PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Department of Public Health today announced 168 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Philadelphia. That brings the number of confirmed cases to 27,069.

The Department of Public Health confirmed eight additional fatalities in Philadelphia. This brings the number of residents who have succumbed to the virus in Philadelphia to 1,625. Of the 1,625 total deaths, 834 (51%) were long-term care facility residents. PDPH notes that most of eight newly identified cases occurred a week ago or more, and have only now been identified through database matching.

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.

Travel Guidance: The Philadelphia Department of Public Health has updated the recently issued travel guidance for people traveling to or from high-incidence states. Because the number of states identified as high-incidence continues to grow, the guidance needed to be clarified. The Health Department still recommends that people should not travel to any of the states listed on the guidance map. For people coming to Philadelphia from any of those states, the Department’s primary guidance is that they should self-quarantine for 14 days. If that’s not practical, they should wear a mask at all times around non-household members, including around coworkers, and closely pay attention to their health and monitor for the development of any new onset cough, fever, or other COVID-19 symptoms. If any symptoms occur, they should stay home and seek out testing.

Paycheck Protection Program Application Extended: The deadline for businesses to apply to the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has been extended to August 8, 2020. To apply for a PPP loan, businesses must submit applications to a lender (a list of some local lenders can be found here). Recent changes that aim to make it easier for small businesses to access the relief funding include:

  • Instead of eight weeks, borrowers will now have 24 weeks from the day they get their PPP funds to use them.
  • Businesses may now use up to 40 percent of the PPP funds on non-payroll related expenses, though those expenses are still limited to utilities and mortgage interest; 60 percent of the funds must be used on payroll, reduced from 75 percent originally.
  • For any portion of the loan that is not forgiven, businesses will now have up to five years to repay, increased from the original two years.

Additional information on federal relief programs can be found on the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) website.

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.

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