‘Use common sense’ this Fourth of July weekend | Coronavirus Newsletter
Plus, Philly will close five blocks for outdoor dining
TL;DR: Fourth of July means barbecues, gathering with friends and families, trips down the Shore. But this year, amid the coronavirus pandemic, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy urged residents to “have an enjoyable time, but use common sense.” And it looks like telemedicine could be here to stay after its use has surged during the pandemic.
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— Ellie Silverman (@esilverman11, health@inquirer.com)
What you need to know:
📈 The United States hit a single-day record Wednesday, with more than 50,000 new cases reported.
📸 New Jersey raised its limit on crowd size for outdoor gatherings to 500 people as we head into the holiday weekend.
🎰 Gamblers lined up to get back into casinos that were allowed to reopen today in New Jersey. Here are photos from Atlantic City.
🍽️ Philadelphia will close five blocks of East Passyunk Avenue for outdoor dining and retail sales.
🏠 Philadelphia has delayed reopening landlord-tenant court, granting a reprieve for struggling renters.
🎥 Can independent movie theaters survive coronavirus? Two theaters in the Philly suburbs will test the waters this weekend.
🏀 The NBA announced positive COVID-19 tests for nine more players.
📰 What’s going on in your county? We organized recent coverage of the coronavirus pandemic by local counties mentioned in the stories to make it easier for you to find the info you care about..
Local coronavirus cases
📈The coronavirus has swept across the Philadelphia region and cases continue to mount. The Inquirer and Spotlight PA are compiling geographic data on tests conducted, cases confirmed, and deaths caused by the virus. Track the spread here.
Fourth of July means barbecues, gathering with friends and families, trips down the Shore. But this year, as both New Jersey and Pennsylvania are continuing to battle the coronavirus pandemic, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy urged residents to “have an enjoyable time, but use common sense.” Many new COVID-19 cases in Bucks County over the last two weeks were attributed to out-of-state travel from places including the Jersey Shore. In Philadelphia, where daily case counts are trending upward, the virus is spreading among young people, many of whom also reported recent trips to the Jersey Shore.
It looks like telemedicine could be here to stay after the “regulatory hurdles that hamstrung the growth of telemedicine for decades were wiped away” during the coronavirus pandemic, my colleague Sarah Gantz reports. Private insurers, Medicare, and Medicaid agreed to pay the same rates as in-person visits for telemedicine appointments and the federal government loosened privacy regulations. Now, telemedicine has soared, and as Nicol Turner Lee, a senior fellow at the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, puts it: “We have this opportunity as the result of a very horrific, virulent disease to re-imagine health care.”
Helpful resources
What are the first symptoms of the coronavirus? Pink eye is also a possible early warning sign of coronavirus, eye doctors report.
What if someone in my house is sick? How to protect your household during coronavirus.
Here are 8 principles of social distancing to help figure out what you can and can’t do.
Not sure what a medical term means? We have definitions for you.
Have another question? Our reporters have tracked down answers.
You got this: What to eat for the July 4th weekend
It may be an unusual Fourth of July this year, but my colleague Jenn Ladd has put together a great guide on what to eat. From what to get for picnics, barbecues to a meal out, read what she recommends buying here.
🇺🇸 Things to do this week: How to celebrate the Fourth.
🎶 Hamilton at your house, Willie Nelson’s July 4 picnic, Welcome America concert, Morey’s Piers and Six Flags openings, and more options for weekend fun.
🔓 Explaining the modified green phase: Here’s what’s open in Philly right now.
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
Companies may be calling people back to work, but schools are struggling to reopen. One parent writes for the New York Times: “In the COVID-19 economy, you’re allowed only a kid or a job.”
How America botched reopening during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Politico.
While workplaces, restaurants, retail stores, and airports are turning to temperature checks to identify people who might have COVID-19, STAT reports many people may go undetected. Experts said smell tests might help.
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