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Some colleges welcome students back, others move all-online | Coronavirus Newsletter

Plus, who got the money from Pa.‘s hazard pay program

Two people walk past Old Main on the largely deserted Penn State University campus in State College, Pa., on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. The campus is emptier than usual because the university canceled its in-person summer classes and new student orientation sessions in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Two people walk past Old Main on the largely deserted Penn State University campus in State College, Pa., on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. The campus is emptier than usual because the university canceled its in-person summer classes and new student orientation sessions in response to the coronavirus pandemic.Read moreTIM TAI / Staff Photographer

TL;DR: Although Temple and Pennsylvania State Universities are welcoming students back to campuses this week, Drexel University’s president announced today that the Philadelphia school will have online-only undergraduate classes for the fall quarter. This announcement comes after universities elsewhere that opened earlier have halted in-person learning after coronavirus outbreaks. Just more than 600 employers received grants from Gov. Tom Wolf’s $50 million hazard pay program announced last month, despite thousands of businesses applying, my colleague Juliana Feliciano Reyes reports.

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

What you need to know:

😷 A man accused of punching a teen worker at Sesame Place because the employee reminded him about the theme park’s mask requirement has been arrested.

🏥 Seventy-five percent of young adults report symptoms of anxiety or depression, and suicide thoughts are rising as the coronavirus pandemic has gone on, the CDC reports.

🗑️ Trash pickup in Philadelphia is now running one day behind schedule, and recycling pickup remains “multiple days behind.”

🦠 A decades-old law is shielding the Wolf administration from scrutiny of its coronavirus response.

🏈 The Friends League has shut down fall sports due to “unprecedented challenges” related to the coronavirus outbreak.

💰 COVID-19 could make health care even more unaffordable for Americans, a study finds.

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

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.

Some colleges welcome students back, others move all-online

Although Temple and Pennsylvania State Universities are welcoming students back to campuses this week, Drexel University’s president announced today that it will have online-only undergraduate classes for the fall quarter. This announcement comes after universities that opened earlier in other parts of the country, like the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, are reporting coronavirus outbreaks. Both UNC and the University of Notre Dame had to halt in-person instruction after outbreaks.

Pa.‘s $50M hazard pay program was ‘extremely competitive.’ Here’s who got money.

Just more than 600 employers received grants from Gov. Tom Wolf’s $50 million hazard pay program announced last month, despite thousands of businesses applying, my colleague Juliana Feliciano Reyes reports. For those who did win the grants, it will provide a 10-week, $3-an-hour increase to essential workers making less than $20 an hour. See the top sectors receiving the hazard pay grants here.

Helpful resources

  1. What are the first symptoms of the coronavirus? Pink eye is also a possible early warning sign of coronavirus, eye doctors report.

  2. Want to plan a vacation? Here’s what the experts say on how to travel safely.

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

  4. Hit the COVID-19 wall? Here are some ways to cope.

  5. Have another question? Our reporters have tracked down answers.

You got this: Order take-out

The Inquirer’s restaurant critic Craig LaBan recommends 13 Philadelphia restaurants for great take-out food, including barbecue, meat pies, chirashi bowls, kebabs, tacos, and hoagies. Check out the restaurants here.

🚘 Here are a dozen kid-friendly day trips — ranging from hikes and horticulture, to amusement parks and museums — all within about 100 miles of Center City.

🚽 There’s new toilet etiquette for when you have guests over during COVID-19.

🍦 Ice cream hoagies and other new frozen treats you have to try in Philly right now.

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. The FDA‘s emergency approval of blood plasma is on hold after top federal health officials including Anthony Fauci said the data on treatment was too weak, the New York Times reports.

  2. Britain’s COVID-19 slogan, and its many iterations, attempts to cover-up vague advice, sociolinguistics professor Rodney Jones argues in Viral Discourse.

  3. Ashley Furniture employees said they are not told when coworkers contract COVID-19 and are punished for taking time off when sick, WHYY reports.

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