title
Motion of the Council of Allegheny County urging the Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania to evaluate and implement a mandatory diversion program with the goal of resolving eviction matters short of displacing large numbers of County residents from their homes.
body
WHEREAS, it is axiomatic that economic security is fundamental to public health, and that we as a society are only as healthy as those most vulnerable, least economically secure, and least covered by our social services; and
WHEREAS, it is accordingly clear that we must do all we can to keep people secure enough to take care of themselves, practice social distancing, have a location in which to shelter and store supplies, and endure a quarantine or treatment if required; and
WHEREAS, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic, defined as the worldwide spread of a new virus for which most people do not have immunity; and
WHEREAS, as of May 7, 2021, Allegheny County is reporting that its residents have experienced a total of 98,532 cases of COVID-19, with 6,850 hospitalizations and 1,890 deaths since the pandemic began; and
WHEREAS, on November 18, 2020, the Allegheny County Health Department issued recommendations intended to reduce the incidence of new COVID-19 cases, specifically through the avoidance of all non-essential travel, as well as all nonessential public and private gatherings outside of individuals’ own households; and
WHEREAS, despite these precautions and the initial stages of vaccine availability, Allegheny County experienced a significant spike in new COVID cases in late 2020 and early 2021, and this spike has just begun to abate to any meaningful extent; and
WHEREAS, according to current models promulgated by healthdata.org, daily infections within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are projected to remain between approximately 1,000 and 3,000 well into June 2021, depending upon the extent of mask usage, and the same e...
Click here for full text