Pa. lab not following guidelines on coronavirus testing while Montgomery County schools close | Morning Newsletter
And a plan to revitalize the North Broad corridor.
The Morning Newsletter
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidelines for coronavirus testing in order to get more people screened, but Pennsylvania’s lab is still working off the old ones. To prevent the spread of the virus, Montgomery County schools will close for two weeks, and there are even more cancellations, including March Madness and Philly’s Billie Eilish concert.
But there’s not only coronavirus news today. My colleague Jason Laughlin explored a plan to revitalize the North Broad Street corridor. Meanwhile, Atlantic City officials are demanding that the old Trump Plaza casino be torn down. And we talked to the lucky guests who managed to book a night’s stay in Lucy the Elephant.
— Lauren Aguirre (@laurencaguirre, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Federal officials have directed the nation’s doctors to order coronavirus testing for anyone they think needs it. This expands criteria from previous guidelines, which limited testing to people showing symptoms or who had contact with a confirmed case. But days after the new directives were issued, Pennsylvania’s lab is denying physicians access to tests. Testing is an important step in containing the spread of the illness.
While the Pennsylvania Health Department has released data on how many people have been tested, state officials have refused to give out more information about where the infected people are located. Some county officials and lawmakers have called for specifics. But Pennsylvania officials say what they’re collecting falls under a decades-old law that gives them broad discretion to keep information about contagious diseases a secret.
Philadelphia legislators are looking to revive the North Broad Street corridor. It was known a century ago for industry and grand mansions. A bill to create a business improvement district, which can levy funds from property owners to support improvements in the area, is under consideration.
But it’ll take some work for the business owners in the area to get behind it. Philly already has 14 business improvement districts, but more recently proposed ones have been rejected by property owners in the Italian Market and Callowhill areas.
What you need to know today
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf ordered Montgomery County schools to close for two weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus. And Philly-area supermarkets are capping purchases on some items that customers are panic-buying. To get coronavirus coverage in your inbox every evening, sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter.
A Philadelphia city councilmember introduced a bill that would ban discrimination based on natural hair styles.
The weapon of choice for a growing number of criminals has no serial number, can’t be traced to a manufacturer, and doesn’t require a background check for purchase. It’s called a ghost gun — and weapons like this have been seized by Philly police 10 times this year already.
Atlantic City officials said the old, crumbling Trump Plaza must be torn down. The former casino has been sitting vacant since it shut down in 2014.
A former high-ranking Philadelphia police official was held for trial Thursday on charges that he sexually assaulted two female officers.
It’s not just Philly’s historic buildings that are crumbling. So are its historic records. Architecture critic Inga Saffron takes you inside City Hall’s attic.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
I’m always a sucker for a striking architecture shot and this one is beautiful. Thanks for sharing, @jeffphl!
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
🐘 Lucy the Elephant’s Airbnb listing booked in seconds. Meet the lucky guests.
🎵 Philadelphia’s quirky Academy of Music Anniversary Concert and Ball must continue. Culture writer Peter Dobrin analyzes how the event might need to change.
🏀 Playing in honor of a teammate who was killed a day earlier, the Chester High School boys’ basketball team beat Simon Gratz High on a miraculous last-second shot.
🌱 Here are the best low-light plants for your office or desk.
🥗 Philly chefs are cooking some exciting dishes for vegans, restaurant critic Craig LaBan writes.
💕 Ghosted, catfished … COVID-19′d? With coronavirus, are you changing how you date? We want to hear from you.
Opinions
“Do your eyes glaze over at the mention of our city’s pension and health care obligations? Well, it may not be the sexiest topic — but it will affect our home values, our schools, and our ability to borrow money and finance important public projects in the future.” — writes Albert Eisenberg, a Philadelphia-based political consultant, on how Mayor Jim Kenney’s legacy could be a flood of debt.
To improve the response to coronavirus, Pennsylvania needs to fix gaps in its laws — and fast, the Inquirer Editorial Board writes.
Are “friends of” school groups a much-needed community aid or an exacerbator of inequity? In our latest Pro/Con, Katie Nelson, a doctoral candidate at Rutgers University and a Philly parent, and Ryan Good, an assistant professor of urban studies at Eastern Mennonite University, debate this question.
What we’re reading
Sarah Schutz is a Ph.D. student at Penn by day and a recipe blogger by night. How does she do it all? Philadelphia Magazine asked about her weekly schedule.
These 18 strangers spent six months raising $150,000 for Philly public spaces. WHYY has more.
Guy Fieri is filming his show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in Philly this week. And he says the city’s restaurant scene is “fire,” according to Penn Live.
Your Daily Dose of | Women’s History
Marian Anderson was born in South Philly and became a famous singer in the 1930s. She’s a civil-rights icon who is most known for her performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939. That happened after she was barred from performing at Constitution Hall because she was black. Now, every year, musicians are honored with the Marian Anderson Award for creative or philanthropic contributions that have had a significant societal impact.
March is Women’s History Month and to celebrate, we’ve been highlighting influential women from the Philly-area on Twitter and Instagram. Follow us there for more.