23 hours locked down in a prison cell due to coronavirus | Morning Newsletter
Plus, coronavirus models can’t predict the future.
The Morning Newsletter
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Once known as a coronavirus hot spot, Montgomery County has “turned the corner," according to officials. And in Delaware, some small businesses will be allowed to reopen Friday, but with restrictions. Also reopening this weekend are three more Jersey Shore beaches. In Philadelphia, though, officials said the city still needs to at least double or triple its testing capacity.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Pennsylvania’s state prisons house around 45,000 people. And once the coronavirus spread into them, it meant the incarcerated population would no longer be able to go to work, school, church, or the law library. They’d be trapped in their cells — indefinitely.
Many say they’re out of their cells for a total of 40 minutes a day, with the other 23 hours and 20 minutes filled with boredom, anxiety, and fear. My colleague Samantha Melamed reported and illustrated the stories of those describing their experiences in prison right now.
With Pennsylvania beginning the reopening process, workplaces following social distancing and other safety protocols will have a lot to do with the success of the process. But workers who never saw their businesses shut down are sounding the alarm on the potential impact of a lack of oversight. That includes workers in the state’s booming warehouse industry, as well as meatpacking plants and more.
My colleagues at Spotlight PA spoke with warehouse workers from Amazon, Hudson’s Bay Co., and Syncreon who described slow responses to the pandemic, transparency issues involving their employers, and, in some cases, a lack of safety equipment, sanitation, and not promoting proper social distancing.
Much of the United States spent April at home because of social distancing measures meant to limit the spread of the coronavirus. But it hasn’t slowed. “While the daily toll has leveled off, the numbers remain staggeringly high,” my colleague Marie McCullough reports.
That goes against what experts thought they knew about the life cycle of COVID-19. And it also means that the models built to inform decisions about loosening restrictions and reopening regions are, “at best educated guesses, and at worst dead wrong,” McCullough writes.
What you need to know today
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia expects to pay $126 million in priest sex abuse reparations.
Philadelphia features world-class arts and culture. Their post-coronavirus future is now a $4.1 billion question mark.
Pennsylvania has told hospitals that it won’t give them masks, gloves, and other protective gear if they resume elective surgeries.
Some small businesses didn’t stand a chance at getting relief from Pennsylvania’s $61 million loan program.
A Whole Foods in Philly confirmed that some employees have the coronavirus. Workers told my colleague Christian Hetrick that they “have no idea what’s going on.”
When it comes to the coronavirus, Pennsylvania Republicans and Democrats disagree on reopening the economy. But they do agree on a lot, according to a recent survey.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
May we all have the bounce-back ability of this doggo. Thanks for sharing, @_adventurous_archie.
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
🥘Philly has two finalists for top James Beard Awards: one for best new restaurant (Kalaya) and one for outstanding chef (Marc Vetri). And, other Philly chefs are finalists for regional awards, too. Restaurant critic Craig LaBan outlines how you can taste the best of Philly from home through takeout and delivery.
🙌Last week, seven Latino restaurant owners, residents, and businesses collaborated to distribute 350 bags of food, commonly called despensa — Spanish for pantry. Their goal: to make sure the Latino community didn’t have to choose between rent or food at the end of the month.
⛳Columnist Marcus Hayes played golf under the new social distancing rules. His review: scary, and also awesome.
🦅The Eagles say they have a “quarterback factory.” Carson Wentz endorses that.
🎳Elaine Brumberg is not only Bucks County’s bowling alley beauty queen, but also a COVID-19 survivor.
🎂There are plenty of ways to get cookies, cakes, and other baked goods from Philly bakeries, be it for Mother’s Day, a graduation, a birthday, or more.
Opinions
“Over the last 50 years or so, while kids like me were taught to slap America on the back for our progress, everything changed.” — writes columnist Will Bunch about how the current meat crisis undoes a lesson from a famous 1906 novel. To get more of Bunch’s work in your inbox each week, sign up for his newsletter.
The government should send clear messages on personal protective equipment, write Monique Sager, Ramie Fathy, and Jules Lipoff. Sager and Fathy are students at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, where Lipoff is an assistant professor.
This week’s Pro/Con focuses on the large-scale release of incarcerated people. U.S. Attorney William McSwain writes that there should not be a release, while Kris Henderson, the executive director of Amistad Law Project, writes that there should be.
What we’re reading
Do you know about Philly’s Citywide Doorway Dance Party for Essential Workers? Billy Penn has the details.
Philly’s 2020 Census response rate is second-lowest when looking at the 10 biggest cities in the U.S., KYW reports.
One ICU nurse photographed her colleagues over two mid-April shifts for the New Yorker.
Your Daily Dose of | ‘The voice of ShopRite’
For over two decades, Dan Babcock has worked at the ShopRite in Brooklawn. And unlike what you might hear over the loudspeakers at other grocery stores, Babcock offers a dose of hope. And that’s needed right now, customers say.