coronavirus
‘The alarm bell went off:’ Biden admin. announces relief efforts amid omicron surge
Pennsylvania first detected the variant on Dec. 3 in Philadelphia. Penn State University also confirmed omicron on its largest campus Monday night.
Despite no plans for one, Pa. Senate approves bill prohibiting COVID-19 vaccine mandate for K-12 students
The Wolf administration has no plans to implement a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for K-12 schools, Elizabeth Rementer, a spokesperson for Wolf, told the Capital-Star in an email.
Pa. Supreme Court hears arguments over Wolf administration’s K-12 mask mandate
Gov. Tom Wolf announced last month that local school districts — but not child care facilities — would have power over masking policies, beginning Jan. 17.
Top Pa. Senate Republican leader Jake Corman tests positive for COVID-19
Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman has tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced Wednesday morning.
Health Department responds to ‘bullying’ accusation, says lawmaker took information out of context
“The letter in question has been used since the beginning of the pandemic — nearly 20 months — and is sent to close contacts — or their parent [or] guardian with quarantine instructions only in situations where the individual is uncooperative and refuses to quarantine."
After a year of Zoom and telework, Capitol staff make steady return to Harrisburg
Pennsylvania is on pace to normalcy. And for some Capitol staff, that means heading back to the office. Statewide COVID-19 mitigation measures have been lifted, so offices can operate at full capacity — meaning that when lawmakers return to Harrisburg next week, more staff will come with them for the first time since remote work […]
On track to achieve vaccine benchmark, Pa. plans to lift mask mandate by June 28
Statewide data show that nearly 98 percent of senior citizens and 70 percent of adults have received at least one dose.
Despite vote to limit emergency powers, Pa. Gov. Wolf extends COVID-19 disaster declaration
Wolf said the declaration allows more medical professionals to administer vaccines, provides families with access to food, and ensures counties and businesses are eligible for federal disaster recovery funding.
Senate Democrats propose ‘New Deal’ spending plan for Pa. relief funds
Democrats said their $6.15 billion plan focuses on creating jobs, opportunity and equity by investing in human services, economic development and public health.
Top Wolf aide named to replace Levine at state Health Dept.
Gov. Tom Wolf has tapped a top staffer to replace Dr. Rachel Levine as the new head of the state Department of Health. Alison Beam, currently a deputy chief of staff to Wolf, will take over as acting Secretary of Health, pending confirmation by the state Senate. Beam will have to quickly step into Levine’s […]
Dr. Deborah Birx, Trump’s COVID coordinator, credits Pa.’s ‘remarkable job’ addressing COVID-19 pandemic
President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 response coordinator applauded Pennsylvania’s approach to addressing the pandemic Thursday.
Break quarantine, risk legal action, Pa. warns people exposed to COVID-19
The letter, potentially sent to thousands, is a new frontier in how the commonwealth acts, or at least talks, about its virus response, one expert said.