Pennsylvania residents received Wednesday the first COVID-19 alert message on their phones. The message warned Pennsylvanians that rates of the coronavirus are rising and urged people to stay home and to take the necessary precautions to avoid its spread.
The Wolf administration sent out the first message using the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) on Wednesday. Officials project to use the alert system and target specific regions of the state for future messages.
The COVID-19 alert message read: “In PA, COVID-19 rates are rising and hospitals could soon be at capacity. Stay home if possible. If you must go out, maintain social distance, wear a mask, wash your hands for 20 seconds. Stay up to date on the spread of COVID in your community, so you can protect your loved ones with the COVID alert PA app.”
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If one region of the state is experiencing a high surge in COVID-19 cases, cellphone users in the region may receive an alert with information about staying at home or where to find an available COVID-19 testing site in their area.
Governor Tom Wolf said the COVID-19 alert system is part of several options to fight the virus. “WEA is one more way to reach as many Pennsylvanians as we can to provide timely information on COVID-19,” Governor Tom Wolf said. “This tool is another tool in our toolkit to fight the pandemic and unite against COVID.”
Masks to be used at work
Meanwhile, the State of Pennsylvania has issued new face mask orders including wearing a mask while working, The State Health Secretary re-issued this Order to continue to protect all people in the Commonwealth from the spread of COVID-19.
According to official COVID-19 Data for Pennsylvania, the state registers 327,829 total cases.