York City declares disaster emergency ahead of ‘inevitable’ arrival of coronavirus

• Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania
  BioRecent Stories

  

  I report on energy and the environment for StateImpact Pennsylvania at WITF.
  
  My work focuses on responses and solutions to climate change in the state legislature and communities around the state. I trace my interest in these issues back to my time as a Girl Scout and this episode of Rocko’s Modern Life.
  
  I look forward to winter just for the chance to ski a few times each season. I try to keep myself from doom-scrolling on my phone by keeping my hands busy knitting and learning to play the piano.
  
  I grew up in Cambria County, Pa. and graduated from Temple University. I started at WITF just after Christmas in 2014.

 Ian Sterling for WITF

PeoplesBank Park in York as seen on Oct. 18, 2019.

(Harrisburg) — Midstate cities are starting to prepare for the arrival of the coronavirus.

York County does not have any confirmed cases of the illness as of Thursday afternoon, but York City Mayor Michael Helfrich said its spread to the area is inevitable.

He signed a disaster emergency declaration Thursday, which he said will help the city be more flexible during an outbreak of COVID-19, allowing it to reassign staff or hire health care workers.

“This declaration in no way shuts down the City of York,” Helfrich said. “We are open for business. We’re just taking precautions.”

The city’s Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Committee cancelled the event scheduled for Saturday, March 14.

Helfrich said the city is not dictating that any events be cancelled at this time, and that people should still feel free to go out to restaurants and shops downtown.

He is encouraging all residents and businesses to follow recommendation from public health experts, such as avoiding large gatherings in confined spaces and physical contact like handshakes

He also urged people to take proactive measures like frequent hand washing and disinfecting surfaces.

“I am personally not a person that acts out of fear of things,” Helfrich said. “In this case, the evidence is quite clear that this disease is coming, and we need to slow it down.”

Sometimes, your mornings are just too busy to catch the news beyond a headline or two. Don’t worry. The Morning Agenda has got your back. Each weekday morning, host Tim Lambert will keep you informed, amused, enlightened and up-to-date on what’s happening in central Pennsylvania and the rest of this great commonwealth.

Learn More