124820460_web1_AAA-Mid-Atlantic

AAA: Local gas prices drop below $2 per gallon

Pennsylvania jobless claims exceed 1 million since outbreak

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Sen. John Yudichak Wednesday announced a COVID-19 Regional Code Enforcement Partnership to ensure companies still operating under Gov. Tom Wolf&rsquo;s life-sustaining protocols in Luzerne County are following state and federal COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.
				And, Yudichak said, if any &ldquo;bad actors&rdquo; are found to be non-compliant, they will be reported to Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine and asked they be shut down.
				Yudichak, I-Swoyersville, gathered leaders from the Lower South Valley Council of Governments (LSVCOG) and Mountain Council of Governments (MCOG) today for a virtual news conference to announce the initiative.
				The announcement follows Sunday&rsquo;s order from Levine, who evoked Pennsylvania&rsquo;s Disease Prevention and Control Law to require companies to maintain and clean buildings according to the Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control COVID-19 guidelines.
				The measures outlined in the order are for owners of buildings of at least 50,000 square feet used for commercial, industrial or other enterprises, including,but not limited to, facilities for warehousing, manufacturing, commercial offices, airports, grocery stores, universities, colleges, government, hotels and residential buildings with at least 50 units.
				The COVID-19 Regional Code Enforcement Partnership will build regional inspection teams from their member communities that will coordinate random inspections of businesses in the region&rsquo;s industrial parks.
				The COVID-19 Regional Code Enforcement will:
				&#8226; Inform companies they must implement COVID-19 Safety Guidelines and the guidelines from Pennsylvania Department of Health&rsquo;s Building and Safety Measures order.
				&#8226; Enforce all municipal code violations at company facilities.
				&#8226; Report any COVID-19 violations to federal and state authorities and establish an email address to accept complaints regarding COVID-19 safety violations.
				A public email address and website will also be established to accept complaints and record concerns from both workers and the general public regarding enforcement of COVID-19 safety guidelines.
				To submit any complaints or concerns go to:
				https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GXRDYMK
				&ldquo;The COVID-19 Regional Code Enforcement Partnership will ensure our region&rsquo;s businesses are in full compliance with COVID-19 safety guidelines that are designed to protect their employees and the public during this public health crisis,&rdquo; Yudichak said. &ldquo;Between Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre there are companies, under Gov. Wolf&rsquo;s order allowing essential businesses to continue operations that employ well over 20,000 workers in our regional industrial parks.&rdquo;
				Yudichak said it is imperative to act quickly and effectively to marshal regional resources to ensure these businesses are strictly following cleaning their facilities and protecting workers, according to the Pennsylvania Disease Prevention and Control Law.
				Sam Guesto, Hanover Township manager, said just the other day he took a ride to one of the bigger warehouses in Hanover Township and there were close to 600 cars in the parking lot.
				&ldquo;With the amount of people working at some of these facilities we have to make sure the COVID-19 safety guidelines are being followed,&rdquo; Guesto said. &ldquo;The Lower South Valley COG was happy to pitch in and help and our code enforcement officers are ready to get out there and start inspections.&rdquo;
				Dan Guydish, of the Mountain Council of Governments, said they are formed to attack these types of problems with a collaborative effort.
				&ldquo;This partnership highlights exactly what we do well &mdash; bringing everyone&rsquo;s collective resources together to deal with the problem,&rdquo; Guydish said &ldquo;There has been a great deal of communication among everyone involved in this partnership and we&rsquo;re going to do everything we can for the businesses still in operation, their employees and the residents of our communities.&rdquo;
				Jim Montone, chairman, Hazle Township Supervisors, said Yudichak has been in contact with them since last week about helping with this initiative and they have already started enforcement.
				&ldquo;We have to all work together and take a boots on the ground approach to this, which I think will make an immediate impact on our worker&rsquo;s health and safety,&rdquo; Montone said.
				John Chura, mayor of West Hazleton, said it&rsquo;s great how local leaders and Yudichak are stepping up to help keep workers safe.
				&ldquo;Which in turn keeps the communities safe that they reside in,&rdquo; Chura said . &ldquo;We need to make sure that best practices are being followed and that all directives and orders are being implemented.&rdquo;
				A letter explaining the code enforcement efforts was sent out to the businesses that fall under the DOH order on Wednesday.
				For more information on the COVID-19 Regional Code Enforcement Partnership in Luzerne County you can visit LuzerneCOVID.com.
				&ldquo;Most Main Street businesses are shut down,&rdquo; Yudichak said. &ldquo;Many, like large warehouses, remain open . Workers are being transported in small vans, making social distancing a tremendous challenge. Many employees have raised concerns and complaints. We want to keep them safe and the public safe. We will hold all companies accountable.&rdquo;
				Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, said she hopes this initiative will lead to other communities and industrial parks getting involved.
				&ldquo;We all have a shared goal of saving lives,&rdquo; Baker said. &ldquo;We are in the midst of a surge of COVID-19 cases in Luzerne County.&rdquo;
				Baker and Yudichak said industrial parks across Luzerne County will be asked to join in the effort.
				&ldquo;Good ideas are portable,&rdquo; Baker said.
				Yudichak said the initiative is designed to reach all business along the I-81 corridor.
				&ldquo;This today was our focus&rdquo; Yudichak said. &ldquo;We will include the others and assist as they implement.&rdquo;

COVID-19 Regional Code Enforcement Partnership to monitor companies