 54,238 positive cases of coronavirus in Pennsylvania, 3,616 deaths and 209,873 tests have come back negative.

Some local businesses still in limbo despite move into 'yellow' phase Some local businesses still in limbo despite move into 'yellow' phase

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