Allegheny County officials urge vigilance as some schools prepare to reopen

As public schools and universities prepare to reopen, Allegheny County officials urged residents to remain vigilant, despite an encouraging decrease locally in daily covid-19 cases.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald on Wednesday said the county had achieved a 3.9% test positivity rate — the lowest the rate has been since the third week in June. Seventy cases were reported in the county Wednesday, the sixth straight day — and 10th out of 12 days — the county has stayed out of triple digits.

Fitzgerald said the county has seen “very good progress,” thanks to the cooperation of people in the region wearing masks and following public health guidelines.

Health Director Debra Bogen said the county has hit a “milestone,” with its weekly average finally falling below 100 cases a day. But she urged people who continue to flout mask requirements, host large parties and ignore social distancing rules in public places to buy in.

“We really, really need you to get on board. The virus is not a hoax. It is not a rumor,” she said. “The reason I am stressing this today is because we are at a critical point in the pandemic.”

Reopening school buildings in any capacity will be challenging if infection rates are high, Bogen said. She laid out recent guidelines given by the state, which focus on a region’s incidence rate and test positivity rate — right now, she said, Allegheny County is not in a high-risk category based on these metrics.

But information surrounding the virus’ effects on children continues to change, and the county has seen increases in the number of reported cases from team sports as school athletics resume practices. Bogen said she supported the recommendation last week from Gov. Tom Wolf that youth and high school sports be delayed at least until January.

“It’s really about trying to keep the virus contained,” Bogen said. “Every time you go play another team, you are bringing it to another group, and it keeps spreading and spreading.”

Bogen and Fitzgerald pleaded with members of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Restaurant and Tavern Association to not disregard the state’s restrictions on bars and restaurants. Some business owners are reportedly planning a “restaurant revolution” — a 100% reopening, in direct contrast to state orders. Bogen said the results of such a protest could be a “nightmare” from a public health perspective.

“It is a critical time — we are having schools returning,” Bogen said. “All of our college students are returning to town over the next couple of weeks. We really need to support our return to education, and the more community spread we have, the harder that will be.

“I just think the result will be that two weeks from now we will have a huge problem on our hands,” she said.

Fitzgerald said county officials are sympathetic to the hardship placed on bar and restaurant owners, but insisted the county’s recent improvement in daily case counts and hospitalizations will be reversed if restrictions are lifted.

“The law is the law,” Fitzgerald said. “We understand the pain and the stress that this is putting on, but many activities have had to change. … We cannot have people going rogue and just deciding on their own that they’re going to break the law.”

In recent weeks, Allegheny County has imposed restrictions on bars and restaurants and implemented a Covid Field Response Team to monitor businesses’ adherence to health guidelines. Bogen said Wednesday that while a couple of establishments have been closed, 88% of restaurants are following all recommendations.

Westmoreland’s cases down this month

Westmoreland County’s coronavirus case count average has declined in August.

According to the state’s Health Department, the county has averaged 14 new cases a day this month, compared to 25 in July. State officials said 18 new cases were reported in the county on Wednesday and just two a day earlier.

Roland Mertz, the county’s public safety director, said the lower numbers reflect a renewed effort among residents to follow safety guidelines.

“There is no doubt about it that social distancing is key to it, as is wearing a mask,” Mertz said. “I think the compliance we’re seeing has had a good impact.”