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Officials said there were 113 new positive cases of the virus reported on Thursday, bringing the county’s total number of cases to 707 since March 7.

The new cases included residents from 35 municipalities, two of which reported their first cases – Bridgeport Borough and Red Hill Borough. To date, 55 of the county’s 62 municipalities have reported coronavirus cases.

The new cases in the county included at least 48 men and 62 women whose ages ranged from 1 month to 94. Six of the individuals are hospitalized, officials said

Arkoosh said county officials continue to be in contact with Exelon representatives regarding the county’s concerns that social distancing measures were “perhaps not being adhered to” during a maintenance refueling project involving more than 1,000 workers that began last month at the Limerick Generating Station operated by Exelon near Pottstown.

The county’s Office of Public Health is currently reviewing information that it received from Exelon in response to questions the commissioners posed to company officials on Wednesday.

The information is helpful and I remain deeply concerned that this maintenance refueling will ultimately contribute to the number of people that are exposed to the coronavirus in our region,” said Arkoosh, who was joined at the news briefing by fellow commissioners Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. and Joseph C. Gale, and Dr. Alvin Wang, regional EMS medical director, and Dr. Brenda Weis, administrator of the Office of Public Health.

Without being specific, Arkoosh said the information provided by Exelon generated more questions by the county and officials are awaiting answers to those questions…..

On Wednesday, Exelon officials confirmed two cases of COVID-19 among the workforce at the Limerick plant, adding the full-time employees were sent home and were receiving care and that neither employee had been onsite since March 20. Company officials added that any employees who came in close contact with the affected persons or worked at that reporting location were notified, and that an additional deep cleaning occurred at all areas that potentially were exposed.

Arkoosh said officials believe they were misled about the start date of the refueling project.

“We were always told March 30. An (event of public interest alert) went out on March 27 saying that they were starting that evening. We’ve also been told by others that there were quite a large number of people here for a number of days before that,” Arkoosh said.

County officials have requested the permanent address and the lodging information for all of the contractors hired to work on the refueling project.

“We received information back from Exelon on about 950 of those individuals. They are staying all over the area…some people are driving from other states every day. It’s quite a lot,” Arkoosh said.

Officials said the contractors, many of whom travel from one generating plant to another to work on refueling projects, are staying locally at AirBnBs, private homes, campsites, hotels and other rental units.

“I believe that they have an obligation to not only the families of these workers but to whatever community they’ll be going to next to do a refuel, that these individuals should be sequestered for 14 days before they leave here so that at least when they leave they can be fairly assured that they have no disease,” Arkoosh explained.

County officials said they are concerned that contractors where coming from other states into the county which was an area of community spread of COVID-19. Arkoosh said that situation could put the workforce at the Limerick plant at risk as well as local first responders……..   https://www.pottsmerc.com/news/montco-coronavirus-deaths-at-12-officials-concerned-about-work-at-limerick-nuclear-plant/article_dd37f986-7522-11ea-8daa-73c6d383e3e3.html