All of Pennsylvania now under orders to stay home
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
Gov. Tom Wolf has placed all of Pennsylvania under an order to stay at home, dramatically expanding the geographic footprint of the quarantine as state officials combat the coronavirus pandemic. Wolf added 34 counties to his stay-home edict. That means residents of all 67 of Pennsylvania’s counties must now stay home as much as possible to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Coronavirus infections are continuing to rise dramatically in the state. There have been nearly 1,000 new confirmed cases reported Wednesday. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania State Police will no longer respond in person to some types of calls.

Census Day arrives with US almost paralyzed by coronavirus
By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Census Day arrives Wednesday with a nation almost paralyzed by the spread of the novel coronavirus. April 1 is the date used to reference where a person lives for the once-a-decade count. The virus’s spread has forced the U.S. Census Bureau to suspend field operations for a month, from mid-March to mid-April. That’s when the hiring process would be ramping up for tens of thousands of temporary census takers. It also has delayed the start of counts for the homeless and people living in group quarters and has pushed back the deadline for wrapping up the head count to mid-August.

Harrisburg, PA- The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., April 1, that there are 962 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 5,805 in 60 counties. The department also reported 11 new deaths among positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 74. County-specific information and a statewide map are available here. All people are either in isolation at home or being treated at the hospital.

In Beaver County there are a reported 54 cases of the COVID-19 and 2 Deaths.

“The continued rise in cases combined with our increasing deaths from COVID-19 reflects the seriousness of this situation,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We need everyone to listen to the orders in place and to stay calm, stay home and stay safe. We know that these prolonged mitigation effects have been difficult for everyone, but it is essential that everyone follows these orders and does not go out unless they absolutely must.”

There are 42,427 patients who have tested negative to date. Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

• Nearly 1% are aged 0-4;
• Nearly 1% are aged 5-12;
• 1% are aged 13-18;
• Nearly 9% are aged 19-24;
• 40% are aged 25-49;
• Nearly 29% are aged 50-64; and
• 19% are aged 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are aged 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. There have been no pediatric deaths to date. More data is available here.

All non-life-sustaining businesses are ordered to be closed and schools are closed statewide indefinitely. Currently 33 counties are under stay-at-home orders.

Below is a chart that breaks down the cases by county:

County Case Counts to Date

Stocks skid worldwide as coronavirus infections keep soaring
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are sinking again on Wall Street as more signs piled up of the economic and physical pain being caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The S&P 500 dropped roughly 3% in Wednesday morning trading after President Donald Trump warned the country to brace for “one of the roughest two or three weeks we’ve ever had in our country.” The selling was widespread, and all 11 sectors that make up the S&P 500 were down. Long-term Treasury yields sank as investors moved into safer investments. Stocks worldwide fell following a weak reading on Japanese business sentiment and after big British banks cut their dividends to preserve cash.

Virus cases in NYC top 1,000 as city prepares for worse
NEW YORK (AP) — Deaths from the coronavirus topped 1,000 in New York City as officials warned that the worst of the virus’ toll is yet to come. The city’s Health Department reported late Tuesday that nearly 1,100 people have died of the virus in the city. There are more than 1,500 deaths across New York state. Data released by the city shows that the virus is having a disproportionate effect in certain neighborhoods, mainly in Brooklyn and Queens. The city’s ambulance system is under increasing stress from the pandemic. Nearly a quarter of the city’s emergency medical service workers have been out sick.

U.S. businesses cut 27,000 jobs in March, before virus hit
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. companies shed 27,000 jobs in March, according to a private survey, a figure that mostly reflected the economy as it stood before the full impact of the viral outbreak. Payroll processor ADP said small businesses took the biggest hit, losing 90,000 jobs, while medium-sized and large companies still added workers. Economists forecast that much larger job losses, probably in the millions, will be reported in the coming months.

Trump says ‘life and death’ at stake in following guidelines
By AAMER MADHANI, KEVIN FREKING and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is urging Americans to heed his administration’s guidelines for responding to the coronavirus pandemic, calling it “a matter of life and death.” The president’s warning on Tuesday came with new projections that there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. even if social distancing guidelines are maintained. Public health officials stressed that the number could be less if people bear down on keeping their distance from one another. The coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, Dr. Deborah Birx, says officials believe the nation can do much better than the grim forecast if everyone takes seriously their role in preventing the spread of disease.