This is how coronavirus is affecting Philadelphia, what you need to know, and how you can stay prepared. The situation is changing quickly, but we will keep this guide updated with the latest information.
What’s here:
» READ MORE: Follow our coronavirus coverage here
Getting around:
SEPTA, PATCO, and NJTransit are all running. SEPTA is operating on a “lifeline service,' closing a number of subway stations, limiting bus and trolley service, and suspending some Regional Rail lines. SEPTA has asked riders to “do their part and refrain from using the system for non-essential purposes.” Service on buses, trolleys and subways has been reduced. PATCO has a reduced schedule for weekday service.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike has stopped accepting cash and credit for tolls at 8 p.m. on March. 16. All tolls will be collected by E-ZPass or “toll by plate.”
Uber and Lyft have suspended their group pool services. The shared rides are cheaper but means you share a car with another rider.
Essential services and public spaces
There have, so far, been few interruptions to city or public services. The City of Philadelphia reports that all trash is being picked up on a normal schedule. Recycling is now being collected every other week.
Pennsylvania has ordered all non-essential businesses and services to close until April 30. Here’s a list of what’s allowed to be open and what’s not.
Libraries are also closed. If you have a library card, you can access a number of materials for free online.
Some banks are waiving fees on missed credit card payments or waiving early withdrawal penalties for those who are out of work and need access to money. Here are more costs you can probably lower right now.
The city has urged utility companies to halt shut offs. PECO and Atlantic City Electric have already put these plans in place and waived new late payment fees. There is no need to stockpile water: The risk to the water supply is low, according to the E.P.A.
Wifi, data and internet. Comcast is offering unlimited data for customers, and making its wifi hotspots free for everyone. The tech giant also won’t disconnect a customer’s service or impose late fees if they can’t pay their bills during the pandemic.
How to cope / helplines
If you need some help, Philadelphia’s mental health and addiction services hotlines are operating. The Community Behavioral Health hotline is open 24 hours a day at 888-545-2600.
If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, call the city’s 24-hour crisis hotline at 215-685-6440.
If you need immediate help with opioid addiction treatment, call the NET Access Point, the 24-hour service that connects people with treatment, at 844-533-8200 or 215-408-4987, or visit their website.
If you need intellectual disability services, call 215-685-5900. The city also has a website providing free online behavioral health screenings, available 24 hours a day.
Grocery stores
Grocery stores are open. Some grocery stores, including Wegmans, Acme, Costco and Target are limiting purchases of items that some people are stockpiling in panic, including hand sanitizer and toilet paper. Some stores are working on reduced hours or are limiting the number of customers in the store.
Many grocery stores have stared providing hours just for shoppers 60 and older and people who are immunocompromised. Here’s a list.
Not sure how to properly stock your pantry? Focus on these basics: dried pastas, rices, beans, canned soups, tomato sauce, and such essential items as salt, pepper, and cooking oil, as well as protein like cans of tuna, vacuum-sealed meats and beans and lentils. Good produce bets: Squash and longlasting root vegetables.
Liquor stores are open for online sales, though the site has been overwhelmed by demand.
What is open right now
All businesses that haven’t been deemed “life-sustaining” have been ordered to close. Restaurants have to be take-out only. Governor Wolf’s stay-at-home order does allow you to leave the house for outdoor activities or to carry out essential activities like grocery shopping, but encourages people to stay at home as much as possible.
If you bought tickets to a canceled event, you can probably get a refund; if it hasn’t been canceled, and you just don’t want to go, you are less likely to get your money back.
Sportswise: the MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA and MLS all canceled or postponed their seasons.
» READ MORE: The complete list of cancellations and closures in the Philly area because of coronavirus
Travel outside the region
Airlines have cut a lot of flights. And some cruise lines have also halted operations. There is also a ban in place on travel from Europe, after President Donald Trump has announced the effort to contain the virus.
Work and family
Working from home and sick leave
If you work in Philadelphia, you are probably entitled to at least some paid sick leave. Philadelphia employers with 10 or more employees must provide paid sick days and businesses with fewer employees must offer unpaid sick days. Employees who work at least 40 hours a year can accrue up to five sick days, which they can use once they’ve been employed for 90 days. The law doesn’t apply to contractors.
Some companies are expanding their sick-leave policies — or creating new emergency leave policies — in response to CDC recommendations that anyone exposed to coronavirus self-quarantine for 14 days.
Family
Are your kids anxious about coronavirus? Experts say not to focus on fear, but to use this as an opportunity to talk to them about what they can do to stay safe, like how to wash their hands properly (which most people don’t do).
The virus: Basics, and how to protect yourself
The coronavirus can lead to respiratory disease, and the World Health Organization has declared it a pandemic. The most at-risk for serious complications: Older adults and people with chronic ailments. There’s some misinformation out there, including that black people don’t get the virus.
What to look for
The major symptoms: fever, cough and shortness of breath. Some people may have very mild symptoms or are not aware they’re infected.
It’s different from the flu: COVID-19 symptoms can come on more slowly than the flu (evidence suggests the virus has an incubation period as long as 14 days). The flu tends to have a sudden onset.
How to protect yourself
The best way: Wash your hands. Wash for a full 20 seconds with soap and lukewarm water.
Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol will work, if soap isn’t available. You can even make your own.
Don’t touch your face, and cover your coughs and sneezes.
Stay away from other people. Here are some simple dos and don’ts for proper social distancing.
If you think you’re sick
Call before you go to see your doctor, or before you go to a hospital.
See a doctor if you have difficulty breathing, high fever and a deeper, productive cough, which can be signs of pneumonia. Older people and those with underlying health problems should be especially vigilant.
If you get tested for the virus, it will likely be covered by your insurance.