Toohil

Toohil

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<p>Mullery</p>

Mullery

Prompted by complaints from Hazleton area workers about unsafe coronavirus conditions, two Pennsylvania legislators are “urgently” asking the state administration to enforce its workplace guidelines during the pandemic.

In a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf Thursday, state Reps. Tarah Toohil and Gerald Mullery said their offices have received multiple, first-hand complaints from employees indicating their employers are “blatantly” ignoring state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine’s directive.

“You are intimately aware the Greater Hazleton Area has seen dramatic community spread of the virus. We believe this spread has been caused, in part, by large employers unwilling or unable to adhere to Secretary Levine’s directive,” the letter said.

Toohil, R-Butler Township, and Mullery, D-Newport Township, said enforcement of Levine’s directive on increased sanitation measures and social distancing falls upon the state.

“Words are not enough!” they wrote.

The legislators offered to discuss the allegations in further detail with the governor and said they are seeking an immediate investigation and temporary work stoppage.

“Allowing these non-compliant employers to continue operating will only reduce the impact of your statewide stay-at-home order and add to the over 1,000 confirmed cases currently reported in Luzerne County,” they wrote.

Levine’s order, signed last Sunday, updated cleaning protocols for buildings of at least 50,000 square feet that are used for commercial and industrial purposes, including warehouses, manufacturing sites and grocery stores.

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright announced Wednesday he has asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to inspect at least three major Hazleton area facilities for compliance with coronavirus prevention protocols.

Cartwright, D-Moosic, declined to identify the facilities or say when OSHA is expected to perform the inspections, saying it would not make sense to disclose such information in advance.

Inspections are warranted, the legislator said, to determine whether there is any legitimacy to complaints he has received about workers stationed too close together without sufficient protective gear. Assertions also have been made that some Hazleton area employers are “reaching out” to recruit workers from New York City, he said.

Hazleton has been deemed a coronavirus hotspot by area officials, with positive coronavirus cases at city testing sites now around the 1,000 range.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.