10 New Bucks Co. Coronavirus Cases, Community Spread Declared
This article originally appeared on the Bensalem Patch
BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Ten new people tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Saturday in Bucks County, with health officials declaring that community spread in the county has begun.
Saturday's total brings the number of known cases of COVID-19 in Bucks County to 34.
Dr. David Damsker, director of the Bucks County Health Department, said at least three of the new cases were apparently the result of community spread, meaning no known source of infection has been identified.
Five appear to have been infected out of state or out of the country and two are still being investigated, Damsker said.
"Bucks County is now declaring community spread," Damsker said, since the required number of cases for making that declaration has been reached.
Officials said one of the new patients was briefly hospitalized, but is now at home. There have been no deaths from the virus in Bucks County and two total in Pennsylvania — one in Northampton County and one in Allegheny County.
In Bucks County, 12 municipalities have had at least one case of the coronavirus. They are all in central or lower Bucks. Those municipalities are Doylestown, Buckingham, Warrington, Warminster, Northampton, Wrightstown, Upper Makefield, Lower Makefield, Upper Southampton, Lower Southampton, Middletown and Bensalem.
The county has posted a map that's updated daily showing where coronavirus cases have been confirmed.
Meanwhile, businesses in Bucks County were responding to a state mandate for most of them to close their doors during the outbreak. Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to close, although the deadline has been pushed back to 8 a.m. Monday to handle appeals.
"On the whole, we have found that businesses in Bucks County are doing the right thing by their customers, employees and their own family members," said Consumer Protection Director Michael Bannon. "In this unprecedented time it is difficult for any of us to navigate the expectations placed on us. We appreciate those that have chosen to play it safe over the risk of exposing others and themselves to the COVID-19 virus."
