Rural Pennsylvania starts to reopen | Coronavirus Newsletter
Plus, we explore the caveats associated with antibody testing.
TL;DR: Two dozen north-central and northwestern Pennsylvania counties on Friday moved to the “yellow" phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan. In one town, our reporter found, a department store felt like a community center, everyone eager to catch up after weeks of home confinement. And as regulators approve more and more antibody tests, there’s reason for skepticism.
— Andrew Seidman (@AndrewSeidman, health@inquirer.com)
What you need to know:
✈️Passengers, employees, and personnel will be required to wear masks at Philadelphia International Airport under a new regulation that takes effect Monday.
🥼The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday authorized a new type of coronavirus test that a manufacturer says can deliver results in 15 minutes.
🔒Gov. Tom Wolf rejected a subpoena by GOP lawmakers for records related to the administration’s coronavirus business-closure waiver process, but did release a list of thousands of businesses that received approvals to reopen amid the shutdown.
😷Pennsylvania state officials never fully implemented a plan to protect nursing home residents from COVID-19.
🌊The mayors of Ocean City, Sea Isle City, and Upper Township said Saturday they had opened beaches there for exercise and activities like surfing and fishing.
💈A Delaware County barber was dead set on reopening her shop. Faced by threats from a state licensing board and the local police, she changed her mind and held a rally instead.
🏖️The Atlantic City area is more susceptible to a retail real estate downturn from the coronavirus than anywhere else in the country, a new study found.
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.
Under the governor’s reopening plan, most businesses in Tioga County were able to resume in-person operations Friday. In Wellsboro, a borough of 3,239 known for its gas lamps on Main Street, “reopening didn’t look the same for every business,” my colleague Jason Nark writes.
A department store was bustling with customers eager “to feel normal,” as one put it, but the theater across the street remains closed. For now, the owner is using the marquee to showcase the names of 110 graduating seniors from the local high school. And local officials had to cancel a summer festival that typically brings about 20,000 tourists.
Regulators have issued emergency authorization for scores of antibody tests amid the public health crisis. The tests are supposed to show whether you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus and therefore likely have a level of immune protection.
“The hopes are that widespread antibody testing could track the scope and spread of the epidemic, identify people who could safely go back to work, and help recruit people to donate their antibody-laden blood to treat severe COVID-19 cases," my colleague Marie McCullough writes. But there are a lot of caveats. For starters, many of the tests have been unreliable.
Helpful resources
Where to find free and low-cost therapy and support right now
What if someone in my house is sick? How to protect your household during coronavirus.
Here are 8 principles of social distancing to help figure out what you can and can’t do.
Not sure what a medical term means? We have definitions for you.
Have another question? Our reporters have tracked down answers.
Members of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Burlington County drove around in a caravan last week to check in with elder members who’ve been particularly isolated these days. Pastor Cory L. Jones led the way, jumping out of his Toyota Highlander to say hello from a safe distance.
“I wanted to show them some love and let them know that as a church, we are thinking about them and we love them," he said.
👐 Tired of singing ‘Happy Birthday’ when you wash your hands? Try these Philly alternatives.
💄 Is my mask less effective if I wear makeup? No. Here’s how to do it right.
🍪Where to get pandemic cookies, cakes, and other baked goods for Mother’s Day.
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 on the political right are questioning the death toll of the pandemic and are hoping to turn science into a political fight, the New York Times reports.
The unemployment rate has reached the highest level since the Great Depression. But factors like age, race, gender, and education help show how job losses have hit Americans unequally, according to the Washington Post.
A politically-connected firm won an $800 million contract with California to provide medical masks. How the deal fell apart, per the Los Angeles Times.
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