Gov. Wolf outlines requirements for reopening Pennsylvania | Coronavirus Newsletter

TL;DR: Pennsylvania officials will roll out a plan in the coming weeks to relax social distancing orders in phases by region, Gov. Tom Wolf said today, while noting that testing capacity remains a problem. Due to those issues, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney downplayed the possibility of the city returning to normal any time soon. If you need a ventilator for COVID-19, odds are 50-50 you’ll survive. But, my colleague Stacey Burling writes how doctors are learning more each day on ways to treat this new disease.

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

🏥 Some Philadelphia-area hospitals are at or near capacity, especially intensive care unit beds, because of an increase in COVID-19 patients.

🩺 Pennsylvania reported a sharp increase of 1,706 new confirmed coronavirus cases today, among the highest daily tallies in the past month, but attributed it to a backlog in lab results.

🌎 Is Philly air cleaner because of coronavirus stay-at-home orders? Here’s what the numbers say.

🚧 Philly tells nonessential construction firms: Stop building or we’ll shut you down .

🔒 Coatesville in Chester County has instituted a city-wide curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., officials announced.

😷 A New Jersey contractor is accused of stealing 1,600 N95 masks intended for hospital donation.

🍕This New Jersey pizza shop owner was charged after employees failed to wear masks and gloves. And Philly’s own ‘Pizza Groundhog’ goes viral, gets shoutouts from Jimmy Kimmel and Trevor Noah

📈As of Friday evening, there are more than 19,100 reported cases in the Philadelphia area. We have a new design for our hub tracking the spread. Let us know what you think at innovation@inquirer.com.

Gov. Tom Wolf outlined a broad plan Friday to reopen parts of Pennsylvania’s economy by region. But these reopenings can only happen, Wolf said, once there is more personal protective equipment for health workers, expanded testing, and a surveillance program for tracking when people are becoming sick with the coronavirus. “There isn’t going to be one big day,” he said, and more specific steps will be announced next week. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has also downplayed the possibility of the city returning to normal any time soon. In case you need a refresher, here is what you can and can’t do under Wolf’s stay-at-home order.

About half of all of coronavirus patients who need ventilators die. People with COVID-19 not only need ventilators more than those with other respiratory germs, but they are on them longer, sometimes two weeks or more, area pulmonologists said. This means, as my colleague Stacey Burling writes, “doctors are learning on the fly how to use ventilators for a new disease that can behave differently than anything they’ve seen before.” Here are the ways doctors are learning more each day to better beat the odds.

In search for a new quarantine project? If you love beer, now may be a great chance to try homebrewing. It is “a great hobby to pick up while locked down because it requires time, which we may have more of these days,” says Mike Herman, an award-winning homebrewer and 2019 Brewvitational judge. My colleague Nick Vadala writes how to get started.

🎶 Here’s when and where to watch Lady Gaga’s ‘One World’ concert this weekend.

💍 Losing your health insurance? Here is how emergency marriage licenses are saving some Philadelphians.

😷 This Philadelphia athletic apparel is pivoting to manufacturing personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic. Watch how they do it.

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.

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