Image courtesy of SEPTA.

As Philadelphia has moved into the Yellow coronavirus re-opening phase and ridership is expected to grow, all SEPTA riders will now be required to wear a mask or facial covering. The new requirement goes into effect on Monday, June 8. In April, SEPTA asked riders to wear a facial covering to help spread COVID-19 on public transportation, but it wasn’t a requirement. SEPTA employees will “engage customers to remind them about the requirement starting Monday,” according to an announcement by SEPTA released Friday.

SEPTA returned to regular transit service on May 17, with rider limits for buses and trolleys still in effect. This will continue throughout the Yellow Phase. There are also signs marking off seats to indicate where passengers should sit to maintain a safe space.  Continue Reading

Today Philadelphia entered the “yellow” coronavirus re-opening phase, which allows in-person sales at retail stores with some restrictions. Food trucks and limited walk-up service at cafes and restaurants are also allowed. Outdoor dining at restaurants is not re-opening this Friday while the city is still working on safety guidelines, which are expected to be released by next week. Outdoor dining is now expected to start operating by June 12.

The City released Re-opening Guidelines for businesses and institutions last week. While stay-at-home orders are lifted in the yellow phase, residents should still follow safety practices, like social distancing, wearing facial coverings and more. Check out the city’s “Safer at Home” guide for more information and instructions for the yellow re-opening phase.

“This move to yellow is welcome, but it is not by any means a return to normalcy,” Mayor Jim Kenney said last Friday when the guide was released. While public gatherings up to 25 people are allowed in the yellow phase in the state of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia authorities are still not recommending gatherings of any kind.

UPDATE (6/6/2020): Aldi supermarket at 46th and Market Streets has reopened to shoppers. The store was broken into and looted on Sunday night, according to staff.

UPDATE (6/5/2020): The ShopRite located at ParkWest Town Center (52nd and Jefferson), which was ransacked by looters on Sunday, will reopen this coming Sunday (June 7) at 7 a.m. Read more here. There will also be a free produce giveaway at 52nd and Parkside this Sunday, June 7, beginning at 9 a.m. Please bring your own bag!

The citywide curfew will resume at 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 4.

UPDATE (6/3/2020): Neighbors are reporting that Rite Aid and Walgreens on the 300 and 100 block of North 63rd Street were looted and Rite Aid was set on fire Sunday night. Many people, especially senior citizens, are now unable to get their medication.  Continue Reading

We won’t know the official results for more than a week, but it looks like a couple of upsets are brewing following Tuesday’s primary election.

It looks like Amen Brown will be the Democratic candidate in November for the State House of Representatives 190th District. Several news outlets have already projected Brown to win the seat. He had about 49 percent of the votes as of Wednesday. G. Roni Green, who won the seat in a special election earlier year, stood in second place with 29 percent.

The results won’t be final until mail-in ballots are counted, which could take several days, according to election officials.  Continue Reading

UPDATE: Tonight’s curfew will begin at 8:30 p.m. to allow residents time to vote and return home after voting.

It’s Election Day across Pennsylvania. In West Philly, voters will cast primary ballots for competitive races for state House of Representatives and Auditor General, select delegates to this year’s party conventions and respond to two ballot questions related to Philadelphia.

Polling places around the city have been consolidated, so find your polling place here if you aim to vote in person. Polls are open until 8 p.m. If you are in line by then, you will be able to vote.

There are a couple of things you can do if you still have your mail-in ballot. You can still mail it in following Gov. Tom Wolf’s emergency declaration extending the mail-in ballot deadline a week to June 9. Or, you can drop off your ballot at one of the several drop-off points around the city, including the Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library at 125 S. 52nd St. (52nd and Sansom).  Continue Reading

West Philly residents who are voting by mail-in or absentee ballots in the June 2 primary election can drop them off this Saturday, May 30 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Boys Latin School (55th and Cedar). Personnel from the Board of Elections will be collecting ballots all across the city this weekend as part of a mobile ballot drop-off initiative. Click here to see other locations.

You can also use the drop box (open 24/7) installed at the City Hall, between the Octavius Catto statue and the south entrance:  Continue Reading