Philly is not close to reopening, according to Pa.’s criteria | Morning Newsletter

We’ll kick things off this morning with a quick break from the coronavirus: the NFL draft. It was the closest thing we’ve had to live sports in about a month and the Eagles pulled off one of the draft’s biggest surprises.

As for the coronavirus, officials in Pennsylvania had to clarify their plans for reopening sections of the state and we could get a look at New Jersey’s and Delaware’s plans soon, as they’re preparing to release them.

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

Confusion following the state government’s release of a plan for reopening some Pennsylvania regions led officials to clarify their criteria. Here’s the latest: The total new reported cases over 14 days has to be fewer than 50 per 100,000 residents for a region to start reopening. As of yesterday, Philadelphia’s 14-day total per 100,000 residents was 392. That’s about seven to eight times higher than the goal.

New Jersey and Delaware are preparing to release their plans for reopening, too. There’s a chance that a blueprint of New Jersey’s plan will be released today, but Gov. Phil Murphy admitted that a number of counties including Camden, Gloucester, and Burlington in South Jersey had “slid backward” in recent days.

Philadelphians are adjusting to new routines that they hope will protect them from the coronavirus. And Philly cops are no exception. But there’s really no getting around the fact that their jobs put them at a heightened risk for getting COVID-19.

My colleague David Gambacorta spoke with multiple cops, from rank-and-file officers to supervisors, who expressed a range of views on the virus and its impact on the police department. Some think the media has overhyped the threat of the virus but most say there’s a sense of anxiety in their daily lives and want the city to do more to keep them safe or informed.

Government leaders and public health officials agree that reopening the U.S. economy will trigger a resurgence in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths unless there’s widespread, timely, and repeated diagnostic testing. And that applies to people who are showing and not showing coronavirus symptoms.

But three months into the crisis, the U.S. testing capacity isn’t where it needs to be. Despite Congress’ passing a bill that includes $25 billion for expanding testing, those on the front lines are concerned that corporate interests, coordination issues, politics, and regulations could make things difficult.

Apparently, the social distancing guidelines don’t apply to ducks. Great shot, @theurbanbeachbum.

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!

“Pandemic pandemonium has been the norm for weeks in our house, ever since the kids were ripped out of school and confined at home, like all the rest of us, on orders of a Pennsylvania governor trying to contain the COVID-19 contagion. Work and home life are now ONE. Our cubicle-mates are now our children.” — writes columnist Maria Panaritis about the high drama of the coronavirus at home with two elementary school-aged kids.

Keep these responses coming. I’m still working through my inbox, but I really appreciate all the recommendations for what you’re reading, watching, listening to, eating, etc. Send your messages to morningnewsletter@inquirer.com.

Today’s rec comes from Marlene Smolen. Marlene wrote about enjoying Dispatches from Elsewhere, a Philly-set TV show on AMC.

Marlene likes the show because it is “strange, beautiful and set in Philly," adding that it’s “so much fun to see our city featured.”

The season one finale airs tonight at 10, but you can binge it all.

We asked Philadelphia spoken word artists Luis Marrero and Carina Paulino to write a letter of resilience to the city. They partnered with my colleagues to create a powerful video reminding us all of how strong we are when we stay together.