Rafaely de Melo puts on her protective mask during a class at the Pereira Agustinho daycare, nursery school and pre-school, after it reopened amid the new coronavirus pandemic in Duque de Caxias, Monday, July 6, 2020.
Silvia Izquierdo / AP Photo
Updated: 2020-07-09 14:11:20
Masks will be required inside all Pennsylvania schools
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Aaron Moselle/WHYY
Silvia Izquierdo / AP Photo
Rafaely de Melo puts on her protective mask during a class at the Pereira Agustinho daycare, nursery school and pre-school, after it reopened amid the new coronavirus pandemic in Duque de Caxias, Monday, July 6, 2020.
On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 92,867 coronavirus cases since the coronavirus pandemic began, and 6,848 deaths.
Face masks will be required inside all Pa. schools
Students and staff will be required to wear face masks when they return to school, according to new guidelines from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The guidelines — issued on the heels of an executive order requiring state residents to wear face masks whenever they leave the house — apply to all people in all school buildings who are 2 years old and older, including individuals at pre-K programs, public K-12 schools, private and parochial schools, brick-and-mortar cyber charter schools, and career and technical centers.
Under the order, students and staff are allowed to remove their masks if they are eating or drinking and at least six feet apart, seated at desks or assigned workspaces that are at least six feet apart, or engaged in any other activity and at least six feet apart.
Students with medical conditions, including respiratory issues or mental health conditions or disabilities, are not required to wear face masks at school.
New relief program will help food retailers hurt by the pandemic
Pennsylvania has launched a $10 million relief program for food retailers that offer fresh produce and other healthy grocery items to low-income residents.
Funded through the CARES Act, the Fresh Food Financing Initiative COVID-19 Relief Fund will provide one-time grants to businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic, including grocery stores, corner stores, convenience stores and neighborhood markets.
Kate Landis / PA Post
A man looks at the display at R.G. Hummer Meat & Cheese inside the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg.
The hope is that the grants will provide financial stability to these businesses while increasing access to healthy, affordable groceries.
“Pennsylvania’s food retailers stepped up to the plate to protect those putting food on the shelf, to think outside of the box to protect the most vulnerable, and to make investments to support those using assistance programs such as SNAP and WIC to support their families,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement. “I will be forever grateful to those who have worked hard to ensure food is always accessible through this pandemic; our frontline workers in grocery stores and farmers markets are among Pennsylvania’s heroes.”
To qualify, more than 50% of sales must be from staple and perishable foods. The business must also serve customers who live in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods, and it must accept the SNAP and WIC programs to the “maximum extent possible.”
Based on the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had in minority communities, priority will be given to retailers in Black and brown neighborhoods, especially minority-owned businesses. Stores located in a USDA-designated food desert will also be given preference.
Applications will be accepted through Aug. 14.
“Little is as life-sustaining as providing access to fresh, healthy food, especially in food-insecure areas. This funding will help alleviate the financial burdens placed on Pennsylvania’s food system during the pandemic and will ensure continued access to nutritional foods as we work toward greater recovery,” said Dennis Davis, secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development, in a statement.
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
Shoppers wearing a face masks to protect against the spread of new coronavirus, wait in line to enter a store on South 9th Street in Italian Market neighborhood of Philadelphia as it rains, Thursday, April 9, 2020.
Gov. Wolf extends housing protections for Pa. residents
Amid an uptick in COVD-19 cases in Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf has signed an executive order to keep homeowners and renters in their homes through August.
Under the order, lenders and property owners can not pursue foreclosure or eviction actions until Aug. 31.
“I am taking this action to help families know they will have a roof over their heads and a place to live while all of us fight the COVID-19 pandemic,” Wolf said in a statement. “It takes one more burden off of people who are struggling and ensures that families can remain in their homes so they can protect their health and well-being.”
The order takes effect on Friday, when a previous executive order suspending evictions and foreclosures is set to expire.
The new order is designed to help those who have not already received housing relief or assistance from the state, through a federal foreclosure moratorium program, or by judicial order.
It comes roughly two months after Wolf signed legislation providing $150 million for rental assistance and $25 million for mortgage assistance through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. PHFA began accepting applications July 6.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended eviction and foreclosure protections for housing until Aug. 31.
WHYY is the leading public media station serving the Philadelphia region, including Delaware, South Jersey and Pennsylvania. This story originally appeared on WHYY.org.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
