The CDC continues to recommend a 14-day quarantine period for people determined to be close contacts to someone with COVID-19 and who do not have symptoms. The 14-day period is the gold standard because it reduces the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to near zero. Transmission commonly occurs even when individuals have no symptoms. Proper quarantine is an essential part of the fight against COVID-19.   Considering the burden a 14-day quarantine places on individuals, the CDC has published two new options for people who must get back to the essential activities in their lives. Each of the other options…

The City of Frostburg, in partnership with AEON Technologies of Frostburg, will be sponsoring two additional COVID test events for employees working at restaurants, retailers, in-person service providers, and manufacturers within the city limits of Frostburg.   The first testing event was held on December 1 and over 80 workers were tested: the wait times were short and results were received in a timely manner.  The Mayor and Council hope that by providing a testing event in Frostburg for essential and small business workers, businesses will have some confidence in a decision to remain open, reopen, or close temporarily, especially during the holiday season….

New coronavirus cases have skyrocketed in Maryland, health officials said Friday. The state added 3,792 new cases of COVID-19, far and away more than in any other day since the outbreak began. The seven-day positivity rate reached 8%. Another 24 Marylanders have died, bringing the state's death toll to 4,630. Hospitalizations, a lagging indicator, have also been trending up, with 1,594 Marylanders hospitalized with the virus as of Friday morning.   The positivity rate also climbed to 8% on Friday from 7.68% on Thursday. Following the release of Friday’s numbers, Gov. Larry Hogan touted the state’s work to increase testing rates….

 West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has given an update on the COVID-19 vaccine. He talked about it during a press conference Friday morning. The target receive date for the first COVID-19 vaccine is expected to arrive in the state for December 15. However, Governor Justice says this depends on the approval by the FDA. Governor Justice says we do not know how many doses the state will receive in 2021.

Maryland officials have certified election results showing Democrat Joe Biden won the state’s 10 electoral votes. Maryland’s Board of State Canvassers on Friday approved a declaration of results during a meeting held remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic. Results show 65.4% of votes, or close to 2 million, were cast for Biden in the heavily Democratic state. President Donald Trump received 32.2% of votes. Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-to-1 in Maryland. In 2016, Trump received 34% of the vote in the state. A Republican presidential candidate hasn’t won Maryland in 32 years. George H.W. Bush was the last to do so in…

Maryland added 3,792 new COVID-19 cases Friday, the largest single-day new case total since the pandemic began, according to data from the state’s health department. Friday's update also was the first time more than 3,000 new cases have been reported in a single day, bringing the state’s total to 209,191. 24 deaths were reported Friday, bringing the total to 4,630.  The positivity rate also climbed to 8% on Friday from 7.68% on Thursday. Following the release of Friday’s numbers, Gov. Larry Hogan touted the state’s work to increase testing rates. All counties in the state have tested more than one-fourth of…

For the two-week period of November 21 – December 4, 2020, ACPS reports 8 individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 who were within an Allegany County Public School. These individuals will complete the required isolation period before returning to a school building. Contact tracing in 1 of these cases indicated no close contacts, and no need to quarantine staff. In the remaining 7 cases, close contacts were identified, and those individuals will complete a 14-day quarantine period. Notification was sent out via the ACPS Blackboard notification system if there was a positive case in a building. ACPS WINTER SPORTS UPDATE: The MPSSAA winter…

Those affected by COVID-19 who are receiving water bills and/or shut off notices and are unable to pay are advised to contact the resource management team at the Allegany County Department of Social Services for assistance. The number to be directed to the team is 301-784-7000. Team members will work with those inquiring to determine eligibility. The assistance is made available by County United Way’s COVID-19 Relief Fund through a grant from CareFirst.

Maryland saw a decrease of around 6,000 new unemployment claims filed for the week of Nov. 28. There were 12,790 new unemployment claims filed in Maryland for the week of Nov. 28. That's down from 18,916 the week prior. The Maryland Department of Labor reports unemployment claims by type: Regular or pandemic related assistance (PUA and PEUC). There were 8,565 regular claims and 4,225 PUA and PEUC claims. In a statement sent to 11 News, the DOL said: "While we typically see a drop in new unemployment insurance claims filed during weeks where there are holidays, the amount of new…

Juli McCoy has been tabbed as the next executive director of the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce. The announcement was made during the annual Chamber membership meeting Thursday. McCoy has served as the executive director of the County United Way since November of 2017.  In addition her role as United Way finance director for three years, she held executive positions with the Greater Cumberland Committee for 13 years. She tells WCBC News she was approached about the possibility of taking the position in October. And while leaving the United Way was not an easy decision, she says she is looking forward to a…