Philly teachers push back against school reopening | Coronavirus Newsletter

TL;DR: Hundreds of teachers and other educational workers across the city braved freezing temperatures Monday to rally and work outside schools to push back against reopening amid the pandemic and a long history of environmental problems inside buildings. Despite national confusion, Melinda McCann managed to secure COVID-19 vaccine appointments for her Chester County parents, both cancer survivors in their 70s. Since then, she has helped dozens in the area, most of them strangers, get vaccinated.

— Kelly O’Shea (@kelloshea, health@inquirer.com)

🏟️ President Joe Biden said Sunday that he’d like to use NFL stadiums as vaccination sites. But Philadelphia health officials said they are not eager to begin using Lincoln Financial Field to vaccinate residents.

👨‍🏫 Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will help vaccinate teachers and staff at all schools in Philadelphia, the city announced Monday. The program is expected to begin by the end of February.

🇿🇦 South Africa has suspended plans to inoculate its health care workers with the AstraZeneca vaccine after a small trial suggested that it isn’t effective in preventing moderate illness from the variant dominant in the country.

💉 Experts spent months on a fair COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, only to witness “a chaotic free-for-all.” Here’s what they say is needed now.

👮 Inmates at a South Jersey jail are suing over coronavirus outbreaks, saying the Cumberland County facility failed to implement regular disinfecting and testing, and did not quarantine those infected with the virus.

📰 What’s going on in your county or neighborhood? We organized recent coverage of the coronavirus pandemic by local counties and Philly neighborhoods mentioned in the stories to make it easier for you to find the info you care about.

📈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.

Hundreds of teachers and other educational workers across the city braved freezing temperatures Monday to rally and work outside schools to push back against reopening amid the pandemic and a long history of environmental problems inside buildings. The drama unfolded with both sides awaiting an arbitrator’s ruling on whether schools are safe to open to prekindergarten through second-grade pupils on Feb. 22, as Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. has ordered. At C.W. Henry in Mount Airy, 10 teachers stationed themselves in front of the building and conducted virtual lessons. Kindergarten teacher Colleen DiMartino explained to her students that she was getting into “good trouble,” a reference to the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis.

Despite national confusion, mixed messages, and scarcity, Melinda McCann had managed to lock in a date for her Chester County parents, both cancer survivors in their 70s, to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Then she scheduled shots for her in-laws and older family and friends. She hasn’t stopped since. In just two weeks, the Exton woman, her sister, Mary Brady, and cousin, Alicia Karr, have established a network of volunteers helping dozens in the area, most of them strangers, get vaccinated. “People who don’t know how to use these tech resources,” McCann, 39, said, “that’s who we’re really trying to help.”

Now more than ever, celebrations of love — whether romantic relationships, friendships, family bonds or work-friend companionships — are important. Luckily, it’s easy to celebrate love with virtual events and in-person (but socially distant) happenings throughout the region. Here are more than a dozen Valentine’s Day-themed events to keep you cozy, loved and entertained.

🍫 Looking for locally made chocolates? Try one of these 10 Philadelphia-area candy stores.

📖 Black history storytelling outside the Betsy Ross House, and more kid-friendly events in Philly this week.

💡 “Ghost lights” have become a beacon of hope for Philadelphia theaters waiting for COVID-19 to fade.

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