Philadelphia officials are giving a COVID-19 update Tuesday as Pennsylvania is seeing a spike in both reported coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kennedy, Managing Director Tumar Alexander and Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley are expected to discuss efforts to stem the surge of infections in the city, which reported more than 2,700 new cases and 22 deaths on Monday, according to Philadelphia Public Health.
The city adopted more stringent measures to fight the disease than the state in November, closing schools and libraries, banning indoor dining and recreation and limiting the number of people allowed at indoor gatherings. The “Safer at Home” measures also restrict the number of people allowed at outdoor gatherings and ban indoor celebrations that include people from more than one household. The commonwealth last month announced travel restrictions and mask mandates.
How to watch the Philadelphia COVID-19 update today
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What: Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kennedy, Managing Director Tumar Alexander and Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley give an update on COVID-19 in the city
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Date: Tuesday, December 8, 2020
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Time: 1 p.m. ET
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Online stream: Live on CBSN Philly in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device.
According to CBS Philly, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf urged residents in a Monday briefing to continue to take precautions to limit the spread of the virus and help alleviate the burden on hospitals, but stopped short of announcing new official restrictions. According to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, a third of the commonwealth’s hospitals anticipate staffing shortages within the next week, with 5,300 people in the hospital with COVID-19 and 1,107 of those in intensive care.
“If the worst happens, hospitals will not be able to treat all sick Pennsylvanians and will be forced to turn away people who need treatment,” said Wolf. “That means more Pennsylvanians will die.”
Note: Streaming plans are subject to change
