Can Pennsylvania, New Jersey avoid repeating Wisconsin’s election fiasco? | Coronavirus Newsletter
Plus, fighting to survive inside Philadelphia’s busiest COVID-19 hospital
TL;DR: The coronavirus has left election officials in Pennsylvania and New Jersey scrambling to prepare for short staffing, health hazards at the polls, and high demand for mail-in voting. Also, the Inquirer takes you inside Temple University Hospital’s COVID-19 facility.
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— Allison Steele (@AESteele, health@inquirer.com)
What you need to know
🛑 Dr. Anthony Fauci said a "rolling reentry” of the U.S. economy is possible for parts of the country in May, but said he couldn’t guarantee it will be safe to vote in person by the November election.
👐 Nursing home deaths from the coronavirus have surged from 450 nationwide to more than 2,600 in less than two weeks.
🏥 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was released from the hospital after battling COVID-19.
💰 A loss of revenue from fuel, tolls and other traffic-related fees could delay thousands of road and bridge projects around the nation.
⛪ Archbishop Nelson Pérez wrote a column asking Catholics to keep the faith, and “look to God with renewed hearts and minds.”
Local coronavirus cases
📈 As of Sunday evening, there are more than 14,700 reported cases in the Philadelphia area. Track the spread here.
PHILADELPHIA: 6,386 confirmed cases (up 234 since yesterday)
SUBURBAN PA: 5,490 confirmed cases (up 288 since yesterday)
SOUTH JERSEY: 2,897 confirmed cases (up 201 since yesterday)
When Wisconsin’s primary election went forward as planned last week, resulting in long lines, masks and voters who were forced to weigh safety risks against their right to vote, it sent a vivid warning to local officials about what could go wrong in the primary elections still to come. Those hoping to avoid a repeat in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have much to do and little time.
States are increasingly turning to mail-in voting, but the shift isn’t easy. Changing habits, processing and counting mail-in ballots, while also keeping polling places open and safe, requires expensive equipment, training, and new staffing. It makes for a long to-do list, with not much time before Pa.'s rescheduled June 2 primary and New Jersey’s on July 7.
Less than two months ago, Temple University Hospital’s Esther K. Boyer Pavilion was an office building for departments like cardiology, neurology, and surgery, linked to the hospital building by a covered bridge. Last month Temple redeployed the building as its coronavirus hospital. “We’re doing a lot of things that we wouldn’t normally do before,” Claire Raab, associate chief medical officer, told reporter Lisa Gartner. “You never think you’re going to be FaceTiming people’s families to say goodbye."
Helpful resources
What can help protect you from the coronavirus? Also, here’s how to make your own face mask.
What are the first symptoms of the coronavirus? Pink eye is also a possible early warning sign of coronavirus, eye doctors report.
Where can I get a coronavirus test?
Not sure what a medical term means? We have definitions for you.
Have another question? Our reporters have tracked down answers.
Let’s take a quick break
🏈 Are the Eagles comfortable with Nate Sudfeld being an injury away from the starting QB job?
💗 When writer Brad Aronson’s wife got sick with leukemia, the couple was overwhelmed by the outpouring of kindness from friends, family, and complete strangers.
🏆 Remembering Phyllis Snider Foreman, who created the Flyers nickname and helped design the team logo.
Social distancing tip of the day: Take a “porchrait” of your neighbors
When his photography work abruptly dried up a few weeks ago in the wake of the pandemic, a Collingswood photographer began capturing local residents for a project he calls Drive-By Porchraits.
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
Some criticized San Francisco Mayor London Breed for shutting down the city before COVID-19 emerged there. But according to The Atlantic, the city is now a model for how early, aggressive action can prevent a major outbreak.
Many of the nation’s largest farms are destroying millions of pounds of food they can’t sell.
The Detroit News profiled a Michigan woman who lost her husband and son to the virus over three days.
It’s not all horrible
In Chestnut Hill, a church turned to bagpipes to reach those who were forced to stay inside on Easter. "I was just trying to find a way to say, ‘What can we possibly do?' We want to follow the rules, and keep people safe,” explained the Rev. Jarrett Kerbel, the rector at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. “And so I just thought, well, bagpipes! They’re loud. You can hear them inside your house.”
News about coronavirus is changing quickly. Go to inquirer.com/coronavirus to make sure you are seeing the newest information.