PITTSBURGH, PA (March 11, 2020) In addition to its announcement today that Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is cancelled, the City is implementing several other measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The measures include internal City government protocols to protect its own workers, as well as messaging to outside groups on efforts to help stop spreading the disease.
Today the City announced:
- The cancellation of the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting planned for March 24-25
- A ban on all international air travel by employees for City business, and a ban on national travel unless it is approved by the Mayor’s Office
- A ban on all City government-affiliated meetings of more than 50 people
- Ongoing work by Chief Operations Officer Kinsey Casey on Continuity of Operations planning should large numbers of personnel not be able to come to work, including work-from-home plans, and reviews by Innovation & Performance officials of the City’s technological capacities
The Department of Public Safety has:
- Started regular meetings dating to early January to discuss COVID-19 preparations
- Distributed Personal Protection Equipment packages – which include gloves, masks, eyewear and sanitizer – to First Responders
- Provided training to First Responders on how to recognize symptoms and proper protocol when encountering someone suspected of having COVID-19
- In February began meeting with Allegheny County officials to discuss preparations
- Sent letters today to local restaurants, bars and clubs to provide guidelines for St. Patrick’s Day events. Strongly recommended actions included: Lowering occupancy rates so that people have more personal space, cleaning bathrooms regularly, having soap and hand sanitizer available at all times, using disposable cups, keeping high-contact surfaces clean, and telling staff NOT come to work if sick. It also advised the public not to go out if sick, not to share drinks, to wash hands regularly and not to engage in the St. Patrick’s Day holiday practice of kissing strangers.
- Continually used social media to promote health guidelines from county, stats and national health care officials
More updates will follow as necessary.
In the meantime please follow announcements and advisories on the coronavirus by the Allegheny County Health Department, the Pennsylvania Health Department, and the Centers for Disease Control.
