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Advice for a fun, safer summer, according to CHOP | Coronavirus Newsletter

Plus, the businesses that are reopening soon in New Jersey

Quadrice Quarles (from left), 11; Kayla Melvin,  9;  and Quadir Staton, swim in a pool in North Philadelphia, July 16, 2019.
Quadrice Quarles (from left), 11; Kayla Melvin, 9; and Quadir Staton, swim in a pool in North Philadelphia, July 16, 2019.Read moreJESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer

TL;DR: Experts from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia held a virtual town hall this week to offer advice on how to have a fun, safer summer during the pandemic. New Jersey will allow outdoor dining, limited-capacity nonessential retail, and day care centers to open starting Monday. Read more here about what can reopen.

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

What you need to know:

🔒 Coronavirus politics are getting trickier for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

⚕️ How coronavirus and civil unrest puts children’s health at risk..

🏠 Vanguard employees will return to work in Malvern over the next few months. Are you a Vanguard employee? How do you feel about returning to work in your office? Let us know.

😷 The CDC posted long-awaited tips for minimizing everyday coronavirus risk.

🎭 The Kimmel Center furloughed most of its staff, after the coronavirus shutdown has caused it to miss revenue from about 800 shows and events.

🟢 Eight more Pennsylvania counties will move to the “green” phase of reopening. Those counties include: Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Luzerne, Monroe, Perry, Pike, and Schuylkill.

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.

New Jersey will allow outdoor dining, limited-capacity nonessential retail, and day care centers to open starting Monday. This is part of Phase 2 of New Jersey’s reopening, but critics have called on the state to move faster. More businesses will reopen June 22, including hair, nail, and tanning salons; barber shops; hair braiding shops; massage parlors, day and medical spas; and tattoo parlors. Read more here about what can reopen.

Experts from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia held a virtual town hall this week to offer advice on how to have a fun, safer summer during the pandemic. The CHOP doctors offer tips on mask wearing, hand washing, play dates, and the safety of pools. Read more here.

Helpful resources

  1. What to consider before visiting your parents in the yellow phase.

  2. Anxious about the prospect of socializing or shopping again? Here’s what psychologists say you can do to ease those worries.

  3. Philly is in the yellow phase. How far are we away from green?

  4. What are the first symptoms of the coronavirus?

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

You got this: Eat outside

Philadelphia restaurants can offer outdoor dining, starting today. While not all restaurants are ready to open, my colleague Jenn Ladd rounds up 10 places that are ready for you to eat al fresco.

👟 What’s ahead for gyms and fitness studios amid coronavirus? Changed layouts, time limits, and spread-out machines.

🥊 Raging Babe’s “Philly Special” boxing card has been postponed again due to COVID-19.

🔓 What’s allowed to be open in Pennsylvania during the yellow and green phases?

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. Airbone is the “dominant” way the coronavirus is spread, according to a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Mask use, the paper says, “significantly reduces the number of infections.

  2. CHOP developed a tool that uses weather to predict COVID-19 outbreaks. The Philadelphia Citizen writes what that means for Philadelphia.

  3. Trump’s company was already suffering from a tarnished brand. The coronavirus pandemic is making it worse, the Washington Post reports.

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