Bucks Co. Getting Face Shields For All Students As Cases Inch Up

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — As county health officials reported a very small uptick in new coronavirus cases, Bucks County Commissioners announced they'll be giving face shields to many students when they return to school in the fall.

On Thursday, Bucks County officials reported an average of 28 new COVID-19 cases over the three-day period running Tuesday through Thursday. That's up ever-so-slightly from the 22 cases per day average for the previous four days and the 25 per day average the three days before that.

Thursday's were the first new numbers since Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf ordered bars that don't serve food to shut down and restaurants to scale back the number of patrons they can allow and the ways alcohol can be served.

"This order wasn’t really about Bucks County, per se," said Dr. David Damsker, director of the Bucks County Department of Health. "This order was about what they were seeing in Allegheny County and similar counties where they were seeing outbreaks (related to) bars. On the whole, Bucks County bars and restaurants were doing a good job."

Damsker said he doesn't think Bucks County is in danger of seeing significant spikes in new cases like other parts of Pennsylvania have seen.

"We want every business to be up and running full-speed,” said Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie. "But the fact of the matter is that the virus is in control right now. And until we have more of a handle on it … it’s best to err on the side of caution."

At an online news conference Thursday, county commissioners announced they plan to buy face shields for all elementary and middle school students in the county — while expressing hope that the recent coroanvirus spikes elsewhere in Pennsylvania won't keep local schools from opening in the fall.

"We know that there’s been a lot of worry about wearing masks, and some can’t wear masks," said commission Chairwoman Diane Marseglia. "But virtually everybody can wear a shield. More importantly, it allows the teachers and their peers to see everybody’s mouth when they are speaking, and it allows the students to see the teachers’ mouths as well."

She said the face shields are in production and arrangements will be made to deliver them to Bucks County's public and private schools when they are ready.

In addition to the 84 new cases reported for Tuesday through Thursday, the health department listed 40 delayed reports of cases that no longer are considered infectious.

Of the 124 total cases, 31 were infected while out of state, 28 were from household contacts, 20 were attributed to pure community spread, seven were infected at work, six are residents or workers at long-term care facilities, five are healthcare workers and 27 were unable to be interviewed immediately.

Bucks County now has had 5,888 residents test positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic. A total of 511 deaths have been attributed to the virus, including 409 long-term care residents, while 4,281 are confirmed to have recovered.

Only one COVID-19-related death has been reported in Bucks County in July and just 26 people were hospitalized with the virus on Thursday, with only four of them in critical condition and on ventilators.