Trying to figure out how you’ll pay back your small-business loan? Or better yet, get it forgiven? The Small Business Administration last week released a long-awaited request form for business owners who took out Paycheck Protection Program loans and want the debt forgiven. | From: The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)
Dentists could charge a personal protective equipment fee directly to patients or raise prices to account for the additional expense after two months without any income. Patient advocates worry that rising dental costs will inevitably fall on families who are already struggling financially during the pandemic. | From” The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)
Capitulating to pressure from advocates for the homeless, the Kenney administration agreed Thursday to test people living in an encampment at Philadelphia International Airport for the coronavirus before placing them in shelters. City officials had planned to break up the group of 50 to 100 individuals on Friday morning without testing. But after advocates and those who provide housing and services for the homeless threatened a lawsuit, the city decided to hold off on dispersing the encampment until Tuesday, after what it described as “rapid testing” is completed. | From: The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)
Philadelphia has added more COVID-19 testing capacity, opening a new site at the Health Center 5 community clinic on North 20th Street in the city’s Stanton neighborhood. Health Commissioner Thomas Farley pointed to the disproportionate effects of the coronavirus on Black communities, as well as low-income communities, as reasons why the city had chosen North Philadelphia for testing availability. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
As with heat, low-wage workers and communities of color have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Without safeguards against the heat in place, the compounding risk factors could lead to an increase of fatalities within these vulnerable communities, epidemiologists say. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
As the novel coronavirus pandemic wears on, at least 124,000 U.S. schools containing roughly 55.1 million students have been closed. As schools pivot to remote learning as a result, school districts in cities like Washington D.C., Sacramento, and Philadelphia are working to ensure that students can access their digital classes by putting laptops directly in the hands of students. With more than a quarter of residents living below the poverty line and growing gaps between rich and poor school districts across Pennsylvania, Philadelphia’s efforts are particularly important. | From: Next City (Read more.)
Officials at Philadelphia International Airport had initially planned Friday to remove the between 50 and 100 homeless people who have been sleeping at a baggage claim area underutilized during stay-at-home orders. But airport and city officials agreed to wait until Tuesday after homeless advocates threatened to file a lawsuit if the people were moved to shelters without being tested. | From: NBC 10 Philadelphia (Read more.)
Workers at the Philadelphia Museum of Art have filed a petition with management with the intent to form a labor union. Organizers claim the petition was filed by a majority of eligible employees across many departments. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
The public utility of the internet is especially clear now during the pandemic when most of the city’s official communications and resources are accessible only online. | From: The Notebook (Read more.)
Philadelphia Youth Network will work with businesses and organizations to think through how to design and maintain virtual internships. | From: The Notebook (Read more.)
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