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What Pa.’s reopening phases mean for the Philly region | Coronavirus Newsletter

Plus, Philly small businesses will get another shot at emergency coronavirus loans

A PENNDOT sign along  Route 1 just below Street Road in Bucks County asks drivers to stay at home and practice social distancing.
A PENNDOT sign along Route 1 just below Street Road in Bucks County asks drivers to stay at home and practice social distancing.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer

TL;DR: The Pennsylvania regions with few cases of the coronavirus could start reopening May 8, but don’t expect life to go back to normal in the Philadelphia area anytime soon. There’s a second chance for Mom-and-Pop shops, restaurants, and other small businesses to get much-needed emergency financial relief. And there’s a new program refurbishing bikes for essential workers. See how it works here.

— Ellie Silverman (@esilverman11, health@inquirer.com)

What you need to know

📓 When children return to school, they will most likely need to wear masks, the Philly schools superintendent said.

🛑 1.5 million Pennsylvanians are now jobless, and the road to recovery is long and uncertain.

🏥 Numbers on the spread of the coronavirus in Pennsylvania have been in flux. That is because officials keep changing how they are counting deaths from the virus.

🚧 All public and private construction across Pennsylvania can resume May 1, Gov. Tom Wolf announced.

👮 Police say a woman allegedly spat in two people’s faces while shopping in Di Bruno Bros.

🌥️ Philly’s gloomy weather has been matching the national mood. And it might be about to get worse.

Local coronavirus cases

📈As of Thursday evening, there are more than 26,100 reported cases in the Philadelphia area. Track the spread here.

  1. PHILADELPHIA: 11,226 confirmed cases

  2. SUBURBAN PA: 9,417 confirmed cases

  3. SOUTH JERSEY: 5,551 confirmed cases

The Pennsylvania regions with few cases of the coronavirus could start reopening May 8, but don’t expect life to go back to normal in this area anytime soon. The virus’ spread in this region means it will almost certainly “be among the last places” in the commonwealth to see any easing of restrictions, Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday. He has unveiled a color-coded system to show phases in red, yellow and green, (from most to least restrictive) for reopening counties. Here’s more information on what’s allowed to be open in Pennsylvania right now.

The first round of emergency financial relief for small businesses was quickly criticized for giving money to publicly traded companies instead of the intended Mom-and-Pop shops, restaurants, and other small enterprises, that desperately needed help. Now, there’s a second chance for those businesses to get the funding they need. Read more about it here.

Helpful resources

  1. Here is a list of local Philly stores that deliver groceries, meat, dairy, coffee beans, and more.

  2. Here are 8 principles of social distancing to help figure out what you can and can’t do.

  3. What are the first symptoms of the coronavirus? Pink eye is also a possible early warning sign of coronavirus, eye doctors report.

  4. Not sure what a medical term means? We have definitions for you.

  5. Have another question? Our reporters have tracked down answers.

You got this: Do an art project

When we’re all stuck at home, it can be hard to find activities to fill each day. So my colleague Grace Dickinson asked the Philadelphia Museum of Art staff to share some of their favorite at-home projects — for toddlers to teenagers that all rely on everyday items that can be found around your house. Read more about them here.

🍔 Here are 7 things you can do to help the restaurant community.

🖥️ Comcast is still charging late fees, but you don’t have to pay them.

🏠 Things to do (from home) this week: Make your kitchen time easier.

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

  1. These workers lived in a Delco factory for 28 days to make millions of pounds of raw PPE materials to help fight coronavirus, the Washington Post reports.

  2. From CNN: A 100-year-old WWII veteran died of COVID-19. His twin brother died 100 years earlier in the flu pandemic.

  3. Remdesivir, an antiviral medicine from Gilead Sciences, did not end up benefitting patients sick with the coronavirus, STAT news reported, citing results that were inadvertently posted online.

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