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Motion of the Council of Allegheny County requiring staff within the Office of County Council to work remotely, subject to the conditions established herein, through January 19, 2021.
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Whereas, the Allegheny County Chief Executive declared a health emergency in Allegheny County on March 12, 2020, noting that the COVID-19 virus constitutes and “imminent threat to public health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Allegheny County”;
Whereas, at the time this declaration was made, there were zero confirmed COVID-19 cases in Allegheny County, and 21 confirmed cases within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, according to data compiled by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and distributed by the Allegheny County Department of Human Resources; and
Whereas, the County’s declaration of emergency thus was clearly premised upon fears of an escalating number of COVID-19 infections, and the burdens that large numbers of individuals suffering with the disease would place upon the County’s healthcare and other infrastructure; and
Whereas, based upon these same fears regarding escalating case numbers (and also on March 12, 2020), the Allegheny County Department of Health updated its guidance and recommendations for the County; and
Whereas, the concerns expressed by the Health Department and Chief Executive have proven well-founded, as the United States has not had less than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases on any date since November 3, 2020; and
Whereas, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has also seen an alarming increase in new COVID-19 infections, with new cases ranging from 700 to 1500 per day in late September, but spiking to 2,700 to 6,000 new cases per day from November 2-15; and
Whereas, as of November 15, 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reports approximately 269,000 cases of COVID-19 within the Commonwealth, with 9,385 Pennsylvanians killed by the disease to date; and
Whereas, if the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania were an independent nation, a...
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