Workforce woes | Coronavirus Updates Newsletter
Plus, Pa. and N.J. cases are rising
The gist: Philadelphia’s city workforce woes are in full force this week, with officials starting to place unvaccinated workers on leave over not complying with a long-embattled mask mandate. That news comes as about one in seven municipal jobs is vacant due in part to effects from the great resignation, which is impacting city services. Plus, one Philly job fair is trying to get more folks in the cockpit as a shortage of airline pilots is impacting service nationwide. And, with more folks working and learning remotely, one Delco-based film studio is reaping millions of dollars in profits.
📥 Tell us: What’s making your life better right now as you navigate the pandemic? Send us a note, and we’ll share some responses in next week’s newsletter. Please keep it to 35 words.
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— Nick Vadala (@njvadala, health@inquirer.com)
City officials placed about 270 unvaccinated workers on leave this month for not complying with Philadelphia’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The workers are mostly from the Prisons Department and the Fire Department, which are already short-staffed amid a broader labor shortage. The 30-day “U-Vax leave” started July 6, and employees may be fired if they remain out of compliance after the leave period.
That could create further issues as nearly one in seven municipal jobs is vacant, with a steady trickle of employees fleeing government service over the last three years, leaving 4,000 budgeted positions unfilled.
That short staffing is creating problems and frustrations in every corner of city government, and impacting residents through things like increased police response times, fewer building inspectors, and reduced services and hours for libraries and parks.
What you need to know
🧑✈️ As a shortage of airline pilots continues to threaten service around the country, one Philly job fair is trying to lure more folks into the cockpit.
📹 COVID accelerated the trend to online learning, and one Delco-based film studio is on track to sell $13 million worth of training videos this year as a result.
💊 At the start of the pandemic, people in addiction were allowed to take home methadone rather than show up at clinics for daily doses. Now, a new study shows overdoses didn’t go up.
💔 Amalgam Comics, the first comics shop owned by a Black woman on the East Coast, announced it is closing this fall due to strain brought on by the pandemic.
🫡 Anthony Fauci, who has served as the face of the coronavirus pandemic response for more than two years, will retire by the end of President Joe Biden’s term.
Local coronavirus numbers
📈 Coronavirus cases are rising in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Track the latest data here.
Helpful resources
Exposed to monkeypox? Here’s how to get a vaccination appointment in Philly.
If you’re traveling through PHL this summer, here’s what you need to know.
Plus, what to know about the accuracy of rapid at-home COVID tests.
What you're saying
We’re asking what’s making your life better right now as you navigate the pandemic. Here’s what you told us:
🍽️ “Warm weather is making it easier to enjoy outdoor dining with friends.”
A dose of diversion: Philly orthodontist wants to help young cancer survivors get their smiles back
As a survivor of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, orthodontist Andrew Appel knows the struggle of beating cancer. Now, he’s putting his professional talents into service for young cancer survivors looking for a new smile by providing free braces and orthodontic care. Up first is Jason Stock, 13, but if things go right, lots of other kids will be getting their smiles back — for a long time to come.
🫠 It’s a heat wave, y’all — but you probably knew that already. Here, we’ve got some tips on how to stay cool when the outside temps are scorching and dangerous.
🍻 With its latest limited edition boozy collaboration — a hard peach tea dubbed Shore Tea — Wawa has officially gone downashore. And, yes, there is Wawa Peach Iced Tea involved.
🎲 This week, the Main Line is getting a taste of Twenty One Pips, a two-level space in Ardmore with a full restaurant, bar, and 500 board games for playing at the table from morning till late night.
A good thing: Authors with Philly ties work to diversify children’s books
Children’s and young adult book sales are up 17% compared to pre-pandemic levels, and many titles are confronting topics like mental illness, sickness, and death — three particularly relevant issues in the wake of COVID. And now, thanks in part to these authors with bonafide Philly ties, many of the illustrated characters feature children of diverse backgrounds, too.