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LATEST PHILADELPHIA CORONAVIRUS NEWS

COVID-19 and opioids: Fighting on 2 fronts amid national PPE shortage

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Prevention Point Philadelphia, a nonprofit on the front lines of the fight against the opioid epidemic is now at the center of another big public health crisis problem — COVID-19. In the midst of a nationwide shortage of protective gear, the organization, which provides services for thousands of people facing circumstances such as addiction and homelessness, says they're also in dire need of essential items to stay safe.Jose Benitez, executive director at Prevention Point Philadelphia, says they’ve already cut back their services because of the COVID-19 pandemic."For example, we have a drop-in center, where homeless folks can come in to get coffee and avail themselves to services," Benitez said. "We've had to close that because of the social distancing requirements." A non-profit needs protective equipment to help city's vulnerable population He says during the pandemic they are still offering essential services including grab-and-go lunches for people who need them, addiction treatment, public bathrooms and hand-washing stations. Their doctors are also offering over-the-phone services. "What we've been able to do is transfer some of the care to telephone medicine. ... We're prescribing monthly rather than weekly. There are ways that we've adjusted to be able to meet people’s needs," he said.Benitez says they're doing everything they can to keep their staff and the thousands of people they serve safe. However, he says, with the high-risk clients they serve, the staff is in dire need."We work in a vulnerable population. They may have other health concerns that puts them at higher risk for COVID. So we're trying to make sure that we keep everybody as safe as we can under the current situation."Benitez says he realizes there’s a shortage of these items but if people can make them or if are able to find extra to donate, they would gladly accept. "We, as a nonprofit, don't have enough personal protective equipment like masks, gloves, gowns ... certainly there's a need for more of that," he said. "There’s a need for us to find some additional funding to help us purchase those personal protective equipment."He says they're trying to raise $200,000 just to fund the protective equipment they need. They're accepting financial donations online. They’ve also created an Amazon wishlist with necessities such as clothing and hygiene products.

April 02, 2020

Reading Terminal Market adapts as online orders skyrocket nearly 80-fold

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Reading Terminal Market is considered an essential business during the coronavirus pandemic, and as such, it is open for in-person shopping at fresh food merchants, as well as delivery services. But ever since the virus forced business closures and stay-at-home orders across the state, online orders have skyrocketed about 80 times more than usual.Anuj Gupta, general manager of Reading Terminal, said the volume of online orders began to increase significantly on March 7, which was the last Saturday of the Philadelphia Flower Show.“That was kind of the early onset of the crisis in the Philadelphia region,” he recalled.The market launched its e-commerce and delivery service, Mercato, about a year-and-a-half ago. Up until that point, the market would receive about 50 online grocery orders a day. Now, more people than ever before are suddenly placing online orders.“By the time we got to February 2020, we were doing on average maybe 50 orders a day, but with the COVID-19 crisis,” said Gupta, “we have surpassed 4,000 orders (in one day), and that has all happened within a span of three weeks.“At the time, I was still getting email notifications every time a Mercato order came in, and my phone was blowing up.” ⚠️UPDATES⚠️ 1️⃣ Our hardworking fulfillment team officially surpassed more than 4,000 orders in one day. We are thankful for their hard work and grateful for every customer who is chosing to #RTMShop with our small businesses. 2️⃣ Starting today, April 2, there will be a 24 hour lead time on all orders. You can still get next day delivery, but to do so you'll have to place your order by 4 p.m. the day prior. 3️⃣ If you have any questions or concerns about your @shopmercato order, the best and quickest thing to do is call or email our help desk at (215) 922-2317 or info@readingterminalmarket.org. --: Michael Bryant, @phillyinquirer A post shared by Reading Terminal Market (@rdgterminalmkt) on Apr 2, 2020 at 7:03am PDT To keep up with the demand, Gupta said they’ve had to rethink how they do business.“The main seating area, what we refer to as Center Court, half of that has now become the fulfillment center,” he said, which is now filled with shelves and tables to organize orders.“We very quickly realized we had nowhere near the capacity that we would need, and so within a matter of days, we started hiring people part time,” he added.Although online orders are not making up for lost revenue, the online portion of the business is still growing.“Once the crisis ebbs, I think the volume of online orders will fall from where we are today, but it will be substantially more than what our norm was before the crisis started,” Gupta said. We are getting a lot of questions about whether we are open to the public in addition to grocery delivery. YES - as a grocery destination, we are designated an essential business and customers are able to come #RTMShop our fresh food & grocery merchants in person if they wish (safe social distancing is encouraged throughout the Market). What does that mean for our prepared food/restaurant merchants? Many are also open for TAKEOUT/DELIVERY ONLY. You must call ahead or order online and complete payment over the phone. A post shared by Reading Terminal Market (@rdgterminalmkt) on Mar 30, 2020 at 7:23am PDT The market is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is offering free delivery for orders within a 16-mile radius.Parking is free if shoppers opt for curbside pickup.

April 02, 2020

Dave Buck: Helping Phillies ballpark workers not just good business, it's 'family'

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The first game back at the ballpark in late March or early April is always kind of a reunion for fans and seasonal employees. But this year, that gathering is on hold because of the coronavirus crisis.Who knows when, or if, it will come.Today was supposed to be the Phillies' home opener.For game-day employees, this could be a rather difficult scenario, especially if they rely on those spring and summer paychecks. That's why the Phillies, as well as every other team in Major League Baseball, are helping their ballpark employees.A couple of weeks ago, the Phils established a $1 million fund for affected workers to assist their game-day employees, many of whom have held these summer jobs for decades."The impacted workers, we're all in this together," Phillies Executive Vice President Dave Buck said. "And they’re part of our extended family. A lot of them are the first ones you see when you come to the ballpark, and we just think it’s important to do whatever little bit we can."Sheila Sacco, who works in the Diamond Club seating area, has been with the Phillies for over 30 years. Sacco said she wasn't surprised."To know that they're all worrying about us and thinking of us in this awful time, that was really terrific," Sacco said.Director of Premium Services Harold Palmer is entering his 42nd year working Phillies games. To him, this family-like atmosphere has gone back decades."It started years ago when I started there," Palmer said. "You know, with (former owner) Ruly Carpenter and (Chairman Emeritus) Bill Giles and (late former President) David Montgomery, and it just continues now. It’s an amazing place to be.""Just another part of the Phillies family being the Phillies family," said security guard Tom Neubauer, who emphasized how many of these high-ranking people over the years try to get to know their employees by their first name."Our ownership I think is spectacular," Buck said, "and they're the ones that put up the million dollars, and a lot of (the employees) are friends of mine ... I’ve seen them for 30 years. They're friends with the owners, because they've seen them for 30 years. Every year the same people keep coming back, and it's if you treat people right, they treat you right back."Buck said the details of the fund are being worked out.This fund benefits Phillies employees only, not people who work for other companies at the ballpark. Across the street at Wells Fargo Center, Comcast Spectacor is taking care of its game-day employees for Flyers, 76ers and Wings games scheduled through April 15.The Sixers are helping their hourly game-night staff, as they consider them, "the heartbeat of the organization."A lot of people who work at the ballpark say the financial help is very important to them."I do know that a lot of our employees depend on this money for everyday expenses," Nancy D'Egidio. "It's not just the love of the game. It's a paycheck."D'Egidio works in the Phillies employee meeting room on game days and is entering her 47th year with the club. She said the postponement of Opening Day certainly leaves a void."A bit strange," D'Egidio said. "After 46 years it's part of my life. ... It just feels very weird to be starting April and not having baseball."No now knows when it will be safe enough for professional sports to return, but when it does, workers say the assistance will help bring things back to normal."I do remember the feeling after coming back after 9/11, because we did miss a few games then," Sacco said. "And it was so special, because baseball is ... it's baseball. It's so much a part of our culture. And to not have it really hurts. So when we get it back it is going to be phenomenal."

April 02, 2020

Philadelphia giving nearly 16,000 boxes of food to people hit by coronavirus

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — For the second time, Philadelphia is giving out free food to help families hit hard by the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.This time, however, there are twice as many distribution sites, and there is 3.5 times as much food to give away.On Monday, city officials say, 4,600 boxes of food went out at 20 sites across the city. "And they're now packing nearly four times that: 16,000 boxes to distribute," Mayor Jim Kenney said during the city's daily coronavirus briefing on Wednesday. Philadelphia to double number of sites for free food The expansion to 40 sites and nearly quadruple the amount of food available is in response to high demand on Monday, when there were reports that some sites ran out of boxes early. At the Crest Auto Stores warehouse on Lancaster Avenue in Overbrook, for example, the food was gone within a half-hour after volunteers opened the site at 10 a.m.The time frame for distribution is still 10 a.m. to noon on Mondays and Thursdays. City officials say no ID or proof of income is required, and the limit is one box per household.Here is a list of all 40 sites. Check the city website for more information, including locations of student meal sites already in operation.Association of Former Gang Members, 2204 N. 19th St. (19121)Christ Church South Philly, 229 Moore St. (19148)Christian Compassion CDC, 6150 Cedar Ave. (19143)Christy Recreation Center, 728 S. 55th St. (19143)Cohocksink Recreation Center, 2901 Cedar St. (19134)Dare to Imagine Church, 6610 Anderson St. (19119)Delaware Valley Fairness Project, 2646 Kensington Ave. (19125)East Passyunk Community Recreation Center, 1025 Mifflin St. (19148)Feast of Justice, 3101 Tyson Ave (19149)Giving Heart Ministries, 6506 Elmwood Ave. (19142)Hank Gathers Recreation Center, 2501 W. Diamond St. (19121)Happy Hollow Recreation Center, 4800 Wayne Ave. (19144)Holy Spirit UMC, 1441 E Hunting Park Ave. (19124)Hunting Park Recreation Center, 1101 W. Hunting Park Ave. (19140)Keep the Faith Ministries, 1906 Harrison St. (19124)Miles Mack Recreation Center, 732 N. 34th St. (19104)Mitchell Elementary School, 5500 Kingsessing Ave. (19143)Mitzvah Food Program – KleinLife, 10100 Jamison Ave. (19116)Mizpah SDA, 4355 Paul St. (19124)Murphy Recreation Center, 300 W. Shunk St. (19148)Opportunity, Inc., 5900 Lansdowne Ave. (19151)Palmer Recreation Center, 3035 Comly Rd. (19154)Parkside Association, 1719 N. 52nd St. (19131)Pelbano Recreation Center, 8101 Bustleton Ave. (19152)People’s Emergency Center, 3750 Lancaster Ave. (19104)Philadelphia Citadel, 5830 Rising Sun Ave. (19120)Philadelphia Tabernacle, 3150 North Mascher St. (19133)Philadelphia Temple, 1340 Brown St. (19123)Resurgence Church, 1738 West Atlantic St. (19140)Richard and Friends, 1916 E. Venango St. (19134)Roxborough Church, 8232 Ridge Ave. (19128)Salvation Army, Philadelphia West, 5452 Arch St. (19139)SEAMAAC, 1711 S. Broad St. (19148)Shekinah SDA, 531 Chew Ave. (19120)Triumph Baptist Church, 1648 W. Hunting Park Ave. (19140)Upper Room Baptist Church, 7236 Ogontz Ave. (19138)Village of Arts and Humanities, 2544 Germantown Ave. (19133)West Kensington Ministry, 2140 N Hancock St. (19122)Wharton Square Playground, 2300 Wharton St. (19146)Young Chances, 2703 Tasker St. (19145)For additional help and information on food pantries, call the WhyHunger hotline 1-800-5HUNGRY or text your ZIP code to 1-800-548-6479.

April 02, 2020

Bucks County gets shipment of protective gear to combat coronavirus

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Bucks County officials are finally getting their hands on much-needed supplies from a variety of sources to help combat coronavirus. Bucks County Emergency Services director Scott Forster says a large shipment of supplies arrived Wednesday at the county’s Ivyland operations center. “We’ve been able to acquire over 20,000 N95 masks, over 20,000 surgical masks, almost 2,000 face shields, and over 1,600 surgical disposable gowns and many, many boxes of non-latex gloves,” Forster described. Forster says the bulk of the supplies were from the federal government’s strategic national stockpile, as well as some supply vendors the county has been working with for weeks.In the coming days, he says another large order of masks, gowns and gloves will be delivered to the county. And, next week, more bulk orders of similar materials as well as cleaning supplies will be moved into the county.But will it be enough?“I can’t say for sure if this is going to be enough or not. We’re going to have to monitor how many people get sick. We’re going to have to take a look at the burn rate of how fast our health care workers and public safety workers are going through these supplies. And, then we’re going to have to make a judgment on whether we’re going to have to order some more stuff,” Forster added. Forster says Bucks County will deliver the Wednesday shipment of items to public safety responders, long-term care facilities and hospitals by the end of the week.

April 01, 2020

Lawmakers call out Exelon for the timing of its refueling project in Montco

EAGLEVILLE, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Montgomery County officials continue to voice concerns over a Limerick nuclear generating station, which they say is violating coronavirus safety precautions and social-distancing guidelines.Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh said Exelon, the parent company of the nuclear station, brought in 1,400 to 1,800 contractors to work on the refueling project.She publicly called Exelon out during a Tuesday press briefing, saying she told the company not to go through with the project during the coronavirus crisis.“I have an enormous amount of concern,” Arkoosh said. “As we pointed out to them from the beginning, they were coming into an area of community spread here in Montgomery County, bringing in people from all over the United States. I still do not know from which states they have come.”She said county officials had a call with Exelon officials, along with members of Chester County’s government. Arkoosh listed four goals she wants Exelon to address: protecting residents of Montgomery and Chester counties, protecting already stretched first responders, protecting essential workers at the plant, and protecting the workers they brought in.Exelon spokeswoman Liz Williamson said in a statement: “Individuals who have traveled to, from or through countries listed by the CDC Warning Level 3 and Level 2 areas were flagged for further pandemic screening prior to access authorization. Similarly, individuals from certain hot spot areas of NY, NJ and CT were either denied access or flagged for additional pandemic screening before being allowed to work here.”The workers are residing in Airbnbs, private homes, hotels and campgrounds across the county.“In a moment when we are asking people to stay at home, we have a lot of people who are not staying at home,” Arkoosh added.While Arkoosh says they also have evidence social distancing and other protections are not being followed, Exelon said they have the proper precautions in place. The company also said the project was essential to keeping the plant up and running.However, Arkoosh said she talked to PJM Interconnection, which runs the power grid in the region. PJM said that even if Limerick had to power down, there would have been no danger to the plant, nor any significant threat to the region’s power supply.U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean (4th District) and state Sen. Katie Muth (D-Berks, Chester, Montgomery) also called on Exelon to improve its safety protocols during the concurrent coronavirus crisis and refueling project.“Exelon has provided an inadequate pandemic response plan, withheld information from county and state officials, and failed to prioritize the safety of its employees, contract workers, community first responders,” Muth said in a statement. “This is grossly irresponsible as Exelon has brought at least 1,400 workers to the epicenter of Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 pandemic.”She asked Exelon to provide a complete list of worker accommodations, create a 14-day quarantine protocol for workers that includes compensation, and to be transparent with area officials. Montgomery County now has 10 deaths connected to coronavirus — the latest include an 86-year-old woman from Plymouth and a 83-year-old man from Rockledge. There are at least 595 cases countywide.As of 8 p.m. Wednesday, all Pennsylvanians are under a statewide stay-at-home order from Gov. Tom Wolf, until at least April 30.

April 01, 2020

Ocean City residents adjust to shore life without beaches or boardwalks

OCEAN CITY, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — More and more Jersey Shore towns are closing off beaches and boardwalks to keep outside visitors away during the coronavirus pandemic. Ocean City was the first shore town in the area to close them. Other towns like Sea Isle and Cape May followed.Now at any boardwalk entrance in Ocean City, there are barricades that read “CLOSED For your health and safety.”For year-round residents like Ken Eielson, the closures came as a surprise.“Initially it was like, ‘why are they doing this?’ Because really, there weren’t that many people out,” he said.Since then, he’s had a change of heart, after seeing that people really seemed to be staying away from Ocean City this past week.“I realized it’s the best for everyone to not have anyone on the boardwalk or down on the beach, because ultimately, it’s about everyone’s health and wellness,” he said.Eielson was on Ocean Avenue Wednesday taking his daily walk with Elizabeth Peter — a walk they would normally take on the boardwalk. They settled for one block up.“We’re in the street — that’s where you are finding us,” said Peter. “Compliance is really important.”It’s an adjustment she’s not upset about, as she knows these temporary beach and boardwalk bans are for her safety and everyone else’s.For Randall Evans, it’s simply bad timing. He moved to Ocean City from Alaska last week — right when the beaches closed.But, he said he’ll happily hold off on his first boardwalk experience if it means staying safe from coronavirus.So far, neither Peter nor Eielson have not seen people breaking the rules.“And looking on the cameras on the boardwalk, we haven’t seen anyone,” Eielson added. “The only thing I saw was a police car on the boardwalk sitting.“Whatever happens this summer happens,” he continued. “The bottom line is we have to be safe, (or) summer may very well get deep-sixed.”

April 01, 2020

Pennsylvania Department of Corrections lays out plans to stop coronavirus spread after 4 staff, 2 inmates test positive

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections instituted a system-wide quarantine this week as the number of COVID-19 infections tick up. Secretary John Wetzel told reporters that as of Wednesday morning, two inmates at SCI Phoenix have tested positive for the coronavirus, as well as four staff members at unidentified locations. The system-wide quarantine, he said, will limit the spread.“Most of the out-of-cell time will take place on the housing unit and in small groups so we can institute social distancing where we can,” said Wetzel. “We are really trying to achieve this concept of social distancing to the extent possible.”He said inmates will eat in their cells. The only connection to the outside world will be through virtual visitation via Zoom, as well as through five free phone calls and emails each week. He also said staff started wearing cloth masks two weeks ago and there are other protocols, such as checking temperatures, use of gloves and N95 masks for intake and in the infirmary, and more.“Early on, the assumption was if coronavirus was going to come in, it was an outside-in threat,” said Wetzel, “so in taking temperatures in all our buildings, coupled with masks, we thought would delay it coming in.”Wetzel said they are doing inmate symptom checks for all who have come in contact with a positive case. So far, just over 20 inmates have been tested for the virus and most were negative.The DOC has an inmate population of about 44,000 inmates. Of that number, Wetzel notes 12,000 are on a list to be considered for release by the Pennsylvania Parole Board.These individuals have completed their minimum sentence, are in prison on technical parole violations, are medically vulnerable or are otherwise low-risk. Last month, DOC officials said 576 inmates were released, but in a typical month, 1,400 or so inmates are let go. Wetzel noted that housing and release plans must be implemented to ensure safe return of inmates to the community.Philadelphia officials announced Wednesday that 12 inmates tested positive for the coronavirus inside of Philadelphia prisons. They would not say how many staff have received the diagnosis.Earlier this week, the ACLU of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit seeking the release of medically vulnerable inmates in city jails, as well as those detained on cash bail for non-violent crimes and other low-risk offenses. Protesters also hit the streets in a car caravan demonstration, asking Gov. Tom Wolf and Mayor Jim Kenney to take action to free as many people as possible before COVID-19 spreads in the prisons.Prisons in New York and Illinois have seen swift spread of the virus once inside of the prisons, jumping from just a handful of few cases to scores in just a matter of days.

April 01, 2020

All of Pennsylvania now under orders to stay home

UPDATED: 5:50 p.m. PHILADELPHIA (AP/KYW Newsradio) — All Pennsylvania residents must stay home as much as possible to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday as he dramatically expanded the footprint of the quarantine to include the entire state.Today I am issuing a statewide Stay at Home Order to further mitigate the spread of #COVID19.Each and every one of us is responsible for protecting our families, friends, and neighbors.Keep up the hard work. We will get through this together. pic.twitter.com/rSijEWppyb— Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) April 1, 2020 The Democratic governor added 34 counties to his existing stay-at-home order, meaning that residents of all 67 of Pennsylvania's counties are now asked to stay put unless they have a legitimate reason to go out.With coronavirus infections continuing to rise dramatically in the state - nearly 1,000 new confirmed cases were reported Wednesday - Wolf called a statewide quarantine "the most prudent option.""We appreciate the shared sacrifice of all 12.8 million Pennsylvanians; we are in this together," Wolf said in a statement.The expanded order will take effect at 8 p.m. Wednesday and last through at least April 30.Residents may leave their homes for a number of reasons that include working at a business that's still open, going to the grocery store or pharmacy, visiting a doctor, caring for a relative or heading outside to exercise. Police will continue to focus on informing residents of the order rather than on enforcement, according to the governor's office.Separately, schools and nonessential businesses are closed until further notice.In other coronavirus developments Wednesday:State police reduce contactPennsylvania State Police will no longer respond in person to some types of calls as the agency tries to limit troopers' contact with the public and slow the spread of the coronavirus, officials announced.Calls for lost and found, littering, identity theft and general requests to speak to a trooper are among the types of calls that will now be resolved with "limited or no-scene response," state police said in a news release. The new policy took effect Wednesday and will be in place until further notice.State police said troopers will continue to respond to emergencies.State Police Commissioner Col. Robert Evanchick said the new policy only applies to a "limited number of call types" and that police will continue responding to critical calls.State police barracks remain open to the public, though the agency has asked that residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 or are displaying symptoms to stay away and call instead. Others should be mindful of social distancing guidelines, the agency said.Cases The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported more than 960 additional people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number to over 5,800. There were 11 new deaths for a statewide toll of 74.For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in a couple of weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.#COVID19 Update (as of 4/1/20 at 12:00 am):• 962 additional positive cases of COVID-19• 5,805 total cases statewide• 74 total deaths statewide• 42,427 patients tested negative to dateCounty-specific information + statewide map: https://t.co/7pzosEXhEX— PA Department of Health (@PAHealthDept) April 1, 2020 Philadelphia Union player tests positiveThe Philadelphia Union have announced that one of their players has tested positive for COVID-19.In a release, the Union say their medical staff has been working directly with Crozer-Keystone Health System medical officials to treat the unidentified player.The player, the team says, experienced mild symptoms and is currently feeling well and in good spirits while observing isolation protocols.Inmates releasedThe Allegheny County jail said it released more than 600 inmates in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus.From March 16 through Tuesday afternoon, the jail released 622 inmates, part of a collaboration with judges, prosecutors and others in the court system to thin the population, according to Allegheny County spokeswoman Amie Downs. The effort has resulted in a 25% decline in the jail's inmate count, to more than 1,800.The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania cited Allegheny County as a model in asking the state Supreme Court to order the release of some inmates from county jails statewide.The ACLU said in a petition this week that tight inmate quarters, a lack of sanitation, and a limited ability to treat and quarantine people suspected of having COVID-19 presents an "extraordinary public health risk" to inmates, staff and surrounding communities.In response, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association said prosecutors and local courts are already "taking measured, individualized approaches" to COVID-19 and jail populations.Courts still closedThe Pennsylvania Supreme Court extended the closures of all courts until the end of the month.All criminal and civil courts throughout the state will be closed to the public until April 30, with only a limited number of emergency hearings allowed.All jury trials have been postponed, and all other matters should be handled electronically or by phone.AG, banks offer 'CARE Package' Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro wants to help residents who are struggling right now financially because of the coronavirus pandemic."Pennsylvania and all of our small businesses need to know their rights and need to be protected," Shapiro said.So his office has joined forces with banks throughout the state.Shapiro says the initiative, called the PA CARE Package, serves several purposes."Give people a 90-day grace period for mortgages and a 90-day grace period for consumer loans, like auto loans, and a 90-day window for relief from fees and charges like late fees and overdraft fees," Shapiro said.Foreclosures and evictions are also prohibited for at least 60 days under the initiative.Trout fishing season delayedSaturday would have been the opening day for trout fishing across the state, but COVID-19 put the brakes on that.“Normally, we have an early opener in southeastern Pennsylvania. This year, we’ve pushed that back two weeks to coincide with the statewide opening day,” said Tim Schaeffer, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. “We did that for a number of reasons, but primarily for the health and safety for the anglers and our staff.”This year, staff have more time to stock trout in the creeks, streams and lakes. Volunteers are prohibited from helping this year because of the pandemic.The season now starts on April 18.___KYW Newsradio's Mark Abrams, Andrew Kramer, Matt Leon and Kristen Johanson, as well as the Associated Press, contributed to this report.© Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

April 01, 2020

Coronavirus delays start of Pennsylvania trout fishing season

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The coronavirus outbreak is delaying the start of Pennsylvania’s trout fishing season.Saturday would have been the opening day for trout fishing, but COVID-19 put the brakes on that.“Normally, we have an early opener in southeastern Pennsylvania. This year, we’ve pushed that back two weeks to coincide with the statewide opening day,” said Tim Schaeffer, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. “We did that for a number of reasons, but primarily for the health and safety for the anglers and our staff.”This year, staff have more time to stock trout in the creeks, streams and lakes. Volunteers are prohibited from helping this year because of the pandemic.Schaeffer said social distancing must be a priority for all when they go out this year.“Fishing is a permitted outdoor recreation activity, even within the stay-at-home counties that the governor has ordered,” he noted. “We really ask anglers to step up and do the right thing during these unprecedented times. No fish, no trout is worth getting someone sick. “We think it’s great that people can get out and enjoy themselves, but we ask them to please use some common sense, do so safely, and respect the space of the anglers around you.”Schaeffer said his team embraced social distancing with some help from a fishing rod.“One of our staff came up with the really clever idea of stretching your arm out with a fishing rod out, and if you can spin that around in a circle that gives you that 6-foot distance that everybody is recommending,” he added.The season now starts on April 18.

April 01, 2020