More questions about Pa.’s stay-at-home order

In York Co., State Police issue citation, then DA withdraws it

• Ed Mahon
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  Ed Mahon comes to Spotlight PA from PA Post, where he covered state politics and policy, produced radio stories that were broadcast on public media stations throughout the state and on NPR’s national newscasts, and co-wrote a weekday newsletter. Prior to joining PA Post, Ed worked for six years as an investigative and political reporter for the York Daily Record, part of the USA Today Network. His reporting on failures in Pennsylvania’s system for protecting domestic abuse victims was a finalist in the national 2018 Livingston Awards for Young Journalists in the local reporting category. He was also part of a team whose coverage of the criminal justice system, including the aggressive use of civil asset forfeiture by York County prosecutors, received the 2018 G. Richard Dew Award for Journalistic Service from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. Before joining the York Daily Record, Ed covered K-12 education at the Centre Daily Times in State College and worked as a stringer for suburban sections of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He grew up in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

 Tim Lambert / WITF

Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration says his stay-at-home order isn’t meant to restrict religious institutions, but he is still suggesting that people don’t attend any indoor services. (Tim Lambert/WITF)

Tim Lambert / WITF

Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration says his stay-at-home order isn’t meant to restrict religious institutions, but he is still suggesting that people don’t attend any indoor services. (Tim Lambert/WITF)

As of Sunday, three people had received a citation from Pennsylvania State Police for allegedly violating Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order.

One of those people has received the most attention: 19-year-old Anita Shaffer, who, PennLive reported, faced a $200 ticket for “going for a drive” in York County despite the stay at home order. Unlike the other two stay-at-home violation cases, Shaffer faced no other charges.

More news organizations picked up the story. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) weighed in, criticizing what he said was an overreach of governmental power.

“This is absurd. … protect public safety, but WE DON’T LIVE IN A POLICE STATE. Resist authoritarianism & don’t abuse power. Driving a car alone is not a public health threat,” Cruz posted on Twitter.

On Wednesday, York County District Attorney Dave Sunday, a Republican, said he’s withdrawing the citation — although he didn’t criticize the trooper who issued it in the first place.

The case highlights ongoing confusion and concern over how Gov. Wolf’s stay at home order can be enforced.  On Tuesday, Pennsylvania State Police Maj. Christopher Paris fielded question during WITF’s live radio show Smart Talk. Listeners asked whether they would be pulled over just because police suspect they are violating the stay-at-home order, whether they state police would cite them for attending a religious service and what are the options for people who are homeless.

On the first two, Price said the answer is no. As for the third, the Wolf administration’s guidelines say people who are homeless aren’t covered by the stay-at-home order, but they are encouraged to find shelter and government agencies should help them do so.

Paris also acknowledged that it’s hard to provide a clear answer about how every trooper in the state will handle enforcement in every situation.

“I can’t give you every single eventuality,” Paris said during the show.  “Exercise good judgment. …We’re out there to educate and get people to voluntarily comply,” he added.

I wrote about some of the common questions that have come up about the enforcement order. If you have one, please drop us a line at the Listening Post. —Ed Mahon

[Related from PennLive: Is trout fishing a more socially distanced sport than golf? No, but Tom Wolf probably has other concerns about golfers]

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Bernie Sanders for President via AP

This image from video provided by the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign shows Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., as he announces he is ending his presidential campaign Wednesday, April 8, 2020, in Burlington, Vt. (Bernie Sanders for President via AP)

• Bernie out: U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) ended his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination on Wednesday, but a group of supporters from Pennsylvania says the fight for Medicare for All, free college, a cancellation of student debt, a $15 minimum wage and other policies continues. WHYY’s Katie Meyer has the details.

• $2.7 billion: That’s how much revenue the state can expect to lose if the statewide shutdown of many businesses continues until April 27, according to a report from the Pa. Independent Fiscal Office. Spotlight PA’s Charlotte Keith broke down the report and explains why that $2.7 billion loss is a best case scenario.

• $6.8 million: Some of the $2 trillion federal government relief money is starting to flow to communities around the state. GoErie.com reports that the Erie School District is expecting $6.8 million in federal funding: “The funding — the largest for any school district in northwestern Pennsylvania — will help the Erie School District invest in technology and other needed resources for distance learning, which has become critical during the statewide school shutdown, Erie schools Superintendent Brian Polito said.”

• Coronavirus fears at Franklin County Jail: PA Post’s Joseph Jaafari reports that family members and friends of inmates say they are engaged in a hunger strike. Inmates claim they have not been issued soap regularly, don’t have access to hot water, and have not been provided with clean masks. Today’s Inquirer, meanwhile, has this story: ‘It’s terrifying’: Corrections officers say jails aren’t doing enough to protect them as coronavirus spreads

• The virus’s racial bias: WHYY reporters Ryan Briggs and and Nina Feldman dive deep into the numbers, which show that Black Philadelphians made up 39 percent of of 78 deaths resulting from COVID-19. For another 32 percent of deaths, the racial identity was unknown.

• Extraordinary measures: Stopping the spread of coronavirus inside nursing homes and assisted living facilities is a huge priority, given seniors’ vulnerability to the virus. The Post-Gazette reports on how state health officials are considering policies to segregate coronavirus-positive nursing home residents: “Department of Health Secretary Rachel Levine said Wednesday that she is discussing the idea with long-term care community leaders and other health officials. Clusters of COVID-19 cases have been reported in long-term care facilities both locally and in other states, and the idea of using an entire nursing home for people recovering from COVID-19 is being tried in Massachusetts.”

• Cases in rural America: The New York Times has an interactive map showing which rural parts of the country have been hardest by the coronavirus outbreak, along with a story that explains why health care providers are worried about those rural areas not having the equipment and nurses to handle a surge. (In the map, Pennsylvania rural counties did not rank high for the number of cases per 100,000 people.)

• The accidental counselor: The Washington Post has a touching piece about Ted Kelly, a Philadelphian who wound up on the receiving end of hundreds of calls from recently unemployed workers. The headline: One call at a time, he listens as an economic crisis unfolds because of the coronavirus. He can’t help.

Coronavirus must-reads

• Spotlight PA: With Pa. mired in coronavirus crisis, state lawmakers bicker about business shutdown but find no agreement

• WITF: Midstate volunteers keep Meals on Wheels rolling during pandemic

• Keystone Crossroads: Rebels with a cause: ‘Outlaw’ Pa. businesses make coronavirus masks without state approval

• StatNews: With ventilators running out, doctors say the machines are overused for Covid-19

• The Washington Post: Hundreds of young Americans have now been killed by the coronavirus, data shows