The Why: Philly Explained

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed gaps throughout America’s health care system. And there’s one right in our own backyard that’s been the subject of great debate: the lack of a dedicated health department in Delaware County.

Guest: WHYY political reporter Katie Meyer

During the coronavirus pandemic, everybody is telling us to practice social distancing, to isolate with your family. But what happens when a family member or someone you live with gets infected? How can you protect yourself when COVID-19 is closer than six feet away?

Guests: WHYY’s Sabrina Emms, and Dr. Austin Kilaru at the University of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania officials have sounded the alarm to “flatten the curve,” but hospitals in Philadelphia and across the state likely won’t be able to handle a predicted surge of coronavirus cases.

Guests: WHYY’s Nina Feldman and WITF’s Brett Sholtis

As people try to wrap their heads around the COVID-19 pandemic, historians are pointing towards a different pandemic: the 1918 flu outbreak. Here’s the story of why that disease hit Philadelphia especially hard, and what we can take from it today.

Guest: Robert Hicks, scholar and historian at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Schools fill a big need in Philadelphia — not just for education, but also for providing meals and a safe place for kids to go. Closing city schools during the coronavirus pandemic has raised some complicated questions about how to fill those needs and whether teachers should even provide remote instruction.

Guests: WHYY’s Avi Wolfman-Arent and Miles Brian

For a long time, Philadelphia was known for having a higher rate of home ownership than other major cities. But over the last decade, as people see the city more as an attractive place to live and development booms, the city has seen a big increase in the number of renters. However, there’s one neighborhood in Northeast Philly trying especially hard to keep renters out. 

Guest: Max Marin, WHYY’s Billy Penn

This story was reported as part of Keystone Crossroad’s election series Embedded 2020.

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, life today looks pretty different than it did a week ago. How are people in the Philadelphia area coping? We bring you three conversations with people learning new routines, workarounds and rhythms.

New Jersey has some of the strongest gun-control laws in the country. So why are 2nd Amendment activists growing in the state, and asking their counties and cities to be “sanctuaries” for gun rights?

Guest: Ximena Conde

Philadelphia’s National Museum of American Jewish History recently filed for bankruptcy. Here’s what led to the museum’s financial struggles and what this situation says about fundraising for other cultural institutions in the city.

Guest: Peter Crimmins, WHYY’s arts & culture reporter

Long before the coronavirus came to Philadelphia, a group of researchers called the Philadelphia Pandemic Preparedness Project had been working for more than a year to see how the city would handle an outbreak like this. So, just how ready are we?

Guest: Dr. Harvey Rubin, University of Pennsylvania