COVID-19 & Coronavirus

How are COVID-19 and novel coronavirus affecting the Amish? What about schools, church, stores, mud sales? Are the Amish somehow protected from this pandemic? Read on for our coverage and commentary on this developing topic.

Just revisiting a story from the early days of the Covid pandemic. One of the positive stories out of that period was about the efforts in Plain communities to produce masks and other PPE for first responders and the general public. We saw examples of this in communities including Lancaster County, New Wilmington, PA, and […]

Continue Reading Holmes County Amish-Powered Effort Produced “Several Million” Masks & Gowns (Video)

It’s just a little detail at the very end of this story, on Amish in Maine and coronavirus. But worth drawing attention to. This is the Unity community: They also added, they’ve been receiving Stimulus checks but they will not accept them and those will be returned to the Federal Government. The Amish don’t accept […]

Continue Reading Amish Returning COVID-19 Stimulus Checks

Lovina Eicher of Lovina’s Amish Kitchen reports in her latest column on church service restarting in her Michigan community. Sunday, we hosted church services in our pole barn, which was the first time we met since the lockdown. Our church members decided to gather for the service and then all leave and have their lunches […]

Continue Reading Lovina Eicher: Church Is Back – But Without Lunch

One more Amish mask post (last one?). This one was a little under-the-radar, but caught my attention for several reasons (via the Beaver County Times). One, this is probably the plainest Amish group I’ve seen involved in mask making. This is New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. Amish here are not as strict as say Swartzentruber Amish, but […]

Continue Reading Amish Women Sew A Mask In 5 Minutes – With Foot-Powered Antique Machines (New Wilmington, PA)

We’ve seen how Amish in Pennsylvania and Ohio have helped fill the need for masks and other PPE. Amish in Indiana have been doing the same: GOSHEN – In early April, an Amish man in Middlebury found out that Goshen Health had created kits for the community to sew masks. He showed up to request […]

Continue Reading Indiana Amish Also Sewing & Donating Masks

Lancaster County Amish churches decided to suspend worship services over a month ago. How will they resume them again? We find an outline of a plan in this article in the Mennonite World Review. The article is not just about the Amish. It gives a good overview on how various Plain Anabaptist churches have responded […]

Continue Reading Lancaster Amish Outline 5 Points For Re-Starting Church Services

An Amish roofing contractor last week became the first business in Pennsylvania to be cited for violating the order “barring the continuation of non-life-sustaining operations.” From Penn Live: According to state police, Middle Creek Roofing based in Millcreek Township, Lebanon County, had twice been warned following numerous anonymous complaints. A trooper arrived at the business […]

Continue Reading PA Amish Contractor Cited For State’s First “Non-Essential” Violation

Authorities in Geauga County, Ohio are filing charges after breaking up a party of over 100 people. Via FOX8: GEAUGA (WJW) – The Fox 8 I-Team has learned the Geauga County Sheriff’s office arrested one, issued a summons for another, and charged two with underage drinking, following a large Amish party this weekend. Deputies were […]

Continue Reading Geauga County Sheriff Files Charges Following Large Amish Party

An elderly Amish man with COVID-19 has died in LaGrange County, Indiana. This is the first Amish death associated with coronavirus that I have seen publicly confirmed. Like many of the disease’s victims, this man had other health conditions. From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: LaGrange County Commissioner Larry Miller said the county’s one death was […]

Continue Reading First Reported Amish Coronavirus Death

This was reported last week, but with all the other stories going on I am just now getting to it. Dr. Holmes Morton is best known as the founder of the Clinic for Special Children in Lancaster County, treating children with genetic disorders, primarily from the Amish and Mennonite communities. Dr. Morton has since opened […]

Continue Reading Central PA Clinic Providing Buggy Drive-Thru Coronavirus Testing