The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds flew over Philly, and people did not stay at home | Coronavirus Newsletter
Plus, how an appointment at CHOP led to 20 new cases of coronavirus
TL;DR: The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds flew over Philly, and many people who left their homes to watch did not wear masks. Some drove into the city from the suburbs, packed the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and gathered at LOVE Park, despite social distancing guidelines and the city’s stay-at-home order. Also, how an appointment at CHOP led to 20 new cases of the coronavirus.
— Ellie Silverman (@esilverman11, health@inquirer.com)
What you need to know
📓 Pennsylvania education officials are considering masks, smaller class sizes, and staggered schedules for when students eventually return to school.
🏥 “We have no idea what is going on there." A local coroner and state legislators are calling for a probe of a Chester County veterans’ nursing home after nearly 30 people have died.
🚨 A Bucks County man lost his job because of the coronavirus. Then he allegedly threatened to kill Gov. Tom Wolf’s family.
💰 Philly Mayor Jim Kenney ordered pay cuts for some city workers beginning July 1, according to a memo to employees obtained by The Inquirer.
❎ Some tenants are calling for a Philly-wide rent strike as May payments are almost due.
🎈 See first responders salute health-care workers with a parade in Cherry Hill.
Local coronavirus cases
📈As of Tuesday evening, there are more than 33,500 reported cases in the Philadelphia area. Track the spread here.
PHILADELPHIA: 13,445 confirmed cases
SUBURBAN PA: 11,405 confirmed cases
SOUTH JERSEY: 8,708 confirmed cases
People ventured outside this afternoon to watch the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly across the Philadelphia skyline as a thank-you to the health-care workers. But my colleagues observed that the people who left their homes were not all wearing masks or practicing social distancing. Some drove into the city from the suburbs, packed the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and gathered in groups at LOVE Park, despite social-distancing guidelines and the city’s stay-at-home order. See photos of the fighter jets soaring over Philadelphia.
A cardiologist at the King of Prussia location of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia returned from a country where the coronavirus was present and then saw 24 patients in four days. Angelina and Joseph McCreary visited the doctor’s office during that time, bringing in their newborn son for a check up. Joe shook the cardiologist’s hand. My colleague Lisa Gartner writes how this family caught the coronavirus after this one visit, and then, how it spread. Read more here.
Helpful resources
Should my kid wear a face mask? What parents need to know.
If we’ve both been self-isolating, can I hang out with my friend? Can I visit my family?
Need a coronavirus test? Here are all the places you may be able to get one in the Philadelphia area.
Why some people get really sick from the coronavirus, and other’s don’t.
Have another question? Our reporters have tracked down answers.
You got this: Order takeout from these places, our restaurant critic says
The Inquirer’s restaurant critic Craig LaBan writes about his delivery highlights from the last few weeks, including: stacked layers of chicken parmesan, eggplant and sausage-stuffed long hot peppers; minced pork laab; dan dan noodles; chicken enchiladas; East Coast halibut with tabouleh; and stromboli stuffed with mozzarella and pepperoni. Find out which restaurants he ordered from here.
😷 Does my boss have to tell me if a coworker has coronavirus? What to know about your rights.
👓 How to wear a mask and not fog up your glasses. And how to wear one in hot weather.
🍅 Do you need food? Here’s how to find food assistance.
Have a social distancing tip or question to share? Let us know at health@inquirer.com and your input might be featured in a future edition of this newsletter.
What we’re paying attention to
Masks, gloves, and disinfectant wipes have ended up in Philadelphia’s water systems. Now the sewers are being clogged by PPE “fatbergs,” Billy Penn reports.
The New Yorker reports: “How the Coronavirus Pandemic Has Shattered the Myth of College in America.”
This physician had almost never seen anyone die of the flu. He called colleagues around the country and most of them could not remember a single flu death case in their careers. That is why, Jeremy Samuel Faust writes for Scientific American, it is incorrect to compare COVID-19 to the flu.
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