Philly cops can issue $100 fines to people who violate coronavirus order; Trump warns of ‘very painful’ two weeks
With language, internet challenges slowing access to relief funds, Philly bodega owners struggle to stay open
At the Jesús Grocery Store on 22nd Street and Lehigh Avenue on Friday, five customers at a time visited the bodega.
Francisco Peralta, 45, owns the store and has been serving a predominantly African American community in North Philadelphia for the last four years. He said Friday’s brisk business was the first time he’d seen such activity in recent days.
“Either people got paid or the weather seems appealing [to go out], but if things continue as we’ve seen, I’ll have to close the store in two weeks,” he said of the previous dramatic drop in business.
“If we don’t have access to loans that guarantee our sustainability during this crisis, most bodegas will soon be out of business,” he said, wearing gloves and a mask as he stood behind the counter.
N.J. Gov. Murphy defends his statewide stay-at-home order; resists criticizing Pa.'s partial one
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy didn’t go so far as to criticize Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf or any of the other leaders of states that have not enacted statewide stay-at-home orders in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus as, for instance, New Jersey and New York have.
But during an interview on CNN Tuesday night Murphy defended his decision to impose a statewide order while acknowledging the inherent inconveniences and sacrifices.
“We’re putting our people through hell and back and by the way, we have to, this is a war,” Murphy told host Anderson Cooper. “We have to behave like it’s a war. There’s no time to panic but it is certainly no time for business as usual. The last thing we need is if we crack the back of this, and we will … for that to get undone.”
After Cooper again tried to elicit comment about states without border-to-border stay-at-home orders —such as Pennsylvania, where Wolf’s directive applies to 33 of the 67 counties — Murphy again defended his statewide directive rather than criticize others. Sort of.
“I don’t know how you can come to a different conclusion,” he said.
Camden and Bucks Counties each report three more coronavirus deaths
Camden and Bucks Counties on Tuesday each reported three new deaths resulting from the coronavirus — bringing the total in each county to six.
Camden County’s health department described the victims there as a Cherry Hill woman in her 90s, a Camden woman in her 50s, and a Winslow Township man in his 60s. The county also reported 41 new COVID-19 cases.
In Bucks County, the new victims were a man in his 90s and another in his 80s. The third victim was a woman in her 60s. Two were not known to have had the coronavirus until after they died.
Thirty-one more residents in Bucks County tested positive for COVID-19. Twenty-nine were hospitalized, with nine in critical condition.
At least 63 people have died in Pennsylvania because of the coronavirus.
Earlier in the day, New Jersey reported 69 new deaths for a total of 267 virus-related fatalities.
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