Allegheny County Council postpones meeting amid reported covid-19 outbreak

A covid-19 outbreak prompted Allegheny County Council to cancel its scheduled meeting Tuesday night and postpone meeting again until next week.

Councilwoman Bethany Hallam took to Twitter earlier in the day to alert the public that the regularly scheduled council meeting had been rescheduled “due to a covid outbreak amongst council members and staff.”

An outbreak could involve as few as two or three linked cases.

An update posted to County Council’s website said that Tuesday’s meeting has been rescheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 30. The website alert did not state a reason for the postponement.

Reminder to Allegheny County that tonight’s regularly schedule County Council meeting has been rescheduled for next Tuesday, March 30th at 5pm due to a COVID outbreak amongst councilmembers and staff.

— Bethany Hallam (@bethanyhallam) March 23, 2021

When asked about the reported outbreak, county spokeswoman Amie Downs said that the Allegheny County Health Department will not provide information regarding specific covid-19 cases and said that she cannot speak for council. County Council’s chief of staff, Ken Varhola, could not be reached late Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Allegheny County Council President Pat Catena is “strongly discouraging the public from attending in person,” according to an alert on the council’s website.

Catena instead urges members of the public to watch the live broadcast and submit comments online.

The rescheduled meeting will be held in the Gold Room on the fourth floor of the Allegheny County Courthouse, 436 Grant St. in Downtown Pittsburgh. The agenda includes a motion by council members Nick Futules, Tom Baker and Sam DeMarco to return to “regular attendance practices” for regular council meetings.

Among other items on the agenda: forming a new group to help municipal police departments acquire cameras; getting a referendum related to independent police review boards on the November ballot; and responding to proposed tolling of bridges along Interstate 79 in the South Fayette area.

People can reach out to County Council by email at CntyCouncil@AlleghenyCounty.US or via the online comment form on the county’s website.