Philly Coronavirus News: You Can Probably Forget About Public Pools in Philadelphia This Summer

A Philadelphia public pool that likely won’t be open this summer thanks to proposed coronavirus cutbacks. (Image via City of Philadelphia)

A roundup of Philly coronavirus news.

Public Pools in Philadelphia Will Likely Be Closed This Summer Thanks to Coronavirus Crisis

Public pools in Philadelphia provide much needed relief to residents during the hazy, hot and humid days of summer. Alas, there won’t be any public pools in Philadelphia this summer, if the new budget proposal goes into effect.

The proposal to keep the Philly pools closed this summer is part of a series of service cutbacks the administration wants to put in place to combat the huge losses the city faces as a result of the coronavirus. (Of course, you may be wondering if it’s even safe to swim in a pool to begin with. The CDC has said that there is “no evidence” that the coronavirus can be spread through the use of pools.)

You can also look forward to big tax hikes, from property taxes to the wage tax and other taxes in between.

Officials have also said that the city expects to lay off “several hundred” employees.

Here is a video address that Mayor Kenney just released about the whole mess:

City Quintuples Fine for Coronavirus Stay-at-Home Violators

OK, all you sunbathers, picnickers, and socializers in Rittenhouse Square. With the weekend forecast calling for bright, sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s, plenty of you are probably planning on heading back to the park that you overpopulated last weekend.

But Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has announced that the maximum fine for stay-at-home violators has jumped from $100 to $500. And businesses caught violating the shutdown orders for non-essential businesses or other orders related to the coronavirus crisis face fines of as much as $2,000. That’s per violation. Per day. These business fines previously maxed out at $300.

“I want to thank everyone who has been doing their part to stay home and help us stop the spread of this virus,” Kenney said on Thursday. “We want to ensure that people and businesses are taking the continued restrictions seriously… If you don’t follow the orders, we will fine you and take you to court… People need to follow the rules… Money gets people’s attention, sad to say…”

Penn Students Want Tuition Rebates Amid Coronavirus Campus Cancelations

A couple of weeks ago, we told you that a Drexel student had filed a class-action lawsuit against the university demanding refunds of tuition and fees. His argument was that Drexel students are paying a ton of money for a prestigious on-campus, face-to-face experience, not an inferior online learning model.

The same argument is now being used by University of Pennsylvania student Asha Smith. She has filed a federal class-action suit against the University of Pennsylvania seeking tuition refunds and forgiveness for herself and her fellow students.

“Common sense would dictate that the level and quality of instruction an educator can provide through an online format is lower than the level and quality that can be provided in person,” reads the suit. Smith goes on to claim that while some of the classes are “live” online, allowing for interaction between professors and students, others are simply prerecorded videos that have no back-and-forth.

The suit points to this Change.org petition launched by another Penn student in March seeking tuition refunds for students. That petition now has more than 1,300 signatures.