The COVID-19 public health alert that arrived on cellphones Wednesday evening using the national Wireless Emergency Alert may not be the last.
The message pushed to cellphones and delivered with an alert chime advised residents that infection rates are rising and hospitals could soon be filled. It urged people to stay home if they could and offered easy steps to slow the spread of the virus.
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Gov. Tom Wolf’s office confirmed the state was behind the message and more, including ones tailored to specific areas, could be broadcast in the future. The message was sent through the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) with the authority of the Federal Communication Commission Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“Wireless Emergency Alert is one more way to reach as many Pennsylvanians as we can to provide timely information on COVID-19,” Wolf said. “This tool is another tool in our toolkit to fight the pandemic and unite against COVID.”
Since launching in 2012, the Wireless Emergency Alert system has been used in the state to warn of dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations.
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