YORK COUNTY, Pa. — There are 22 cases of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, according to the state Department of Health. Most of the cases are in Montgomery County, and the others are located elsewhere in Eastern PA.
While the outbreak has not made it to South-Central Pennsylvania so far, organizations, municipalities, and businesses are all taking extra precautions to prevent the virus from infecting people in York County.
York City Mayor Michael Helfrich declared a state of emergency today, in order to receive state and federal funding to test, contain, and assist anyone who may come down with the virus.
The York Saint Patrick's Day Parade Committee canceled the upcoming 37th annual parade this weekend, in order to prevent a mass of people from being possibly exposed to someone who has it.
West York Borough Mayor Bruce Vick also declared an emergency that will last for 30 days. West York Borough Hall on West Poplar street will be closed to the public while it's in place. Uitility bills, permit fees, and other payments can be made through a secured drop box near Borough Hall, or on the Borough's website: Westyorkpa.gov.
In Spring Garden Township, York College is closing its campus. A student is in self-isolation there while she waits for COVID-19 test results from the PA Department of Health.
The college announced the closure will begin at noon on Sunday. It will ask students to leave residence halls by then as well. College officials say the student in self-isolation is staying in a residence hall suite with a private bathroom until those results come back. York College's campus will remain closed until March 30th, and says classes will continue online starting Monday, March 16th.
Meanwhile, Officials with Give Local York say they will still hold the charitable event for non-profit Organizations in York County. Organizers says it's one of the safest ways to make donations because they're done online.
They're working with experts to make the best decisions for the future, including whether or not to cancel the public portions of the event like Give Day, First Friday, and the Finale Party.
The Democratic Party of York County has also suspended all public events over COVID-19, with party chairman Chad Baker calling for all candidates to suspend door-to-door canvassing as well.
"We are also asking any Democratic club or organization affiliated with the Democratic Party of York County to postpone or cancel any upcoming meetings or events," Baker said in a statement. "Meetings scheduled this Saturday for the Western York County Democratic Club and the Northern York County Democratic Club have already been cancelled."
Governor Tom Wolf also called on all Pennsylvanians do to their part in containing the virus, including washing their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, staying home from work if they're feeling sick, and to keep a distance of at least six feet between themselves and other people.
The Governor issued a disaster declaration last week to mobilize resources and coordinate state agencies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.