Delivering food is ‘demoralizing and dehumanizing’ right now | Morning Newsletter
Plus, the full list of Pa. nursing homes with COVID-19 cases and deaths.
The Morning Newsletter
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Pennsylvania released long-awaited information on the nursing homes in the state where the coronavirus has infected or killed residents. And most of those with 20 or more deaths are in and around Philly. My colleague also spoke with people working in food and grocery delivery about the sometimes “demoralizing and dehumanizing” nature of their work right now.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
The people who are delivering meals and groceries say that working during the coronavirus has been, at times, dehumanizing.
Couriers shared their experiences with my colleague Samantha Melamed, who wrote and illustrated their stories.
In many ways, Joel Freedman fits the profile of the villain Philadelphia activists had looked for. He was the private equity owner of Hahnemann University Hospital who drew Bernie Sanders to the city after the hospital filed for bankruptcy last summer. Then, this spring, when the city was trying to use the closed hospital to fight the coronavirus, Mayor Jim Kenney accused Freedman of “trying to make a buck.”
In an interview with my colleague Harold Brubaker, Freedman said that he would have lost $600,000 a month if the city had taken his original offer for rent, and he didn’t have a lot of flexibility in what he could do with the facility. He also spoke about the threats he received in the aftermath.
Pennsylvania released long-sought data with the names of nursing homes with coronavirus cases and deaths. You can view the entire, searchable list here.
About four dozen long-term-care facilities across the state have seen at least 20 residents die, data show. And 28 of them were in Philadelphia and its suburbs. But some of the figures provided by the state do not align with data provided by local officials and senior facility operators.
What you need to know today
Pennsylvania Republicans have a new campaign season villain: Gov. Tom Wolf.
Cremations are rising at an “astronomical rate," squeezing America’s death-care industry.
These Philly neighborhoods pay the most in student loans.
A Pennsylvania class-action lawsuit says that children with autism are being denied an education during the coronavirus pandemic.
Experts say that social distancing can be particularly hard on people with eating disorders.
More than 1,000 immigrants detained by ICE now have the coronavirus.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Anybody else feel that wind outside? Thanks for sharing, @jeffphl.
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!
That’s interesting
🍹This week, it’s expected that bars and restaurants will get approval to serve cocktails to go in Pennsylvania.
🎮Three local graduating seniors are planning to play the popular video game Fortnite for 24 hours this weekend to raise money for nurses battling the coronavirus.
🐱The usual residents in Philly’s cat cafes are having no trouble finding new homes, at least temporary ones.
💻“Zoom fatigue” is legit. And here’s how to fix it.
Daryl Hall, Questlove, Patti LaBelle, and more will perform tomorrow night in a virtual, hour-long show to benefit the PHL COVID-19 Fund. It’ll be streamed on Inquirer.com and broadcast on multiple channels.
“It’s important you know I grew up in the 'hood,” says Philly wildlife conservationist Corina Newsome.
Opinions
“I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard that kind of dismissive justification for not wearing masks or defying social distancing guidelines or acting a complete fool because someone had the — gasp — nerve to suggest that we be decent to one another. Endless examples of people yelling, whining or worse when asked to wear a mask, for instance, are just a Google search away.” — writes columnist Helen Ubiñas about the motivations of people who are not following certain public health protocols.
Mayor Jim Kenney proposed some tough cuts in his budget for Philly, the Inquirer Editorial Board writes. But are they the right cuts?
What comes after the coronavirus, especially for schools and students, should have us concerned, writes columnist Will Bunch in his weekly newsletter.
What we’re reading
How do you feel about “human parking spots”? They could be a way for Philly residents to social distance at parks, WHYY reports.
A Wired essay explores how a writer’s son is using Google Maps to explore while stuck at home.
ESPN did a deep dive into MLB’s proposal for playing games, reporting that the proposal “is like nothing that has been attempted in the history of American sport” and is a “military-style operation in which any number of variables could derail the plan, or, worse, contribute to the spread of the deadly disease.”
Your Daily Dose of | Watching legendary games
The best way to get your sports fix right now might be by turning back the clock. My colleague Marc Narducci created a playlist of Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, and Sixers videos that will “make you remember why you love them, and forget (at least for a little while) that there are no new games.”