A dating deal-breaker? Your COVID-19 vaccination status | Morning Newsletter

Temperatures drop even more in a real return to spring. We’ll climb into the high 60s today with some clouds.

Dating during a pandemic is hard, to say the least, but area singles explain how a person’s vaccination status says so much about personality.

Also, there’s a bag full of federal money available to small-business owners, including those in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Here’s how to get it.

And, did you know the Eagles considered bringing back Super Bowl-winning QB Nick Foles? No, I’m serious.

Say hello to Tuesday. 👇🏽

— Kerith Gabriel (@sprtswtr, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

It’s being referred to as a “social disservice.”

Now that there’s a COVID-19 vaccine, many say that trying to date without getting your shot says a lot about who you are as a person – and, ultimately, as a potential partner.

“If you’re not going to do that for yourself or for others, we don’t really have the same values,” said Tatiana Swedek 👆🏽, a 28-year-old Fishtown resident who screens dates by asking their vaccination status.

Swedek says the response offers a lot on whether potential matches:

❤️ Are empathetic toward other people,

❤️ Care about their own health, and

❤️ Care about other people who may have weak immune systems.

Swedek is far from solo in this thought. Across the country, about 41% of daters say they would not consider dating someone who is unvaccinated, while just more than half say it wouldn’t matter to them, according to a Pew Research poll released in early April.

In a city such as Philadelphia, where 70% of residents are fully vaccinated, it is likely that a larger percentage of singles want to date only someone who is vaccinated, according to Erika Kaplan, a Philly-based dating industry expert.

Our reporter Erin McCarthy has much more to unpack in a piece that places COVID-19 at the epicenter of love, dating, and personality types.

As the federal Paycheck Protection Program subsides, another program can help struggling small businesses: the State Small Business Credit Initiative program, or SSBCI.

💰 What is the SSBCI? It’s a program under which the U.S. Treasury Department distributes money to states, which then give the money to lending and financing organizations to help small businesses get access to capital.

💰 How much is there to help the Greater Philadelphia Region? Small businesses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware will soon be able to access $584 million as part of a new round of funding estimated at $10 billion.

💰 Is this the first of its kind? No. In 2011, more than $1.5B in SSBCI aid was used to fund entrepreneurs across the country. The new program, which was signed into law last year as part of the American Rescue Plan, reauthorized and funded the SSBCI to the tune of $10 billion.

Our business correspondent Gene Marks has more on the plan, its timeline, and, if you’re a small-business owner, how to get your hands on funding.

The Preston & Steve Show on WMMR (93.3-FM) just locked in eight more years as the morning voice in Philly, securing a contract to remain on air until 2030. Today’s question: Now that we know how long they’ll be here, do you know what year they arrived on WMMR? Take a guess and find the answer here.

a. 2000

b. 2002

c. 2005

d. 2007

Shocked by: That Atlantic City literally turned a section into a real-life Monopoly board.

Doing: Retrofitting any owned outdoor space into a gym for just $10, thanks to resident fitness expert Ashley Blake Greenblatt.

Reading: About the COVID-19 testing facility that had 96% false negatives in Nevada.

The Fishtown spot known for good tacos and even better margaritas.

ZOO CELP = 🤪 🐟

Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shoutout to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shoutout goes to Kathy Quinn Gannon of Andorra, Pa., who correctly guessed POINT BREEZE as Monday’s answer.

As always, thanks for starting your morning with The Inquirer.✌️