March 26, 2020HEATHER KHALIFA / Staff PhotographerPa. hotels volunteer to make room for patients as state braces for possible coronavirus surgeby Wallace McKelvey of PennLive | The Patriot-NewsState officials have repeatedly declined to detail exactly what their planning entails, but they are likely to follow the example of other states that have taken significant steps.
March 26, 2020JESSICA GRIFFIN / Philadelphia InquirerPa. coronavirus shutdown wreaks havoc on economy as new unemployment claims top 645,000by Rebecca Moss of Spotlight PAThe state is averaging a whopping 64,574 new claims per day.
March 25, 2020Joe Hermitt / The Patriot-NewsPa. lawmakers approve $50 million in emergency coronavirus funding for needed medical suppliesby Gillian McGoldrick of LNP | LancasterOnlineThe House and Senate passed several emergency measures Wednesday, with many lawmakers participating remotely.
March 25, 2020TIM TAI / Philadelphia InquirerLong-term care workers demand more protection as Pa. reports first coronavirus cases at nursing homesby Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PAIn a letter sent Monday, groups that represent the state’s nursing and long-term care centers asked Gov. Tom Wolf for $290 million in emergency funding.
March 25, 2020ELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Philadelphia InquirerPa. unemployment claims skyrocket to 540,000 since coronavirus shutdown, shattering recordsby Rebecca Moss of Spotlight PA"There are going to be a lot more," says the ranking Democrat on the Senate labor and industry committee.
March 24, 2020Screenshot via Pa. House livestreamPa. lawmakers gather at Capitol despite remote voting and calls for ‘social distancing’by Gillian McGoldrick of LNP | LancasterOnlineMany Republicans said they felt conflicted about balancing their duties as elected officials with their responsibilities as individuals to stop the spread of the coronavirus by staying home.
March 24, 2020Commonwealth Media ServicesPa. businesses are challenging Gov. Tom Wolf’s emergency powers. So far, Wolf’s winning.by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PAAdvisers to Wolf say state law gives the governor broad powers to deal with a crisis.
March 24, 2020Contributed photoPennsylvania ‘particularly ill-prepared’ for financial blow caused by the coronavirusby Charlotte Keith of Spotlight PAThe scale of the shortfall will become clearer in about a week, an official said, when final revenue numbers for March are released, coming in “many millions under estimate.”
March 24, 2020Kalim A. Bhatti / Philadelphia InquirerPa. legislature pledges transparency as it prepares to vote remotely on coronavirus reliefby Gillian McGoldrick of LNP | LancasterOnlineMembers of the public will be able to watch what happens on a live stream, a measure both the House and Senate are taking to ensure there’s transparency during the coronavirus outbreak.
March 24, 2020MONICA HERNDON / Staff PhotographerQuarantining patients at Pa. drug treatment centers could pose risk, but many have nowhere else to goby Aneri Pattani of Spotlight PASome people in treatment centers have nowhere to go. With recovery houses and homeless shelters closing to new entrants, alternatives are dwindling.
March 23, 2020Commonwealth Media ServicesPa. Gov. Tom Wolf extends school closures until early April, issues stay-at-home order for 10 countiesby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PAThe order requires residents to remain inside except for essential trips such as buying food or seeking medical help.
March 23, 2020Commonwealth Media ServicesGov. Tom Wolf’s office says he was tested for coronavirus, then backtracks and says he wasn’tby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PAThe governor's chief of staff apologized for the mistake and said the governor never got a test.
March 23, 2020JESSICA GRIFFIN / Philadelphia InquirerFULL LIST: What you can and can’t do under Gov. Tom Wolf’s coronavirus ‘stay-at-home’ orderby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PAThe order, which applies to seven Pa. counties, allows going for walks outside, caring for family members and getting groceries.
March 22, 2020JOSE F. MORENO / Philadelphia InquirerGov. Tom Wolf says Pa. coronavirus business restrictions, school closures could extend beyond two weeksby Sarah Anne Hughes and Angela CouloumbisThe State Police will begin enforcement Monday against businesses in violation of Wolf's shutdown order.
March 22, 2020TIM TAI / Philadelphia InquirerWhy workers’ compensation might not provide relief for Pennsylvanians sickened by the coronavirusby Rebecca Moss of Spotlight PAPa. officials say those who contract the coronavirus on the job might be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. But legal and public health experts say that help may be very hard to obtain.
March 21, 2020TOM GRALISH / Philadelphia Inquirer‘It’s going to hurt’: Struggling Pa. towns brace for financial gut punch from the coronavirusby Charlotte Keith of Spotlight PAAs businesses close or cut back and workers are laid off, much needed revenues could plummet.
March 20, 2020Kalim A. Bhatti / Philadelphia InquirerEvictions, student loans, PSSAs, and more: What Pa. lawmakers are proposing in response to the coronavirusby Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA and Gillian McGoldrick of LNP | LancasterOnlinePennsylvania’s lawmakers may be working from home, but they’re still introducing a number of bills to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus.
March 20, 2020Commonwealth Media ServicesAdvocates call on Pa. officials to reduce inmate population amid coronavirus outbreakby Joseph Darius Jaafari of PA Post and Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PACorrections leaders, along with advocates for incarcerated persons, believe the spread of COVID-19 inside prisons is imminent.
March 20, 2020Commonwealth Media Services (custom credit)Pa. supply chain disruptions imminent without change to shutdown order, manufacturers sayby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PAThe association representing Pennsylvania’s largest manufacturers is asking Gov. Tom Wolf to revise his order directing all but “life-sustaining” businesses to shut down.
March 20, 2020TIM TAI / Staff PhotographerDemand for ICU beds in Pa. will greatly surpass availability if coronavirus hits hardby Nathaniel Lash of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Brett Sholtis of WITFPennsylvania’s ICU units will need 2.5 to 7 times the number of beds they can likely make available, a new estimate shows. Just how great the need is will depend on how much of the population the virus ends up infecting — and how quickly.
March 19, 2020JESSICA GRIFFIN / Philadelphia InquirerUPDATED: A full list of which Pa. businesses must close, which are 'life-sustaining' under new coronavirus shutdown orderby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PAA complete guide to Gov. Tom Wolf's expanded order to shutdown Pennsylvania businesses in response to the coronavirus.
March 19, 2020Commonwealth Media Services (custom credit) / Commonwealth Media Services: Natalie KolbGov. Tom Wolf orders all Pennsylvania businesses that aren’t “life-sustaining” to close, will enforce orderby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PAGov. Tom Wolf on Thursday evening will announce that he is extending his shutdown order to apply to all but “life-sustaining” businesses as the novel coronavirus continues to spread.
March 19, 2020JOSE F. MORENO / Philadelphia InquirerPennsylvania police cut services, plan for shortages as coronavirus spreadsby Matt McKinney of Spotlight PA“It's not like you can go out and arrest a bad guy and stop a problem. That's not going to stop this,” the police chief in Scranton said.
March 19, 2020Commonwealth Media ServicesPa. eases take-home restrictions on meds for people in opioid recovery to reduce clinic crowdsby Aneri Pattani of Spotlight PASome patients in treatment for opioid use disorder will be able to take home up to a month’s supply of methadone, Pennsylvania officials announced Wednesday.
March 19, 2020JESSICA GRIFFIN / Philadelphia InquirerUnemployment claims in Pa. and N.J. surge in wake of the coronavirusby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Wendy Ruderman and Dylan Purcell of the Philadelphia InquirerPennsylvania officials received 120,000 claims for unemployment benefits in the space of two days — more than half of what they received in the entire first quarter of 2019.
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