Nurses fight multiple battles on the front line | Morning Newsletter
Plus, how are Philadelphians are spending their stimulus checks?
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
As the state’s shutdown order goes on, Pennsylvanians who are still working are questioning whether their employers are truly “life-sustaining” businesses. At the same time, the state legislature passed a bill that would reopen more businesses despite a top health official’s warnings.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
My colleagues Aubrey Whelan and Jason Laughlin spoke with nurses who say they’re stunned by how their employers react when they’ve tried to point out the risks they’re facing and the lack of protective gear they have. Some have been punished for speaking out and have even been fired.
Yesterday, nurses protested outside several Philadelphia-area hospitals, calling for better safety practices on the job. The Pennsylvania Department of Health estimates that about 5% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state are health-care workers, but that’s likely an undercount.
The legislation would basically redefine essential businesses and provide a road map for employers to reopen if they take certain safety precautions. It’s unclear, though, if Gov. Tom Wolf will sign the legislation.
That’s partly because he would be going against the advice of the state’s top health official, his own administration, and Democratic party leaders. If he vetoes the bill, Republicans do not have enough votes to override it.
There’s some ambiguity around which Pennsylvania businesses qualify as “life-sustaining.” That’s leaving some workers wondering whether they are unnecessarily risking their lives to do their jobs. Some workers said they don’t feel safe going to work, but can’t afford to take unpaid leave or to lose their jobs. Others said they were afraid to take on their employers.
Pennsylvania officials yesterday implemented new rules that will require all businesses to make sure their employees and customers wear masks.
What you need to know today
Coronavirus stimulus checks are hitting people’s bank accounts. Here’s how people in Philly are spending that money. If you haven’t gotten a check yet, you might be able to get it faster with a new IRS website.
Diabetes, heart disease, and other factors can raise your risk of going to the hospital because of the coronavirus.
A man died in prison from the coronavirus, three days before a breakthrough in his 30-year fight to clear his name.
Has Philly waited too long to get students online for school?
Pennsylvania’s state universities are facing an immediate hit of up to $100 million.
The Pennsylvania-Michigan-Wisconsin “blue wall” trio that President Donald Trump won in 2016 could also decide the 2020 election. And Wisconsin might be the Democrats’ toughest test.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
🤔🤔🤔Umm ... I can’t stop looking at this. The pink fur, the color-blocked jacket, the smile, the hairstyle that looks like the dog played guitar for Queen in the ’80s, all of it. Thanks for sharing, @_marcphilly_.
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
❄️Frost advisories and freeze watches are in place for parts of the Philly region with temperatures falling into the 30s this morning in some areas.
🛫Can you travel right now? What are the current restrictions?
🏟️Dr. Anthony Fauci says there’s a way for live sports to return, including MLB and NFL games.
💸For people who had their plans canceled because of the coronavirus, it’s been a struggle to get their money back.
🍲Here’s how to get the free meals Philly is offering for seniors and the free diapers the city’s offering for babies.
💳People are buying gift cards as a way of supporting businesses that closed due to the coronavirus. But what if those businesses never reopen?
Opinions
“All that to say that the pandemic hasn’t just done a number on the world as we knew it. It’s also doing a number on our identities. Who the hell am I anymore?” — writes columnist Helen Ubiñas about how coronavirus is throwing her into an identity crisis.
Outside of the hospitals and testing centers, there’s another group of frontline workers that need more support, writes Patrick Sharkey, a sociology and public affairs professor at Princeton.
Formerly incarcerated women give advice on how we can cope with isolation during the coronavirus.
What we’re reading
WHYY reports on how poets are creating a community.
From the New Yorker: how Dr. Fauci became America’s doctor.
The Undefeated covers Jackie Robinson’s love of jazz and how it helped the civil rights movement.
Your Daily Dose of | Bringing joy
With Camden students quarantined at home, a caravan of middle and elementary school teachers decided to bring joy and connection to them in their own way. Just before Easter, a group of faculty and staff from KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy drove through several neighborhoods in Camden, honking and waving at students.