Governor orders COVID-19 shutdown across Pennsylvania
By MARC LEVY and MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf has extended a shutdown order to the entire state of Pennsylvania in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Wolf had already called for nonessential government offices to close and nonessential business activity to end in four heavily populated southeastern Pennsylvania counties. He says Monday he will extend that order to the rest of the state. In Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney ordered a halt to all nonessential business activity and city government operations for two weeks in the city of 1.6 million people.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is alleging that a foreign disinformation campaign is underway aiming to stoke fear amid the coronavirus pandemic. Three U.S. officials said Monday that federal officials began confronting what they said was a deliberate effort by a foreign entity to sow fear of a nationwide quarantine. Agencies took coordinated action Sunday evening to deny that any such plans were in the offing. They’re trying to calm a nation already on edge by disruptions to daily life caused by the virus. The three U.S. officials did not name the foreign entity they believe to be responsible. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. surgeon general says the United States is about where Italy was two weeks ago in the coronavirus struggle. That’s a sign that infections are expected to rise in America as the government steps up testing and financial markets continue to fall. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams told Fox News on Monday that “there’s every chance that we could be Italy,” yet there are opportunities to mitigate the crisis.  He says the U.S. is at a critical point in the pandemic. The U.S. is racing to make testing more available after lagging on that vital front.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Millions of Americans have begun their work weeks holed up at home, as the coronavirus pandemic means the entire nation’s daily routine has shifted in ways never before seen in U.S. history. As wide swaths of the economy came closer to shutting down, Wall Street stocks dropped by nearly 10 percent at the opening, triggering an automatic 15-minute trading halt. The U.S. surgeon general, meanwhile, said the number of U.S. coronavirus cases has reached the level that Italy recorded two weeks ago –  a signal that infections are expected to rise in America.

BERLIN (AP) — A German company working on a potential vaccine for the new coronavirus is denying reports that the U.S. government was angling to acquire it. In a tweet Monday, CureVac confirmed it had been one of the companies at a White House meeting earlier this month, but said the media reports about an offer were incorrect. The company says: “CureVac has not received from the U.S. government or related entities an offer before, during and since the task force meeting in the White House.” The reports on the alleged interest had caused tensions, with the economy minister saying that “Germany is not for sale.”

SEATTLE (AP) — U.S. researchers have given a healthy volunteer the first shot of an experimental coronavirus vaccine as anxiously awaited testing opens. Monday’s milestone is just the first step in a long process. The effort is one of several worldwide hunting for protection against COVID-19, even as the pandemic grows. The study is run by scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle. The shots were developed by the National Institutes of Health in record time after the new coronavirus exploded from China. Experts say it will be at least a year before any vaccine is ready for widespread use.

Seemingly making a case against the social distancing advice of health experts, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., says, if you are healthy, skip the local grocery lines and go have a beer at your local pub. Nunes says his advice does not mean those who are potentially contagious should put others at risk, especially our vulnerable senior citizens. Doctors have advised President Donald Trump to promote social distancing, which will keep masses of people at a safer distance from others in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus and keep the infection rate at something that is more manageable by the U.S. healthcare system.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Police say it’s been a violent few days in Philadelphia with six homicides recorded between early Friday and Sunday night. Police say the victims were all men in their 20s and most were shot in north Philadelphia. In one case, a 22-year-old woman was also critically injured. No arrests have been announced in any of the cases.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has ordered all public utilities not to shut off customers’ service during the coronavirus outbreak. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano reports on this new state order affects residents in Aliquippa…

State Rep. Jim Marshall has canceled the concealed carry seminar scheduled for Saturday, March 21st at the Midland Sportsman Club because of coronavirus health concerns. He has also canceled the veterans outreach hours planned for April 2nd and May 7th. Marshall is also closing his office to visitors for two weeks, beginning today. He will reassess the need for a continued closure at the end of the month.