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Luzerne County COVID-19 cases at 648, with 164 new cases confirmed

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Beyond the Byline: Thanks dad, thanks Mr. Orloski

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Attorney General Josh Shapiro this week warned Pennsylvanians that scammers are trying to take advantage of the historic rise in unemployment across the Commonwealth by using fake unemployment filing websites in order to steal personal information or to harvest the data to sell to others for uses not properly disclosed to the user.
				&ldquo;Scammers are working overtime to try and make a profit during this emergency, and we are staying on high alert to stop them,&rdquo; Shapiro said. &ldquo;You can help. Only file for unemployment through the Department of Labor and Industry at&#8203; &#8203;https://www.uc.pa.gov&#8203;. If you see a website or email claiming to be a source for filing for unemployment outside of this Department, report it to the Office of Attorney General.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;At this unprecedented time as Pennsylvania works together to stop the spread of this virus and keep all of us safe, we also want everyone to be safe from scammers,&rdquo; said Gov. Tom Wolf. &ldquo;Applying for unemployment compensation online at www.uc.pa.gov is the fastest and easiest way to start the process. This is the first time some people have applied, so the department&rsquo;s website has answers to many common questions and explains how to apply.&rdquo;
				Shapiro urges Pennsylvanians to stay away from websites purporting to help people file unemployment compensation claims. Information contained on these websites may be outdated, inaccurate and/or incomplete. Moreover, these websites solicit information not needed for the filing of an unemployment claim such as information about your mortgage or credit company. These websites may use your personal data for other purposes, including, but not be limited to, selling, licensing or sharing your information with third-parties for various marketing purposes, such as telemarketing, e-mail marketing, text messaging, and direct mail.
				In Pennsylvania, unemployment claims can only be filed with the Department of Labor & Industry at: https://www.uc.pa.gov/.
				There are many tools and FAQs on the website to assist applicants with questions about the COVID-19 emergency. No other website that requests personal information, provides instruction on how to file, and/or provides an opportunity to &ldquo;file an unemployment claim&rdquo; is necessary or part of filing an unemployment claim.
				Consumers can sign up for text scam alerts at https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/consumer-alerts/, which offer tips for consumers to avoid becoming a victim of a scam, warn about new scams or update subscribers on consumer protection issues.
				Pennsylvanians can also file a complaint about an active or potential scam by visiting https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/scams.
				State waives spay/neuter
				requirement for adoptions
				The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced this week that in an effort to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) for human healthcare workers, the Pennsylvania Dog Law that requires shelters and rescues to spay/neuter dogs and cats prior to adoption would be waived for pets adopted during active COVID-19 mitigation efforts in Pennsylvania.
				&ldquo;This waiver is not something we take lightly; but it&rsquo;s a matter of weighing the costs,&rdquo; said Agriculture Secretary Redding. &ldquo;Waiving the requirement to spay or neuter prior to adoption allows us to conserve critical PPE supplies and also limit the risk of exposure for veterinarians.&rdquo;
				The waiver comes with a contingency: shelters must keep a list of adopters to follow up with post-pandemic and provide a copy of all contracts to the Department of Agriculture&rsquo;s Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. Once the pandemic is in the past, shelters would be required to follow up on all pets adopted during COVID-19 mitigation. Adoptive pet owners will have up to 120 days from the time of adoption &mdash; time frame to be re-evaluated as necessary &mdash; to have the procedure completed and come into compliance.
				With approval from the department, shelters and rescues can continue adopting pets out to Pennsylvanians even during Stay at Home orders. This is essential in order to ensure that shelters are not overly full of animals with short staff numbers. Shelters and rescues continuing to operate and adopt pets are advised to follow guidance for virtual, limited contact adoptions from the Humane Society of the United States. Rescues and shelters should also follow guidance issued from the department to protect their workforce and continue operations.
				&ldquo;The Humane Society of the United States has been monitoring state laws that impact the ability for shelters and rescues to adjust to COVID-19 and provide services to pet and their families,&rdquo; said Kristen Tullo, Pennsylvania State Director for The Humane Society of the United States. &ldquo;We thank the Department of Agriculture for extending the timeframe to comply with spay/neuter laws to maximize social distancing and decrease the risks to animal shelter and veterinary staff, while reducing the use of PPE in non-essential procedures.&rdquo;
				Before adopting, Pennsylvanians should consider if they&rsquo;re able to provide for all the pets&rsquo; needs during COVID-19 mitigation and follow the department&rsquo;s Guidance to Pet Owners.
				AG DePasquale urges flexibility
				in covering coronavirus costs
				Auditor General Eugene DePasquale this week urged the General Assembly to make sure all options are on the table for counties and municipalities that are struggling to meet the cost of responding to Coronavirus.
				&ldquo;I applaud Gov. Wolf for securing a federal disaster declaration that will provide the state with additional funding and resources,&rdquo; DePasquale said. &ldquo;We also need the General Assembly to give Pennsylvania&rsquo;s county and local government leaders greater flexibility in using every available dollar as this crisis unfolds.
				&ldquo;There may be existing funding, such as Act 13 funds, which municipalities cannot currently tap because of legislative restrictions. We should be doing everything possible to make sure local leaders can adapt quickly as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to grow,&rdquo; he added.
				As another example, DePasquale repeated his call for the legislature to give volunteer firefighters&rsquo; relief associations (VFRAs) greater flexibility in spending the state aid they receive through his department. Existing law tightly restricts how VFRAs may spend those vital funds.
				&ldquo;Our first responders are still expected to turn out, regardless of any additional dangers that they may face in performing their already risky jobs,&rdquo; DePasquale said. &ldquo;Please keep firefighters and other first responders in mind when considering how to make a positive impact in your community through making donations.&rdquo;
				State aid for VFRAs comes from a 2 percent tax on fire insurance policies sold in Pennsylvania by out-of-state companies. In 2019, 2,518 municipalities received nearly $60 million for distribution to VFRAs to provide training, purchase equipment and insurance, and pay for death benefits for volunteer firefighters.
				Work continues on PennDOT
				emergency and critical projects
				The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced this week that 61 emergency and critical highway and bridge projects will be active statewide this week. While the normal highway and bridge construction program has paused as the commonwealth addresses COVID-19 response, urgent emergency work has continued to ensure a reliable transportation system as circumstances surrounding COVID-19 continue to unfold.
				On March 17, in response to Gov. Tom Wolf&rsquo;s COVID-19 mitigation guidance, PennDOT paused construction projects statewide to minimize COVID-19 exposure for PennDOT and private-sector employees, as well as the communities where they live and work.
				&ldquo;A safe and reliable transportation network is always of the utmost importance, but it becomes even more crucial in times of crisis,&rdquo; said Acting PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. &ldquo;We need to ensure that work continues on these critical projects, and we are taking the proper precautions to help ensure the safety of both our employees and our partners in the industry.&rdquo;
				For any work activity addressing critical asset issues, strategies are deployed that include cleanliness protocols for job sites and offices, social distancing guidelines, procedures to address employee sickness, and the safe handling of material deliveries.
				The emergency work that continues addresses specific safety need criteria, such as landslide repairs, or critical bridge, tunnel and drainage repairs, and work needed to eliminate roadway restrictions that could impede the ability for the movement of life sustaining goods and services. Conditions are continuously evaluated to determine the appropriate response.

AG Shapiro issues alert: Watch out for unemployment scams