PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Department of Public Health today announced 107 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Philadelphia. That brings the number of confirmed cases to 36,111. 

The Department of Public Health confirmed two additional fatalities in Philadelphia. This brings the number of residents who have succumbed to the virus in Philadelphia to 1,791. Of the 1,791 total deaths, 886 (49%) were long-term care facility residents.

Contact Tracing Update (September 13 through September 19): Of 686 cases reported that were not managed by partner organizations, 68 percent were interviewed to identify contacts (7 percent had no known telephone number, 15 percent did not respond to calls, 7 percent were not called because the health department received the report more than ten days from the test date, and 3 percent refused). Of contacts named, 78 percent were reached and agreed to quarantine.

$20 Million in Additional Funding for Small Business Relief: The City today announced that it would allocate an additional $20 million dollars for grants to help Philadelphia’s small businesses weather the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding comes from the federal Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) that the City received from the U.S. Treasury. The CARES Act authorized payment of these funds to states, local governments with populations of 500,000 or more, and tribal governments.

This $20 million from the CRF will be directed to the COVID-19 Relief Pennsylvania Statewide Small Business Assistance program to support additional Philadelphia businesses. Instead of launching a new program and application process, the Department of Commerce opted to provide additional resources to the existing statewide program coordinated by the PA Community Development Finance Institution Network. The CRF money will be used to make grants specifically to the most-impacted Philadelphia-based businesses—with a focus on those in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods.

The COVID-19 Relief Pennsylvania Statewide Small Business Assistance program launched in June and announced its first round of grantees in August, with 1,123 Philadelphia businesses receiving $20.4 million. However, there was a gap of over $150 million in unmet need for Philadelphia businesses alone. A second, final round of grant recipients is expected to be announced in the next week. Philadelphia’s $20 million will be used to provide grants for some of the applicants who remain unfunded after the second round.

This new funding is in addition to the more than $13.3 million the City already distributed to 2,083 small businesses earlier this year through the Philadelphia COVID-19 Small Business Relief Fund, administered by the Department of Commerce and PIDC. Even with these various rounds of financial assistance, local small businesses are still in overwhelming need of more support—estimated at more than $300 million. The City will continue to advocate for the state and federal governments to match the level of local investment being made and to provide more flexible funding to help meet the needs of small businesses impacted by COVID-19.

Philly Drive-In Extended: Philadelphia Parks & Recreation today announced that The Philly Drive-In, presented by T-Mobile, will extend its season through Halloween to meet high demand. The free drive-in movie series takes place in the parking lot in front of the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in West Fairmount Park and launched this year to offer residents a fun, socially-distant park activity. October films are all Halloween-themed, and Friday nights offer double-features of some classic horror films. Reserve tickets at: thephillydrivein.eventbrite.com.

Approved Weekend Street Closures for Outdoor Dining (September 24-27): In June, the City launched four new options for restaurants to operate outdoor dining in order to earn much needed revenue. These new options aim to support businesses during the city’s green phase of reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic. To see this weekend’s approved street closures, view this blog. Vehicular traffic should avoid these streets.

Daily Trash and Recycling Update: Residents can check the daily trash and recycling update blog post to see the current status of trash and recycling collections.

  • Trash: On schedule, residents should put out trash on their regular collection day.
  • Recycling: On schedule, residents should put out recycling on their regular collection day.

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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