There’s some coronavirus optimism, but it’s fragile | Morning Newsletter

As heavy storms rolled through some of their states yesterday, the governors of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and more were coordinating a plan for an eventual reopening of society. While we don’t know when that might be yet, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy did say that the curve in the Garden State is “undeniably flattening.” In Philly, the health commissioner said the city “may be at or near the peak,” even though Pennsylvania officials said the state as a whole hasn’t seen the top of the surge.

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

Officials in Pennsylvania and New Jersey say the curve of coronavirus infections is flattening. But that doesn’t mean we’re in the clear. Lifting social distancing measures too soon could set states back and cost even more lives, a coalition of governors including Pennsylvania’s Tom Wolf and New Jersey’s Murphy warned.

Wolf and Murphy are working with other northeastern governors, including those of New York, Delaware, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, to discuss plans to reopen the economy and return society to normal. But there is nothing imminent.

Jen Caserta, an operating-room nurse who lives in Chadds Ford, was getting dozens of messages. For several weeks, recruiters had been asking her to come to New York or New Jersey where hospitals have been overrun with COVID-19 patients, and are desperate for staff to treat them. The mother of three could make triple what she normally earns in a week, and she could give a break to another health-care worker on the front lines.

“It’s — am I being selfish, or am I being a good mom?” Caserta asked herself. “That’s where I’m at, because I could go give one of these moms a break. I could be making a difference, I could be helping, or I could sit here and be safe."

With information and updates coming so quickly, things seem to be changing all the time. It can get confusing, I know. But medical and public health experts say that there are guiding principles that can help you make sense of what you can do when you’re social distancing, and what you can’t.

My colleagues spent hours interviewing doctors, nurses, professors, and other experts to give you three ways to think about the coronavirus, and five actionable ways to keep yourself and others as safe as possible. You got this, Philly. 💪

💙☁️💙Thanks for the 'gram, @noleen.michelle!

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!

“Unfortunately, the spirit of togetherness characterizing our city’s response to coronavirus is absent when we respond to this city’s gun violence epidemic. Like a virus, gun violence continues to spread, but we are unwilling to invest the time and resources into collectively studying the issue to do all we can to stop it.” — writes the Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler, the senior pastor of the historic Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church and co-chair of a gun violence prevention group, about how the city hasn’t come together to confront gun violence. Three men were killed and a toddler was injured in three separate Philadelphia shootings from Sunday night through Monday morning.

Growing up on Richmond Drive in Washington Township in Gloucester County must be pretty special. The street that started with just 12 houses in the 1970s has produced so many successful professionals, from the current president of the San Francisco 49ers to an award-winning Hollywood costume designer and a former Google and Twitter exec.