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Coronavirus cancels major events in Philly and elsewhere, prompts NBA to suspend its season | Morning Newsletter

Plus, Bernie Sanders’ strongholds in 2016 don’t look that way now.

Fans leave the Golden 1 Center after the NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings was postponed at the last minute in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, March 11, 2020. The league said the decision was made out of an "abundance of caution," because official Courtney Kirkland, who was scheduled to work the game, had worked the Utah Jazz game earlier in the week. A player for the Jazz tested positive for the coronavirus.
Fans leave the Golden 1 Center after the NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings was postponed at the last minute in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, March 11, 2020. The league said the decision was made out of an "abundance of caution," because official Courtney Kirkland, who was scheduled to work the game, had worked the Utah Jazz game earlier in the week. A player for the Jazz tested positive for the coronavirus.Read moreRich Pedroncelli / AP

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After the NBA announced that one of its players had tested positive for the coronavirus last night, the league is suspending its season indefinitely, according to a statement. That announcement also came following President Donald Trump’s address last night in which he said that most travel from Europe would be suspended for the next 30 days beginning tomorrow.

Other major events and celebrations across the region continue to be canceled due to the coronavirus. We’re keeping track of all of them. And, schools in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey are planning for long-term closures while some sports events, including March Madness, will be held without fans.

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

As the number of new cases rose yesterday, officials in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey confronted the possibility that coronavirus could be spreading through communities in ways they cannot trace. Earlier in the week, Philadelphia leaders advised residents about attending public gatherings.

These precautions all involve “social distancing," which means minimizing close contact with other people. That concept has led events, festivals, and concerts to be canceled in Philly. For example, the city has canceled its St. Patrick’s Day Parade. You can find an updating list of local events that have been canceled due to the coronavirus here.

There are Pennsylvania counties that look similar to rural areas in Texas, Oklahoma, and, most recently, in Michigan that Sanders won in 2016, but has lost so far in 2020. Sanders’ strength in more rural, Republican-leaning counties where Trump won in the general election was something supporters pointed to as a sign of the Vermont senator’s electability.

But so far, it hasn’t worked out that way.

My colleague’s reporting indicates that while Sanders does have passionate repeat supporters in Pa.'s rural counties, there are also people who say they supported Sanders as a protest vote against Hillary Clinton.

What you need to know today

  1. If coronavirus cases surge in Philadelphia, the city is exploring using the now-closed Hahnemann University Hospital property. And hospitals are planning for a surge in patients while urging sick doctors to stay home. If you want our latest coronavirus coverage sent to your inbox every evening, you can sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter.

  2. Nasdaq has picked Philly’s Navy Yard as a backup if the coronavirus empties Wall Street.

  3. The 2020 census has arrived. Here’s what you need to know as the federal government attempts to count every person living in the U.S.

  4. Five charts show why health-care costs are a major 2020 election issue.

  5. SEPTA’s new fare proposal could mean cheaper travel for some commuters. But it could be more expensive for others.

  6. As the 2020 presidential primary moves forward after Joe Biden’s big win in Michigan, our Washington correspondent reports that Democrats are choosing safety over revolution. And, to get more info on how Pennsylvania dictates much of the national political conversation this year, sign up for our newsletter: PA 2020.

Through your eyes | #OurPhilly

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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

  1. 🏟️The coronavirus is forcing sports leagues, teams, and fans to make tough decisions. For example, the NCAA announced yesterday that this year’s Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be played behind closed doors.

  2. 🍽️One of our food reporters writes that “we should expect a bumper crop of restaurants in the next 90 days,” including a new Stephen Starr spot, the second location of a sushi hit, and a splashy Broad Street steakhouse. To get all the region’s food news in your inbox, sign up for our Let’s Eat newsletter.

  3. 🤠Could the Eagles be looking to sign a Cowboys star as a free agent?

  4. 🛳️The SS United States is a massive ocean liner that has spent years sitting at a dock in South Philly. Now, an NYC developer is looking to turn it into a hotel-and-museum complex and is searching for its new home.

  5. 📉Here’s why many small businesses in the Philly area are prepping for a recession.

  6. 🌿Every medical marijuana patient in Pennsylvania who drives is a DUI target, and a lawmaker wants to change that.

Opinions

“Levity aside, though, she said the response to coronavirus reinforced to her how reactions to situations depend solely on whether people (usually those in positions of power and privilege) perceive a direct risk to their own lives, or the lives of those they love.” — writes columnist Helen Ubiñas, comparing the response to the coronavirus to the response to gun violence in Philadelphia.

  1. Vladimir Putin just set himself up to be president for life. Inquirer columnist Trudy Rubin writes about how that could impact President Trump.

  2. Columnist Maria Panaritis writes about facing coronavirus in Delaware County with no health department and high anxiety.

What we’re reading

  1. Teen Vogue writes about Philly’s own Tierra Whack, focusing on what life is like as a hometown hero for the Grammy-nominated rapper, singer, and songwriter.

  2. The Ringer followed Allen Iverson around for a night at Philly’s Wells Fargo Center.

  3. As a wearer of Warby Parker glasses, I found this article from Marker eye-catching: All the brandless, Warby Parker wannabes are imploding.

Your Daily Dose of | Dangling Danny DeVito

Baltimore-based street artist Reed BMore has been dangling his intricate, pop-culture-inspired wire sculptures on Philly’s utility cables and streetlights since 2016. The artist now has a dangling Danny DeVito (who’s depicted as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia stalwart Frank Reynolds playing eccentric art collector Ongo Gablogian) in South Philly.