Rachel Levine to Pennsylvania: Stay Away From the Jersey Shore!
The beaches may be reopening, but Pennsylvania's health secretary is warning Pa. residents against visiting.
Beaches at the Jersey Shore are reopening, but Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine, seen here, says Pennsylvanians need to stay away. (Photo via Commonwealth of Pennsylvania press conference)
A roundup of Philly coronavirus news.
Jersey Shore Beaches Are Reopening, but Rachel Levine Says to Stay Away
Whether you consider it a glimmer of hope or an act of sheer stupidity, Jersey Shore beaches are reopening. You may be thinking to yourself that a trip to your favorite beach at the Jersey Shore is just what your cabin fevered mind and soul need.
Heck, just yesterday, I spoke with a good friend at the Jersey Shore. She basically said, C’mon down. We’d BYO food. We’d stay outside — no in-house bathroom breaks. (Fortunately, there’s an outdoor shower drain. Ew.) There would always be six feet — heck, make it eight feet! — between us. What could go wrong?
Alas, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine is not a fan of our plan.
At a Thursday press conference, Levine told Pennsylvanians to stay away from the Jersey Shore.
“I know it’s tempting, given the warm weather that hopefully will be coming soon,” Levine said. “But going to New Jersey can have risks, because New Jersey has had a very high incidence of COVID-19. And if you go to the shore, I bet you other people will go to the shore. It will be almost impossible to practice social distancing… And so, my recommendation is for people to stay home.”
What a buzzkill. Granted, a highly educated, well informed buzzkill. But a buzzkill nonetheless.
Mayor Kenney to City: Coronavirus Is Not an Excuse to Drive Like an Asshole
OK, so Kenney didn’t use the word asshole. Although you do have to wonder at what point in the course of this coronavirus mess the man is going to resort to some good old Michael Nutter-style cursing.
Anyway, apparently one byproduct of the coronavirus crisis is stupid and dangerous driving. I’ve seen this myself. I’m out on the road quite a bit, and the number of people doing really dumb things while driving is astounding. Just yesterday, I saw a guy make a left turn while his light was red.
And this wasn’t one of those, Oh, the light just turned red situations. This was one of those, Oh, the light has been red for at least ten seconds and there is a family with young children about to cross the street, but I am going to go through the red light anyway situations.
This isn’t just anecdotal. Police have reported an increase in dangerous driving. And on Thursday, Kenney warned drivers about such behavior.
“With fewer cars on the road, some people think it is OK to speed, make illegal movements, or run red lights and stop signs,” he said. “This unsafe behavior has to stop.”
There were three traffic deaths in all of April in Philly. In a matter of days just this week, we have already equaled that number this month.
Also on the increase: groups riding their dirt bikes and ATVs through the streets. This happens with some frequency where I live in West Philly. And I enjoy watching the older neighbors shake their heads at the young bikers, while my kids stand there waiting for them to pop wheelies.
Kenney warned that it’s illegal to drive these bikes on city streets and that police are prepared to confiscate the vehicles, though from what I’ve observed, police have been inclined to do squat about this issue. The mayor asked snitches — sorry, residents — to call police and report any groups of riders.
Coronavirus? What Coronavirus? The Eagles Plan to Start Playing in August
Will Philadelphia be in what Governor Tom Wolf calls the green phase (aka life back to something resembling normality) by August? The Philadelphia Eagles sure hope so.
The National Football League just released football schedules for the 2020-2021 season. And the Eagles are scheduled to be on the field in August with preseason games.
Then regular season kicks off on Sunday, September 13th, with the Eagles visiting the Washington Redskins. Our first regular season game at home is against the Rams on September 20th. Click here for the full Eagles schedule.
And if you’re thinking that the Eagles even having a season is a really bad idea, you’re not alone.
