All of Pennsylvania is now ordered to stay at home | Coronavirus Newsletter

TL;DR: Gov. Tom Wolf has extended his stay-at-home order to all of Pennsylvania as coronavirus cases continue to rise locally and nationally. For many people, today marks the first time rent was due since the coronavirus prompted shutdowns and economic instability, and many can’t pay. SEPTA workers are asking for better protections and advocates are asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to release vulnerable youth from detention centers and jails. In international news, Wimbledon, the world’s oldest tennis tournament, has been canceled for the first time since World War II.

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

🏠 Gov. Tom Wolf has extended his stay-at-home order to all of Pennsylvania as coronavirus cases continue to climb. The order will remain in effect through April 30, but it is still hard to tell when the peak might hit.

🚇 SEPTA is making changes to services, like rear-door boarding, suspension of onboard fare payment, and rider limits, but workers are still asking for better protections.

👮 Advocates are asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to release vulnerable youth from detention centers and jails.

🎾 Wimbledon has been canceled. It is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and this is the first time it has been canceled since World War II.

📈As of Wednesday evening, there are more than 3,900 reported cases in the Philadelphia area. Track the spread here.

Gov. Tom Wolf extended his coronavirus stay-at-home order to all 12.8 million Pennsylvanians.

Almost all counties in the state have confirmed coronavirus cases. Today, state health officials reported 962 new cases, the largest single-day increase.

“This virus is spreading rapidly. It’s in every corner of our state. It’s gotten into our nursing homes and our prisons. And it’s filling up our hospital beds,” Wolf said in announcing the order, which will remain in effect through April 30. “Every day we wait, the coronavirus spreads further and becomes more difficult to suppress. We need to act now."

Here is a full list of what you can and can’t do under the stay-at-home order and which businesses are allowed to remain open.

Until now, Wolf implemented the stay-at-home order gradually, targeting counties hardest-hit by the virus.

The shutdowns are already having a significant effect on the economy. Tax revenues fell 6 percent short of what the state had been estimated to collect last month.

“It is critical that we follow all the mitigation and the prevention efforts and the stay at home orders,” said Health Secretary Rachel Levine. “If we do not do this correctly, then there is going to be a significant surge of patients” that could overwhelm hospitals.

The first of the month is usually went rent is due and today marks the first time these payments are up since the coronavirus has closed businesses and forced people out of jobs, brought financial instability, and compromised their health.

This is especially tough in Philadelphia, the poorest big city in America. Hundreds of thousands of people are employed in a service sector that has been shut down by the stay-at-home order. More than 830,000 Pennsylvanians applied for unemployment benefits in the last two weeks of March, which is more than the total for all of 2019.

Local and state governments have instituted moratoriums on eviction, landlords are trying to work with tenants, and utilities have suspended shutoffs. Renters are protected from eviction through at least April 30 while Pennsylvania courts are shut down. New Jersey evictions are on hold through most of May.

For some it isn’t enough, my colleague Anna Orso reports. They are turning to crowdfunding to pay their bills, organizing with fellow tenants to negotiate rent reductions, or calling for a massive rent strike.

Read more here about what Philadelphians are doing when they can’t make rent.

🐯 The new Netflix series, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, is captivating America. Could a ‘Tiger King’ set up shop in Pennsylvania or New Jersey?

🏈 Jatavis Brown isn’t a big addition to the Eagles’ linebacking corps, but he is a speedy one.

💗 This woman is spreading stony cheer through her Kindness Rocks Project, painting colorful, kind words on small, smooth rocks.

People have still been hosting gatherings as recently as last week, leading to social-media shaming and angry 311 calls. But experts say shaming people isn’t the best way to get your friends and neighbors to take the social-distancing guidelines seriously.

My colleague Bethany Ao writes about tips for approaching people who are still hanging out with friends. The advice includes approaching people with empathy, not anger or judgment. Read more here.

And if you’re still unsure about the importance of social distancing, read how math shows the importance of social distancing, and the horrible consequences of not doing 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.

What started as putting a rainbow on the front of her Fairmount home has grown to more than 100 garlands at homes around her neighborhood. My colleague Monica Herndon tells Jace Florescio’s story here.

News about coronavirus is changing quickly. Go to inquirer.com/coronavirus to make sure you are seeing the newest information.