People powered community news.
May 29th Governor Tom Wolf signed a bill that will provide 12 months of sustained public education funding.
“Education must remain a priority even during a pandemic and this budget provides schools with the stability to continue building on the progress we have made to prepare our children for a successful future,” said Gov. Wolf.
This information is from: https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-signs-budget-to-sustain-education-support-communities-amid-pandemic/
From The City of Philadelphia, live video here:
PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Department of Public Health today announced 237 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Philadelphia. That brings the number of confirmed cases to 21,975.
The Department of Public Health noted continued progress in congregate settings, including nursing homes and the Department of Prisons. No additional incarcerated individuals have tested positive. The current total of positive cases at correctional facilities is two. Current and cumulative totals of positive cases in Philadelphia prisons are now posted on the testing and data page of the City’s COVID-19 website.
The Department of Public Health confirmed five additional fatalities in Philadelphia. This brings the number of residents who have succumbed to the virus in Philadelphia to 1,248. Of the 1,248 total deaths, 663 (53%) were long-term care facility residents.
The Department of Public Health reports 432 patients with COVID-19 are currently being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, with a total of 886 people hospitalized in the region (including Philadelphia).
COVID-19 Perception Survey: The City and the University of Pennsylvania today released results of a resident survey on various aspects of life in Philadelphia during the pandemic. The online survey of 626 adult Philadelphia residents was conducted in partnership with Professor Dan Hopkins and Civiqs from May 5 through May 8, 2020. The results were weighted by age, race, gender, and education to be representative of the population of adults in Philadelphia.
“With the results of this survey, it is clear that the vast majority of Philadelphians get it. They understand the need to follow guidelines for social distancing—including wearing a mask when leaving the house,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “For the one out of four Philadelphians who still doesn’t get it, it’s time to get on board with your neighbors in acting to keep everyone safe. If we are to emerge from this shutdown as quickly as possible, we need as many people as possible to do what is right and follow these common-sense precautions.”
Testing Site Map: The City’s testing site finder at phila.gov/testing helps people find a free COVID-19 test in Philadelphia. Anyone can search for a site by address, click on a map location for specific site information, and filter by day of week and by drive-thru or walk-up.
Each of the testing sites has its own requirements, and that information is included for each location on the map. For example, some sites require referrals, appointments, or certain criteria for patients. No sites require payment, insurance, or proof of citizenship. Residents are strongly encouraged to call first for an appointment or referral; all necessary phone numbers are available on the map.
The finder is available in six languages, and the map will continue to be updated as new testing sites are opened.
Expanded Testing Standards: The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is recommending COVID-19 coronavirus testing for anyone, regardless of age, who meets this criteria:
The expansion of testing recommendations comes as a result of the increasing availability of coronavirus testing at public health and commercial laboratories. Increased testing for the coronavirus is a key part of the City’s and Pennsylvania’s plan to re-open safely.
COVID-19 Resources:
May 22— Governor Wolf announced that eight counties (Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lebanon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, and Schuylkill) will be moved to the yellow phase on Friday. 17 counties will also be moved to green on Friday (Bradford, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Montour, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango and Warren.) Counties that remain in the red phase include: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton, Montgomery, and Philadelphia. These counties are predicted to move to the yellow phase by June 5th.
This information is from: https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-adds-eight-counties-to-yellow-and-17-to-green-on-may-29-remainder-to-yellow-on-june-5/
From the City of Philadelphia – live video here:
PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Department of Public Health today announced 309 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Philadelphia. That brings the number of confirmed cases to 21,009.
The Department of Public Health noted continued progress in congregate settings, including nursing homes and the Department of Prisons. No additional incarcerated individuals have tested positive. The current total of positive cases at correctional facilities is three. Current and cumulative totals of positive cases in Philadelphia prisons are now posted on the testing and data page of the City’s COVID-19 website.
The Department of Public Health confirmed 56 additional fatalities in Philadelphia. This brings the number of residents who have succumbed to the virus in Philadelphia to 1,221. Of the 1,221 total deaths, 647 (53%) were long-term care facility residents.
The Department of Public Health reports 549 patients with COVID-19 are currently being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, with a total of 1,084 people hospitalized in the region (including Philadelphia).
The Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition announced the creation of the PA Immigrant Relief Fund. This is a statewide fund that will provide one-time emergency cash assistance to individuals excluded from federal COVID-19 relief programs. Launched with a $500,000 gift from The Douty Foundation in Philadelphia, the PA Immigrant Relief Fund has set a goal of raising $4 million by June 30, 2020, and helping 5,000 immigrants with direct cash assistance.
In its first round of distribution, the Philadelphia Foundation, which houses the PA Immigrant Relief Fund, distributed funds to 30 organizations across the state who are providing $800 in cash assistance to 580 individuals statewide. The application process for organizations to participate in future distributions will be announced by the coalition in the coming weeks.
This fund is hosted by PA is Ready!, an innovative, community-led network and participatory grantmaking fund rooted in and serving diverse immigrant and refugee communities across Pennsylvania. Individuals can donate to the PA Immigrant Relief Fund through the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition.
Nice Tweets: Kindness During a Crisis: In honor of 1-4-3 Day in PA, the Mayor and other City officials released a Nice Tweets video—a play on the mayor’s “Mean Tweets” series. Mayor Kenney, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, Fire and OEM Commissioner Adam Thiel, Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams, and Emma Giardina, Sections Chief of the Emergency Operations Center, read some kind tweets that people have shared with the City on social media. Everyone can use a little kindness right now.
Philly 311 Hours: Philly311’s contact center remains open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m Monday through Friday and will also be open extended hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m this weekend, May 23 and 24. Residents can place a service request by calling 3-1-1 or dialing (215) 686-8686 or through submitting service requests online. Language translation services are available. The Philly311 call center will be closed on Memorial Day, Monday May 25.
Testing Site Map: A testing site finder at phila.gov/testing helps people find a free COVID-19 test in Philadelphia. Anyone can search for a site by address, click on a map location for specific site information, and filter by day of week and by drive-thru or walk-up.
Each of the nearly fifty testing sites has its own requirements, and that information is included for each location on the map. For example, some sites require referrals, appointments, or certain criteria for patients. No sites require payment, insurance, or proof of citizenship. Residents are strongly encouraged to call first for an appointment or referral; all necessary phone numbers are available on the map.
The finder is available in six languages, and the map will continue to be updated as new testing sites are opened.
Expanded Testing Standards: The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is now recommending COVID-19 coronavirus testing for anyone regardless of age who has a new cough, is experiencing new shortness of breath, or two of the following symptoms: fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache, new loss of taste or smell. The expansion of testing recommendations comes as a result of the increasing availability of coronavirus testing at public health and commercial laboratories. Increased testing for the coronavirus is a key part of the City’s and Pennsylvania’s plan to re-open safely. More details can be found here.
Reminder – The City will not be holding a COVID-19 press conference during Memorial Day weekend. Press releases will be issued on Saturday, May 23 and Monday, May 25. The press conferences will resume on Tuesday, May 26.
COVID-19 Resources:
Governor Tom Wolf has taken further steps to protect Pennsylvania residents from foreclosure and eviction.
“I am protecting housing for Pennsylvanians who may be facing economic challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Gov. Wolf. “My order will not affect proceedings for other issues, such as property damage or illegal activity. I encourage all Pennsylvanians to continue abiding by the terms of their lease or mortgage.” Wolf said.
This information was provided by:
Gov. Wolf Modifies Executive Order on Foreclosure and Eviction Suspensions
From the City of Philadelphia:
PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Department of Public Health today announced 341 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Philadelphia. That brings the number of confirmed cases to 20,700.
The Department of Public Health noted continued progress in congregate settings, including nursing homes and the Department of Prisons. No additional inmates have tested positive. The current total of positive cases at correctional facilities is three. Current and cumulative totals of positive cases in Philadelphia prisons are now posted on the testing and data page of the City’s COVID-19 website.
The Department of Public Health confirmed 13 additional fatalities in Philadelphia. This brings the number of residents who have succumbed to the virus in Philadelphia to 1,165. Of the 1,165 total deaths, 629 (54%) were long-term care facility residents.
The Department of Public Health reports 623 patients with COVID-19 are currently being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, with a total of 1,202 people hospitalized in the region (including Philadelphia).
Summer Programming Announcements: Mayor Jim Kenney today offered a preview of the City’s plans to modify summer programming to ensure public health while delivering accessible recreation and employment options for Philadelphia children and youth. The City’s summer planning is still underway and will correspond to regional reopening plans, based on the latest public health guidance.
Volunteer to Feed Children in Your Community: The Mayor called on community leaders, faith-based organizations, and nonprofits to help make sure young people have access to safe, nutritious meals close to home this summer by signing up to become a volunteer Playstreets Supervisor. Parks & Recreation’s Playstreets is a meal distribution program that provides meals to thousands of children each summer.
Recreational activities for youth at Playstreets will align with reopening guidance to prioritize health and safety.
Residents and organizations interested in applying to be a Parks & Recreation Playstreets Supervisor must live on a small, one-way street. Volunteers must be available to close their street to through traffic each weekday from June 15 through August 25, and distribute grab-and-go meals to local kids at noon and 3 p.m. each afternoon. Main thoroughfares, streets on bus routes, and streets with businesses, parking garages, or emergency services stations are not eligible.
This year, the Playstreets application has been modified to ensure residents can fulfill application criteria while practicing safe social distancing. The deadline to apply is Friday, June 5, and residents can learn more at phila.gov/programs/playstreets/.
Summer Meal Distribution: The City and its partners will continue to operate grab-and-go meal distribution and food sites during the summer, although some locations and schedules may change. Residents are encouraged to visit phila.gov/food or call 311 to find up-to-date food distribution information.
City Summer Camps: Philadelphia Parks & Recreation serves thousands of children each summer through its network of 150 affordable, accessible neighborhood day camps. Parks & Recreation and Department of Public Health officials are developing plans to offer a modified summer day camp season, should health protocols allow, that would focus on providing safe, accessible places for children to play during weekdays. Meanwhile, Parks & Recreation is also planning other opportunities for young people if a camp season is not possible this year. City Swim for Life and theme camps will not operate this summer.
More details about the City’s camps will be available in early June, and residents can stay up to date by visiting: phila.gov/parksandrecreation.
Office of Children and Families Out-of-School Time Services: The Office of Children and Families’ Out-of-School Time (OST) summer programs will be virtual until further notice. Programming will focus on OST goals of literacy, career awareness, physical and social-emotional health. Online activities will include read-aloud videos and literacy supports, virtual college and industry tours, dance and martial arts, and mindfulness/meditation practice.
Expanded Summer Jobs for Philadelphia Youth: Philadelphia Parks & Recreation plans to hire 285 youth and young adults this summer through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s State/Local Internship Program (SLIP), managed by Philadelphia Works and Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN). Older teens and young adults can learn about how to apply at phila.gov/programs/workready-at-parks-rec.
In addition, the Office of Children and Families along with the Office of Violence Prevention and PYN are prioritizing WorkReady paid virtual summer experiences for youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice system as well as those who live in high crime neighborhoods. Youth in the Juvenile Justice system should visit workready.org to apply and use referral code DJUS. Youth in the child welfare system should use referral code DAIC.
Free Library of Philadelphia’s Summer of Wonder: This year, Summer of Wonder will offer virtual programming from June 1 to August 31. Children, teens, and adults can go online at freelibrary.beanstack.org to earn points and badges for Summer of Wonder activities and time spent reading. The Free Library is also partnering with local organizations to host pick-up spots for materials and activities. More information on locations coming soon.
Science in the Summer and the Summer Camp Challenge will take place virtually this year.
For more information, visit freelibrary.org/summerreading. Residents can also text a librarian with questions about programs, resources, book recommendations, or reading support. Send a text to 66746 with the keyword “askfree” followed by a space, then your question.
“This summer more than ever, neighbors are relying on one another to help our kids and families get through this tough time,” said Mayor Kenney. “Whether it is volunteering to provide free meals ata Playstreet, encouraging a young person to apply for WorkReady, or finding a safe summer experience for your child, we must all do our part to help young people have a healthy summer.”
More information and ongoing updates to summer programming, can be found here.
Testing Site Map: A new testing site finder at phila.gov/testing helps people find a free COVID-19 test in Philadelphia. Anyone can search for a site by address, click on a map location for specific site information, and filter by day of week and by drive-thru or walk-up.
Each of the testing sites has its own requirements, and that information is included for each location on the map. For example, some sites require referrals, appointments, or certain criteria for patients. No sites require payment, insurance, or proof of citizenship. Residents are strongly encouraged to call first for an appointment or referral; all necessary phone numbers are available on the map.
The finder is available in six languages, and the map will continue to be updated as new testing sites are opened.
Expanded Testing Standards: The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is now recommending COVID-19 coronavirus testing for anyone regardless of age who has a new cough, is experiencing new shortness of breath, or two of the following symptoms: fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache, new loss of taste or smell. The expansion of testing recommendations comes as a result of the increasing availability of coronavirus testing at public health and commercial laboratories. Increased testing for the coronavirus is a key part of the City’s and Pennsylvania’s plan to re-open safely. More details can be found here.
COVID-19 Resources:
by Brooklyn Fellner
PHILADELPHIA—-When I first heard of the Philadelphia basement show scene, I thought: Who would let a bunch of punk and indie kids into their home to listen to loud music? What kind of trust dynamic is that? So, when I was invited to my first house show back in my freshman year of college, I was very intrigued as to how this experience would pan out.
I walked down the twilight streets of North Philly looking for a (now retired) house venue. I followed some upperclassmen down the sidewalk before abruptly stopping at a row house. We entered through the front door and the upstairs was relatively quiet and empty, only a few punk kids were lingering in the living room. It was then I could feel vibrations below my feet, coming up through the floorboards of the brick row house.
I was led to a basement door… something I would not normally blindly trust someone to open for me. As soon as it swung open though, a blast of distorted instruments met my ears, followed by smoky mood lights and that dingy basement smell. Going down the stairs, I had to crouch down to keep from hitting my head on the two by fours that were supporting the staircase above. In this particularly spacious Philadelphia basement was a hidden world of college age kids who were sharing their music with each other. They were screaming into microphones while next to the washer and dryer. I was absolutely in love with the scene from that moment on.
Believe it or not, this is where some of your favorite bands and artists got their start; grinding out sets in basements and backyards in their hometowns. The dependency some of these artists have on playing these shows for exposure is a very big aspect in their lives as performers. They quite literally have to start in the basement before they rise to the top of their fame. In light of recent regulations and safety precautions relating to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, this beloved basement culture has been brought to a screeching halt- or at least that’s how it appears.
We have all watched the artists live streaming from their homes, performing and asking for donations that are going to an array of charities and grants for all different types of people who are struggling through this time. Local Philadelphia artists and house venues are coming up with their own means of supporting each other through livestreams and album compilations, to name a few.
One way the community has been connecting over the years is through a Facebook group called the Philly DIY Collaborative, which has over 9,800 members. In this group, artists, show goers, and venue owners of all ages share just about everything with each other in regards to the local music scene in Philadelphia. Need something to do on a Friday night? Check Philly DIY Collaborative. Need a new bass player? Check Philly DIY Collaborative. Looking to book a show or have a band play at your venue? Check Philly DIY Collaborative. (I actually posted in this group to find several people to interview, just for this article). In light of how big a part this group plays in the community, I decided to chat with Brian Walker, the founder of this Facebook group.
I asked Walker about what he has observed in the group since COVID made it impossible for anyone to play live shows. Walker told me about how he was a part of a concert series called Coping With Distopia, which can also be found on Facebook. At the time of the interview, it included 24 musicians who were affected by the quarantine who host 6 hour live streams every Friday. On top of this, each week the shows ask for donations for different “grassroots,” charity organizations, such as Michigan Abolition and Prisoner Solidarity – MAPS, and Operation “In My Back Yard”. In addition to supporting local bands, Coping With Dystopia has created a global platform. With artists from around the world and timesheets for different time zones across the globe for concert days, they want to include everyone they possibly can.
Walker began to go into how artists are working from home to create content without their bands. The name of the game for quarantine seems to be experimentation, as I learned from Walker and the several other artists I spoke with.
“I made a rap album… I’m not even a rapper!,” Walker told me while explaining how artists have so much time now for creation.
I then asked Walker about tours being cancelled and supporting acts that had just been discovered to do their first big tours to jumpstart their careers.
“People thought this was their year for what their big thing was, but the virus said no.”
This part of tours being cancelled really struck me. Of course, I was very disappointed that I had to miss so many of my favorite bigger bands who were touring in the area. But then, I thought of how many supporting acts I would never have found out about, if not for these headliners picking them up and bringing them on tour. Countless small bands were preparing for a new life of making music and touring to make it their main, professional career. Now, they have to take a hard look at how their music careers will be after the pandemic is over. Walker, however, provides some hope in this grim circumstance.
He said, “You have to change the way you do things to get your word out.”
Artists have been doing this, without a doubt, through constant support of each other. Although they may not be able to extend their talents in the traditional way of performing for crowds, artists have been, without a doubt, adapting at a rapid pace.
Maciej and Beck* (they preferred to use only their first names for privacy reasons) are owners of two house venues in Philly and have been hosting local bands in their basements. They went into depth about how they loved hosting shows and appreciated the community of people they became a part of by hosting artists and enthusiasts. Although they host shows in two different locations, they would constantly collaborate on projects surrounding shows. They kept up this collaboration by hosting livestreams on Youtube and Instagram, just as several other house venues have been doing.
On top of being hosts, the two are also working on their own music. I was interested in hearing about the process of writing and recording music from home, as I thought many artists were feeling discouraged about making new music during quarantine due to the lack of resources they have. Beck explained how it does not matter if you have a home studio or just an iPhone; music of all quality is appreciated in the Philadelphia DIY scene, and more often than not, the traditional “DIY,” sound often comes from makeshift recording equipment.
“To be like, ‘you should only be putting out music if the production level is of a certain scale,’ is one: completely against whatever DIY is really about, and two: is gatekeeping… open up your phone, download that recording app, record it and put it out,” Beck said in response.
Owen Kirchner, of the Philly punk band Common Icon (who have been featured on PhillyCAM in the past) says how he misses attending shows just as much as he misses playing them.
“I miss watching my friends support my other friends who are playing shows. We would go every weekend and now we can’t; it was such a big part of our lives,” he said.
Philadelphia punk bands are especially close, often all playing on the same bills and sharing bandmates between groups. Kirchner has played shows where he is in 2 of the 4 bands that perform, which shows just how important these close friendships and support is.
DIY artists collaborating is always an exciting way of proving how tightly knit the community is. However, I thought this would be put on hold for the foreseeable future. This was until I saw a friend of mine post an album titled Pandemic Artist Relief: Music in the Time of Covid-19 from Gardenhead Records that was available on a free streaming platform known as Bandcamp. After searching for the creators of this project, I found this compilation album was made up of small bands from all over the world who found each other through Instagram and Twitter. Not only this, but the organizers were using the revenue made off of this album for an artist release fund. I got the chance to virtually meet with the founders, Etai Fuchs and Gabriel Loredo, who met each other through Twitter. The two are from Maryland and Los Angeles, which made for an incredible range of taste in local music. They collaborated with Z Tapes Records who are from Slovakia and Blue Salt Records to come up with the idea of this compilation album.
“It started as such a small thing, just me and Gabriel talking about ideas and then saying ‘yeah, we could hit up these people,’ and then it just grew and grew and became this big thing,” Fuchs said while telling me about how much time and effort the two have been putting into making this compilation album a reality.
Most of the tracks heard on the album are covers and range from acoustic to fully produced. Fuchs and Loredo expressed how they encouraged the artists to submit their track in any way they want. Regardless of the immense creative freedom the artists had for this project, the album sounds extremely cohesive. After releasing the album, they hosted a livestream which included several of the bands who were on the album. I decided to watch this when they hosted it.
I got to see Philly band Strange Weekend, which included all three band members, who took turns doing acoustic versions of their songs. Although this was no substitute for seeing them live, I predict live streaming will be a more regular part of the underground music scene.
Livestreams have obviously been playing a huge part throughout this time where live music is banned. Chris Arenciba, who founded the Philadelphia-based Skylyne Records 3 years ago, also hosted an Instagram Livestream which showcased several local Philly artists as well as other bands from all over the country.
“I think the most important thing for everybody is to look at the situation, accept it, and start to adapt… there’s a lot of uncertainty so it’s up to us to adapt to that,” Arenciba said.
He decided to host a livestream with the guidance of Greg Seltzer, who runs Philly Music Fest each year. They were able to get sponsors and create a micro grant fund for artists who are struggling during quarantine. Skylyne plans on hosting them biweekly, with an array of all different types of bands and artists. Their first livestream alone had a response of several hundred people who donated to the artists who performed. Arenciba also added how accessible live streaming is; there’s no travel, booking agents, or extra fees added on to touring.
“It’s really easy to get some really cool artists who just care about a cause,” he said, “there are people from all over the place and the logistics of doing that in a live setting would be much different than just getting everybody together on a Zoom call… it opens up a lot of possibilities.”
Aside from the in person aspect, there is one more thing that is missing from this new way of performance: revenue. Now… every artist will most likely tell you they make music for the love of it, not for the money… but… getting paid for doing what you love is a big help in many artists’ lives who are trying to make their music into a career.
Kate Miller, an indie folk artist known as Kate Dressed Up, from South Jersey is one of these artists who have been trying to take their music to the next level of professionalism. Miller expressed how she and her bandmates had “the rug ripped out from under us.” The band had planned a tour for the beginning of the summer, and it was completely cancelled due to COVID. Miller is a supporter of certain livestreams having a fee to view as means of supporting the bands. Spotify has tried to ‘help’ by putting up a ‘tip jar,’ option for artists. However, Miller did not approve. She explained how incredibly difficult it is to get paid for streams on Spotify, a company that is worth much more than it allots its small artists.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, a very respected music outlet in the underground music scene is a free streaming website called Bandcamp. Bandcamp is unique in the way it has artists upload music and offers different payment options for streamers. Some bands upload music for free while others have a rate, and some have a “pay what you want,” option so the revenue is centralized to the artist instead of a monthly fee for the platform, like Spotify and Apple music. On May 1st of 2020, Bandcamp did something unprecedented: they waived all fees for artists. This means 100% of the money paid for an artist’s album would go directly to the band. Artists were extremely thankful for this, and pushed for their supporters to purchase their downloadable music on this date.
Although we have lost the ability to support our favorite locals in person, the internet has obviously been aiding in the experience of an artist who is being affected by COVID-19. Through livestreams, we can bring the shows to our bedrooms and still enjoy watching our friends and favorite bands do what they love; play music. When concerts were first being cancelled, I thought a huge part of my life would be missing- I work for a community radio station… local music is not only my favorite thing, it’s also my job. However, I found how incredibly adaptive this community really is. Their constant grinding to put out music, do “live,” performances, and supporting each other both emotionally and financially is incredible. WPPM, especially, is focused on local artists of all kinds, including those who play music. We want to encourage everyone to keep producing the sounds that best represent this part of Philadelphia’s rich culture. Every artist has a platform with WPPM and PhillyCAM and we will continue to support them through this pandemic. The local music scene has also shown me that live performances may be a big part of music, but it isn’t the only thing that drives artists to create; It’s the immense encouragement that comes from communities who support their local artists and keep music an important part of everyone’s lives.
From the Office of Governor Tom Wolf:
Governor Tom Wolf announced today an initial distribution of $51 million of funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to support child care providers around Pennsylvania, which will reach around 7,000 child care centers. Pennsylvania received $106 million through the CARES Act to support child care providers – this is the first distribution of two waves. Funds will be distributed to all eligible, licensed child care providers and is designed to assist providers preparing to reopen as counties move towards the yellow phase.
Learn more here.
PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Department of Public Health today announced 227 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Philadelphia. That brings the number of confirmed cases to 20,359.
The Department of Public Health noted continued progress in congregate settings, including nursing homes and the Department of Prisons. No additional incarcerated individuals have tested positive. The current total of positive cases at correctional facilities is three. Current and cumulative totals of positive cases in Philadelphia prisons are now posted on the testing and data page of the City’s COVID-19 website.
The Department of Public Health confirmed 103 additional fatalities in Philadelphia. This brings the number of residents who have succumbed to the virus in Philadelphia to 1,152. Of the 1,152 total deaths, 622 (54%) were long-term care facility residents.
The Department of Public Health reports 635 patients with COVID-19 are currently being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, with a total of 1,212 people hospitalized in the region (including Philadelphia).
City Services on Memorial Day: All City of Philadelphia offices will be closed and City services curtailed on Monday, May 25, 2020, for Memorial Day. All City buildings remain closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The City will not hold a COVID-19 media briefing on Memorial Day, but will issue a press release around 1 p.m.
Trash and recycling will not be collected on Monday, May 25. Residents who have collection on Monday should set out their trash and recycling on Monday evening after 5 p.m. for collection on Tuesday. Trash and recycling collections will be one day behind for the rest of next week.
All Philadelphia Parks & Recreation parks and trails will remain open. Barbecues, large picnics and group gatherings are not permitted. Residents are encouraged to enjoy parks safely this weekend, and visit on their own or with members of their household. This blog post shares tips for safely enjoying parks over the holiday weekend.
Many of the sites offering free food and meals will have different schedules next week due to the holiday. Residents can call 311 for help finding a food pantry, or text their zip code to 1-800-548-6479 to receive a list of nearby food pantries.
Philly311’s call center will be closed on Memorial Day. Residents can still submit requests online or through the 311 app.
All City District Health Centers, as well as the City-run COVID-19 testing site in Center City, will be closed on Memorial Day.
Philadelphia Department of Prisons executive offices will be closed on Memorial Day.
District offices of the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I); the L&I License and Permit Center at the Municipal Services Building; the Marriage License Bureau; the Free Library of Philadelphia and all of its branches remain closed.
Executive offices of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, as well as its Violations Branch at 9th and Filbert streets will remain closed until further notice. However, enforcement of safety violations will remain in effect.
Testing Site Finder: A new testing site finder at phila.gov/testing helps people find a free COVID-19 test in Philadelphia. Anyone can search for a site by address, click on a map location for specific site information, and filter by day of week and by drive-thru or walk-up.
Each of the testing sites has its own requirements, and that information is included for each location on the map. For example, some sites require referrals, appointments, or certain criteria for patients. No sites require payment, insurance, or proof of citizenship. Residents are strongly encouraged to call first for an appointment or referral; all necessary phone numbers are available on the map.
The finder is available in six languages, and the map will continue to be updated as new testing sites are opened.
Expanded Testing Standards: The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is now recommending COVID-19 coronavirus testing for anyone regardless of age who has a new cough, is experiencing new shortness of breath, or two of the following symptoms: fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache, new loss of taste or smell. The expansion of testing recommendations comes as a result of the increasing availability of coronavirus testing at public health and commercial laboratories. Increased testing for the coronavirus is a key part of the City’s and Pennsylvania’s plan to re-open safely. More details can be found here.
COVID-19 Resources:
May 19th, 2020
Governor Tom Wolf and Treasurer Joe Torsella today announced that many older homeowners, renters and people with disabilities will receive early rebates through the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program. Rebates are typically issued starting July 1, but the governor and treasurer are issuing the rebates starting tomorrow to approved applicants.
WPPM News