“What Happens  |  When Schools Close for the Academic Year?” – Teachers College Press

“VIRTUAL JOB FAIR, March 30th, 2020  | from the comfort of your own home. Now hiring for the 20-21 school year. – posted at the Columbia Borough School District facebook page.

Did Bernie win? | “We are all socialists now“ – The Washington Post OPINION

Second wave | Hong Kong’s lesson: Defeating Covid-19 demands persistence | Even though the coronavirus outbreak was still raging in mainland China in early March, the scene in Hong Kong fewer than 600 miles away looked much different. Before then, residents had hunkered down in their homes and taken the necessary protective measures so that earlier this month, the city recorded just four deaths and no new cases. Thinking the situation was under control, people there slowly returned to normal life. But Covid-19 cases surged last week, and the country has since reported more than 400 new cases. Experts are not surprised at the rebound: Many have been warning about such a resurgence if distancing measures are relaxed, and the situation currently unfolding in Hong Kong serves as a warning for other places looking to ease up on outbreak-related restrictions.” – STATNews

“How the Pandemic Will End | in this LONG READ, this column suggests “The U.S. may end up with the worst COVID-19 outbreak in the industrialized world. This is how it’s going to play out.” – The Atlantic

by-the-numbers guide to the issue | The Context: “By the numbers: Enforcing the closures – 44 warnings issued by State Police over 2 days”

• • Between $25 and $300:  One of the fines a business could receive for violating Wolf’s order to close its physical locations. Wolf’s guidance to law enforcement also told them they could issue a $10 to $50 fine under a different state law — the guidance didn’t go into detail on when to issue which fine. Pennsylvania State Police spokesman Ryan Tarkowski told WHYY’s Katie Meyer thatcosts could add up and police could eventually get a court order to shut someone down.
  • 30: Maximum number of days a business owner could go to jail for not paying one of those fines.
  • 44: That’s how many warnings Pennsylvania State Police issued on Monday and Tuesday of this week.
  • 0: The number of citations troopers issued those days. Wolf told law enforcement officers to issue a warning first.
  • 400: About how many businesses that investigators working for the City of York contacted as they enforced the ban. Philip Given, the acting director of economic and community development for the city, told me yesterday afternoon that the city planned to issue its first citation to a retail electronics business that failed to comply after a warning. He declined to name the business. “We’re not looking to put any individual establishment on blast,” Given told me.
  • 10: Counties under a stay-at-home order until April 6. They are: Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia. Businesses considered “life-sustaining” can continue to operate there, despite the increased restrictions.
  • 1,127: Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania, the department reported yesterday.
  • 11: Coronavirus deaths in Pennsylvania.
  • 2nd: The constitutional amendment some firearms enthusiasts credited for getting the governor to remove gun shops from the closure order. On Tuesday, Wolf’s office modified its list of “non-life sustaining” businesses, allowing gun shops to sell to customers, but with restrictions. In an email, a Lancaster County firearms dealer celebrated the news in the subject line: “Trop Gun Shop WON!” The gun shop challenged Wolf’s emergency declaration power in court, lost, but then took credit for putting pressure on the governor. With the victory in hand, Trop Gun Shop told potential customers that its range would be closed and the store would operate for only limited hours. It plans to sell guns through a wait list system. Customers can check in with a greeter and then receive a text message when they are allowed to come inside.