(5/2020) All 67 counties in Pennsylvania are under a ‘Stay at Home Order’ through May 8th. Guidance is to stay at home as much as possible. Try to get groceries once per week instead of daily. Freedom of travel remains, but you are asked to refrain from non-essential travel. Essential travel includes things like commuting to an essential job, picking up supplies like groceries and medicine, and checking on family and pets in other households. Do not attend gatherings.

On April 23rd, the Pennsylvania Administration announced that the construction industry can resume in-person operations as of May 1st. Previously, the governor’s order was to cease construction projects unless they were supporting life-sustaining businesses or activities or were granted an exemption to perform or support life-sustaining activities. Under the new guidance, all construction projects can move forward but must still maintain proper social distancing, provide hand washing and sanitizing stations for workers, and follow other government guidance. This is good news for both our local homebuilders and those families who are building or planning to build homes in our community.

The 2020 Census is being taken during this COVID-19 crisis. It is important to complete the census whether online, phone, or mail. As of April 23rd, 2020, the self-response rate total for Adams County was 58.6%. Let’s try for 100%. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Census Bureau has extended the self-response data collection phase from July 31st to October 31st. For more information, go to 2020census.gov.

June 2nd is the new date for the Pennsylvania Primary. All voters can now vote by mail! The new deadlines associated with the primary are: May 18th is the last day to update your voter registration, and May 26th is the last day to apply for a mail-in ballot or civilian absentee ballot. If you want to be mailed a paper application, need help, or have questions, call 717-337-9832. The Carroll Valley District 1 and 2 Polling Places will be located at the Borough Municipal Building from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 2nd.

Many organizations in our area have worked hard to provide support to area families in need. In recent months, representatives from several of these organizations have joined forces to create Fairfield Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN)! The reason this group exists is to make sure that no one in the Greater Fairfield Area feels that they are all alone without a resource, a friend, someone who cares and can help. If you have a need or know of someone who has a need, please help us HELP! Here are some ways that NHN can help: Elderly who are afraid to leave their home or if you are immunocompromised and you can't leave your home but need food or medical supplies. NHN can find safe ways to drop things off.

If you or your neighbor is in the medical field and exhausted after work? NHN may be able to help with dinner. Have recent changes left you concerned that you won't be able to feed your family in the days/weeks to come? NHN facilitates food distribution every Monday and Friday from 11:30 am-1:00 pm at the St. John Lutheran Church on Main Street in Fairfield. No questions, No forms to fill-out … just show up … NHN will help. This grassroots group has a simple mission: "We cannot solve all the problems of the world, but hopefully we can make the problems in our little corner of the world a little easier to get through."

You can reach a representative of Fairfield Neighbors Helping Neighbors using Facebook messenger or send a confidential email to fairfieldnhn@gmail.com. If you would like to be a Neighbor who Helps! There are many ways that you can volunteer and NHN is always looking for a few Good Neighbors!

Heroes are those who risk their lives every day to protect our community — health care providers and staff, police, and firefighters. And, we should also recognize those unsung heroes who are giving their time to ensure that the government continues to function under emergency conditions, that people are being fed, prescriptions being picked up, neighbors being called, and driven to medical appointments. To all of these heroes, I offer my deepest heartfelt thank you for your effort, thoughtfulness, and sacrifice you are making to get us all through this COVID-19 pandemic.

To honor these local heroes, as Mayor of Carroll Valley Borough, I am proclaiming Sunday, May 3rd Hometown Heroes Appreciation Day. While under the Pennsylvania State "Stay at Home" order, I ask Carroll Valley residents to honor our hometown heroes by doing one or all of the following: turn on the porch light for the evening; call a hometown hero, if neighbor, and express your appreciation and/or post a ‘Thank You’ on social media to those who are serving on the front lines of the COVID-10 battlefield and continue to show resolve to restore their local businesses and civic life to their former prominence. Most of all, keep our hometown heroes in your thoughts and prayers.

Over the past number of weeks, we have learned COVID-19 is easily transmitted, thus the advice not to gather in group settings, practice social distancing, wash your hands frequently because soap and water can easily breakdown the thin layer of fat protecting the protein molecule (COVID-19) if hands are washed for at least 20 seconds. No one knows what the ‘new’ norm will be once the ‘stay at home’ order is lifted. Hopefully, everyone will recognize, accept, and follow the new social behavioral patterns. It is going to take time to get back to where we were before COVID-19. However, it will be a ‘new norm.’ Stay well, my friends! If you have any questions, email MayorRonHarris@comcast.net or call 301-606-2021.