A United States Postal worker makes a delivery with gloves and a mask in Philadelphia, Thursday, April 2, 2020. The U.S. Postal Service is keeping post offices open but ensuring customers stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) apart. The agency said it is following guidance from public health experts, although there is no indication that the new coronavirus COVID-19 is being spread through the mail.
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
A United States Postal worker makes a delivery with gloves and a mask in Philadelphia, Thursday, April 2, 2020. The U.S. Postal Service is keeping post offices open but ensuring customers stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) apart. The agency said it is following guidance from public health experts, although there is no indication that the new coronavirus COVID-19 is being spread through the mail.
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
A United States Postal worker makes a delivery with gloves and a mask in Philadelphia, Thursday, April 2, 2020. The U.S. Postal Service is keeping post offices open but ensuring customers stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) apart. The agency said it is following guidance from public health experts, although there is no indication that the new coronavirus COVID-19 is being spread through the mail. (Matt Rourke / AP Photo)
Gov. Tom Wolf wants all Pennsylvanians to wear a homemade mask when they leave their home.
He made that recommendation during a Friday afternoon news conference. The announcement came hours before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the same recommendation that Americans wear cloth masks or facial coverings in certain public settings.
The #Masks4All effort gained traction all week, as The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Anna Orso explained earlier. (U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., spoke on March 28 in support of wearing homemade masks or even a bandanna. New Mexico’s governor on Thursday urged people to wear a face covering in public.)
Wolf and Pa. Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine say you don’t need a surgical mask — they want you to leave those for health care professionals. And they reminded Pennsylvanians that staying home is the best way to stop the spread of coronavirus.
If you have to go out, the experts are now saying, masks can help protect you and, just as importantly, other people. The Wolf administration provided some directions and tips for mask-making. You’ll need fabric (100 percent cotton is considered most-effective), fabric ties, a sewing machine or a needle and thread. Many news organizations have published instructions for DIY masks:
The New York Times: How to Sew a Face Mask
Popular Science: Make your own face mask—no sewing machine required
Vox: Everything you need to know about making your own face mask: Even if you’re not crafty at all.
NBC’s TODAY Show: How to make a face mask with fabric at home
YouTube is full of DIY videos.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reports that the market for buying medical masks is a mess.
“Production of masks is soaring, but so are scams, logistical hurdles and, of course, prices,” writes Jack Nicas.
In northwestern Pennsylvania’s Jefferson County, a small company shifted to making masks on March 20 and has added a second shift and worked weekends to keep up with demand, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. “Our phones have been off the hook,” the plant manager said. —Ed Mahon
Ed Mahon / PA Post
I was feeling rather ambitious during some pre-quarantine visits to the library. (Ed Mahon/PA Post)
Before the coronavirus forced the York County Library System to close its branches, I checked out a bunch of books.
I haven’t had the mental energy to concentrate on most of them. The exception is the 1973 novel “The Princess Bride.” William Goldman wrote both the book and the screenplay for the 1987 film.
Here’s why it’s good for me right now: I read it once before. The writing is clever and clear. I enjoy seeing the differences between the book and the movie. And while the setup of the book is a little different than the movie, in both versions, someone hears the story for the first time while stuck at home.
With that in mind, I asked some of my colleagues to share the books they are reading or recommending. Here’s what they wrote:
Russ Walker, PA Post editor: “Gone So Long” by Andre Dubus III. “Meticulously crafted novel building up to some sort of confrontational ending that I can’t predict. The gist: A father seeks out the daughter he left behind 40 years prior … because he went to prison for killing her mother.”
Rachel McDevitt, WITF Reporter/Host: “Exit West” by Mohsin Hamid and “The Testaments” by Margaret Atwood. “I got both these books for Christmas and was able to finish them during my newly-freed up weekends. The characters in each are facing fairly daunting situations, so perhaps not the most cheerful reading right now. But they are compelling and offer a good opportunity to reflect on how we treat others.”
Scott Blanchard, StateImpact Pennsylvania editor: “Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey Into the Heart of America” by James and Deborah Fallows. “I’m reading this because I’m project editor for the Pennsylvania collaboration part of ‘America Amplified,’ an effort to embed reporters in Pa. towns, listen to what residents’ issues are, and report on them. But it’s a cool tour through city revitalization across the U.S. even if it has nothing to do with your job,” Scott wrote.
“Baseball: An Illustrated History” by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns. “I got this, the companion book to the PBS documentary, as a gift, and intended to read it as a nice run-up to baseball season. Now, with the game shut down, I’m reading it as a way to fill the silence.”
Emily Previti, PA Post reporter: “The Chocolate War” by Robert Cormier. “I’ve been on a kick reading banned books to see what all the fuss is about.”
“God Save the Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop” by Kathy Iandoli. “I’m into that genre of music and was fascinated by Think host Kris Boyd’s recent interview with author Kathy Iandoli.”
“Election Meltdown” by Richard L. Hasen: “It’s my beat and I am overdue to submit a book report to my boss – so, if you’re reading (or have) and want to compare notes’, let’s do that!” Emily wrote
Lisa Wardle, digital manager for WITF and PA Post: “I cannot muster the energy to read for pleasure right now. But I wanted to share that my spouse is reading ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude,’ which seems perfectly appropriate while isolating at home.”
Coronavirus must-reads
ProPublica: Early Data Shows African Americans Have Contracted and Died of Coronavirus at an Alarming Rate
New York Times: A German Exception? Why the Country’s Coronavirus Death Rate Is Low
Washington Post: Retailers furloughed nearly 1 million workers this week. But the industry’s troubles are just beginning
Spotlight PA: Pa. to stop paying 9,000 state employees amid coronavirus fallout
WHYY: South Philly supermarket artfully measures social distancing
WESA: State Supreme Court Doesn’t Take Up Prisoner Release, But Urges Action On Virus Fears Behind Bars
GoErie: Displaced workers face grim future as pandemic persists
The Inquirer: Why Beethoven is so relatable right now (and it’s not just because his hair is a wreck)
