Coronavirus in Pennsylvania
A year of COVID-19 in central Pa.: Where we started, where we are and how we got here
Updated on Mar 04, 2021;
Published on Mar 04, 2021
Nathaniel Williams II collects a swab sample from Casey Stouffer of Steelton at the COVID-19 mobile testing unit. Hamilton Health Center offers free COVID-19 testing at a mobile location set up in Steelton, November 13, 2020.
Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com
The pandemic reached Pennsylvania on March 6, 2020.
That’s the day that the state announced that two people, one in Delaware County and one in Wayne County, had become the first in the Commonwealth to test positive for the novel coronavirus.
An urgent appeal to help people without homes – or about to lose them – during this pandemic | PennLive Editorial
Updated Dec 18, 2020;
Here’s the stark reality, millions of Americans could become homeless this winter. And the coronavirus has made it more difficult than ever to help.
PennLive reporters Ivey DeJesus and John Luciew said three factors are aligning to create a catastrophic situation here and across the country: millions of people are losing jobs, COVID-19 is still spreading, and landlords who haven’t been paid in months are ready to evict.
The federal moratorium on evictions is set to expire on Dec. 31. Unless Congress extends the moratorium, or local governments act as has the City of Harrisburg, thousands of people like Bobby Mitchell, 61, will have to pay their rent soon or move out – in the dead of winter. This is a looming disaster that should disturb all Americans.
‘There’s a lot of people in Harrisburg who are generous’: A panhandler’s story
Updated Dec 18, 2020;
Posted Dec 18, 2020
Douglas Irving carries a sign reading God loves you as he panhandles on the corner of Cameron and Market Streets in Harrisburg on Dec. 2, 2020.
Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
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They’re panhandlers, pleading with messages scrawled on cardboard, along with smiles and waves.
When traffic stops, they walk the line of idling vehicles waiting for someone to see their need, hoping for a car window to roll down, praying that a little help will pass through.
There are no reliable statistics on panhandling in Harrisburg. But those driving through the city on mid to later afternoons, especially toward the end of the week – payday for those lucky enough to still have jobs – have witnessed the rise in their numbers.
Scenes from a homeless shelter on a cold night amid the coronavirus
Updated Dec 18, 2020;
Posted Dec 17, 2020
Men wait in line outside Downtown Daily Bread homeless shelter in Harrisburg on Dec. 9, 2020.
Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
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They start lining up shortly after the sun goes down. By the time darkness blankets the city, there’s nearly two dozen.
Their bags are packed. Some carry food. They might be lining up for a train or bus, but no.
Rather, they’re all waiting to come in from the cold for a precious night’s sleep in a warm bed.
As winter encroaches, this scene will be repeated nightly through March in an alley outside the Downtown Daily Bread soup kitchen and shelter, located in the shadows of Pennsylvania’s capitol building off North Third Street.