Coronavirus likely to postpone Pa. primary; Philly told to ‘stay at home’ | Morning Newsletter

Last night, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and legislative leaders reached a deal to postpone the state’s 2020 primary because of the coronavirus. My colleagues reported that the April 28 contest will be delayed until June 2. The legislation is poised to advance today and move quickly through the state legislature.

Starting this morning, Philadelphians are supposed to “stay at home,” according to an order Mayor Jim Kenney announced yesterday. Philadelphia is not alone in making that type of move, as places across the country implement more severe restrictions on social and business activity to combat the spread of the coronavirus. As for what a “stay at home” order actually means, we have more on that below.

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— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

The new restrictions take effect at 8 a.m. today and are the latest escalation in a series of directives by Kenney and Gov. Tom Wolf. Kenney said he issued the order because many residents were ignoring officials’ previous requests about social distancing.

So, what does the order really mean?

In terms of activities, basically any gatherings of groups of people (even a small group of friends at a park) are prohibited. When it comes to exercise, walking and running outside are fine, playing team sports with strangers is not. You can still pick up food, but walk-in ordering isn’t allowed anymore. There are some exceptions, including allowing people to leave home to seek medical care, buy food, care for others, and commute to “life-sustaining” work. As far as enforcement is concerned, the city plans to disrupt outdoor gatherings but does not plan to have police officers arrest anyone for violating the order.

What could American society look like once terms like social distancing leave the collective conscience? Scholars, including historians, sociologists, and more, say the coronavirus pandemic could drive social, economic, and political changes.

For example, some say that universal health care, government assistance, and mandated paid sick leave could all be policies that grow in popularity as a result of the public health and economic situations caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

In the last week, a survivalist teacher told my colleague that he’s received hundreds of emails expressing interest in his crash courses on how to stay alive in the woods as America went quickly from normal day-to-day life to “stay-at-home” orders. Dan Wowak, who teaches outdoors classes, says he’s seen people making smart decisions (social distancing) and bizarre ones (hoarding toilet paper).

“You don’t use toilet paper if you’re out in the woods. Just grab some leaves and wipe your butt. At home, you can cut up old T-shirts,” he said. “I think, honestly, a lot of people just don’t know what to do.”

Hope you’re able to get back on the river soon! Thanks for sharing this video, @andrescarazo!

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!

“I hate coronavirus. ... I miss my friends, and I wonder if my friends are OK.” — wrote columnist Maria Panaritis’ kindergarten-age son about Week One of staying at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In the past couple of weeks, Philly has changed immensely. Once-crowded tourist locations are now as empty as the toilet paper shelves at stores. Writing about the emptiness is one thing, but seeing it makes it that much more powerful. My photojournalist colleagues have compiled images that show how the coronavirus is making its way through our region.

Even with social distancing, Marjorie Wilson’s family found a way to come together to watch the family’s matriarch blow out the candles on her 100th birthday cake at her East Mount Airy home.