The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

What if you could fight the spread of COVID-19 with your smartphone? Apple and Google are working on tracing software designed to tell people when they've come in contact with someone who has the virus. A team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced last week that it's developing a system based on Bluetooth. So what would a system like this look like, and how it would work? Dr. Karl Morris, associate professor of computer science at Temple University joins KYW In Depth to explain what contact tracing is, how it could work in the United States, how developers are addressing privacy concerns, and if it's possible to fool the system.

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Not all pandemics are created equally. The global response to COVID-19 is unlike anything in memory, especially compared with the response to past outbreaks, like H1N1 in 2009. Dr. Ebbing Lautenbach, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Pennsylvania joins KYW In Depth to talk about how this coronavirus compares to outbreaks like SARS and Swine Flu, what is it about the virus that makes it so contagious, and the race to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.

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Credit card debt is growing, more people are having trouble paying bills, and it's up in the air which businesses will still be here when social distancing guidelines are eased. This is part two of our conversation with Beverly Harzog, credit card expert and consumer finance analyst for US News and World Report. Harzog is back on KYW In Depth to talk about what the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic might look like for personal finances, small businesses, and larger financial institutions.

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Are you turning to credit cards to pay for the basics during the coronavirus shutdown? Many Americans are, and because this is such an extraordinary situation, the best practices and advice for managing money are changing. Beverly Harzog, credit card expert and consumer advocate and a consumer finance analyst for US News and World Report joins KYW In Depth to talk about using credit cards, how to get relief from creditors during the coronavirus shutdown, and the best ways to spend the check the federal government is sending out.

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If you're anything like us, there's a good chance you've consumed more information about pandemics, diseases, and health emergencies in the past month than in your entire life before that. One thing that keeps coming up -- Philadelphia has played a central role in some pretty extraordinary situations. 

In this episode Curator of the Mütter Museum Anna Dhody, President and Chief Executive Officer of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia George Wohlreich, and retired KYW Newsradio Suburban Bureau Chief Jay Lloyd join KYW In Depth to talk about three different health emergencies in Philadelphia history: the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793, the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, and the 1976 Legionnaires' disease outbreak at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel.

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You think back to the best times of high school and you might think of graduation, or prom, or senior week. Maybe the last school play or dance recital, the last year on the soccer or field hockey team. For seniors right now, there's a very real possibility that none of these things will happen. KYW's Suzanne Monaghan talked with five students, four high school seniors and one college senior, about how they're feeling about losing the last part of their senior year. She also talked with a therapist to get tips for seniors and parents who have a senior at home struggling with watching their time in high school end this way.

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Right now, we're living in a world with no sports. They'll be back and chances are, pro sports will eventually look the same. But what about college sports? Losing the NCAA Tournament in March was a huge financial blow. Could that landscape shift? Could some schools cut back on programs or maybe decide to eliminate sports altogether? Dr. Karen Weaver, Associate Clinical Professor at Drexel University, and Dr. Jeremy Jordan, Associate Dean in the school of Sports, Tourism, and Hospitality Management at Temple University join KYW In Depth to talk about the impact this pandemic is having on college sports, what the long term consequences could be and how the conversation will change if a college football season is shuddered because of COVID-19.

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80% of Americans say flattening the curve during this pandemic is more important than their personal freedom. 4% percent of us think the bars should be open. 21% of us think golf courses and gun stores should be open. These are just a few of the findings SurveyUSA has been getting from polling during the coronavirus pandemic. SurveyUSA founder and CEO Jay Leve joins KYW In Depth to break down some of the insights he's gotten from the polling, and what it says about how we are feeling and how we are doing while we put life on hold to fight COVID-19.

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Loss and grief are difficult to face during the best of times. But right now, those feelings can be even more acute because of the isolation that comes with social distancing. Director of the Counseling Center at West Chester University Dr. Rachel Daltry joins KYW In Depth to talk about the ways social distancing has changed how we grieve and memorialize the loss of a loved one, and what kind of emotional impact this pandemic is having on us as a people. 

"I worry a lot about our first line responders, our healthcare... they're holding a lot, and we're going to have to really take care of them and each other when the pandemic slows down and we get back to the normal." - Dr. Rachel Daltry

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America is facing record unemployment and with so many people suffering economic hardships, some bills aren't being paid. So what happens if a lot of people can't pay their water bill? President of Aqua New Jersey Larry Carson and President of Aqua Pennsylvania Marc Lucca join KYW In Depth to talk about how the water companies coping with the crisis and what options people have if their water has been turned off. 

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