Local Weekend Events Follow Preventative Guidelines Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A lot of crowd attracting events in Pittsburgh are happening this weekend. Hockey games, basketball games, and, of course, the ever crowd-pleasing Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show.
The Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show draws in more than 350,000 people during its 10 day run in addition to the vendors coming in from all over the country. Each year, there's something new to see, but this year there are worries due to the coronavirus outbreak.
"Just like the flu, people catch the flu," said vendor Dorothy Coates. "The flu has been around for years, so I'm not worried about catching the coronavirus."
"I feel as though it's something that we should be aware of. But, at the same time, if you use common sense, I feel as though we are okay for now," Joan Walnoha from Carnegie said.
John DeSantis, the executive director of the Home and Garden Show, is very much aware of the coronavirus and has consulted with the Allegheny County Health Department to keep people safe.
"We first have gone in and sanitized all of the restroom facilities, all of the kitchen and food facilities, the food service areas. And then, for example, in the restrooms, we have switched out the normal hand soap for a bacteria-side hand soap.
The Pittsburgh Penguins play the Washington Capitals Saturday afternoon at the PPG Paints Arena.
In a statement from the Penguins, they reassured fans they were following necessary precautions:
"Our medical staff has been in communication for several with UPMC Infectious Disease about safety and protection."
Duquesne University plays the Richmond Spiders at PPG Friday night. The arena has a capacity of nearly 20,000 people.
PPG Paints Arena gave the following statement:
"At ASM Global we are closely monitoring the latest developments regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) globally and any potential impact it may have on our day-to-day operations at PPG Paints Arena. The health and safety of our guests and employees is our top priority. Through public health organizations such as, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) we are staying abreast of the latest updates and developments as they occur. Any actions we take will be consistent with guidelines from these agencies and the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) officials."
According to the World Health Organization the larger the crowd the greater the chance that someone in that crowd will have the coronavirus. And people who are 60 years old or older or with a long term illness should avoid crowds altogether.
