The Philadelphia Department of Public Health today announced 298 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Philadelphia. That brings the number of confirmed cases to 25,991. Today’s case count represents totals for three days, since new cases were last reported on Friday, June 26.

The Department of Public Health noted continued progress in congregate settings, including nursing homes and the Department of Prisons. Current and cumulative totals of both symptomatic and asymptomatic positive cases in Philadelphia prisons are now posted on the testing and data page of the City’s COVID-19 website. 

The Department of Public Health confirmed no additional fatalities in Philadelphia. The number of residents who have succumbed to the virus in Philadelphia remains at 1,579. Of the 1,579 total deaths, 810 (51%) were long-term care facility residents.

“Daily COVID case counts in Philadelphia are no longer falling,” said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. “That, combined with the rise of cases throughout the country, is troubling. To protect Philadelphia’s residents from a resurgence of the coronavirus, we will be cautious about any further re-starting of activities. Philadelphia residents should be consistent in wearing masks when around others, safely distancing from each other, and washing hands frequently.”

City officials will provide a further update on the status of the move to Green during the press availability tomorrow, Tuesday, June 30, 2020.

City Announces Phase 2 of COVID-19 Rental Assistance Program: Today the City and PHDC announced a second phase of rental assistance for tenants affected by COVID-19. PHDC will begin accepting applications on July 6 at PHLRentAssist.org. Applications may be submitted until September 30 or when funding runs out. The first phase of rental assistance was able to assist more than 4,000 tenants. However, nearly 13,000 tenants applied to the program. Phase 2 will allow about 6,300 more renters to get help. Funding comes to Pennsylvania from the federal CARES Act. The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency is distributing funds to each county in the state. Philadelphia’s share is $28.45 million. Funding will be awarded for qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.

COVID-19 Relief Pennsylvania Statewide Small Business Assistance Program: A new program from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will provide grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to small businesses (under $1 million in annual revenue and 25 or fewer employees) that have been economically impacted by COVID-19. Applications—which will be available beginning tomorrow, June 30—will be accepted through the Pennsylvania CDFI Network. The network comprises 17 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) that will support small businesses throughout the Commonwealth to access the grant funds. A new website set up for the grant program, pabusinessgrants.com, includes important details for prospective applicants including: 

  • Eligibility requirements for businesses, including priority criteria
  • Potential grant amounts based on business revenue
  • What business owners can prepare now for their application

Eligible businesses will be able to use the grants to cover operating expenses during the shutdown and transition to re-opening, as well as technical assistance including training and guidance for business owners as they stabilize and relaunch their businesses. More information is available in a blog post from the City’s Department of Commerce. 

Report on Philadelphia COVID-19 Small Business Relief Fund: The City of Philadelphia and PIDC today released a report analyzing the impact of the Philadelphia COVID-19 Small Business Relief Fund, which was designed to support Philadelphia small businesses, help maintain payroll obligations, and preserve jobs impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A total of 2,083 small businesses were selected to receive $13.3 million from the Philadelphia COVID-19 Small Business Relief Fund. The preservation of jobs was a key component of the Relief Fund, which according to the analysis, supported businesses that employed over 15,600 people prior to March 1, 2020. The average number of jobs per awardee was 7.5 and 80 percent of businesses approved had fewer than 10 employees prior to March 1, 2020, aligning with the Relief Fund’s goal to serve the city’s smallest businesses.

The businesses that received awards stretch across Philadelphia, with 57 percent located in low-to-moderate income census tracts. Zip codes with the highest approval rate (greater than 50 percent) all have poverty rates greater than the city’s average of 25 percent. According to self-reported demographic information, 66 percent of awards went to minority business owners, while 32 percent went to woman-owned businesses. Awards were given to businesses from a diverse set of industries including food and hospitality, personal services, retail, and many more. Read the full report here, which includes a map of approvals by zip code.

Testing Site Map: A testing site finder at phila.gov/testing helps people find a free COVID-19 test in Philadelphia. Anyone can search for a site by address, click on a map location for specific site information, and filter by day of week and by drive-thru or walk-up.

COVID-19 Resources:

Resources for Media:

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