It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 3 full months that we’ve been self quarantining in Pennsylvania. Other states are opening up, Cathy got a haircut and color. Pennsylvania’s curve is flattening and the number of new cases per day is declining. Many counties are currently in the green phase but the Philadelphia area and surrounding counties will move into the yellow phase June 5. After election day.

The stay-at-home order is lifted, and we’re allowed to be around other people — but gatherings of more than 25 people will still not be allowed (and gatherings of any kind are still discouraged). “Safer at home,” is still encouraged to minimize social contact as much as possible. 

Most businesses are allowed to reopen but have to follow state guidance, to help prevent a new outbreak. At EY, We are still working from home.

Childcare facilities are allowed to reopen. Retail stores are allowed to reopen but are still supposed to to focus on delivery and curbside pickup as much as possible. Day camps are allowed to operate. Schools will still be closed for in-person instruction. Restaurants and bars can reopen for outdoor dining. 

But some businesses will still be closed during the yellow phase:

• Indoor recreation – This category includes bowling alleys, arcades, racquetball courts and other indoor sports or training facilities, go-kart and other racing tracks, laser tag, pool halls, trampoline facilities, and indoor mini golf.

• Health and wellness facilities – This category includes gyms, saunas, tattoo and piercing shops, tanning salons, spas, hair salons, nail salons, and massage parlors.

• Entertainment – This category includes casinos, theaters, concert halls, museums, zoos, botanical gardens, race tracks, amusement parks, water parks, carnivals, and playgrounds. It also includes any kind of sports teams or clubs.

• Indoor malls – The only stores that can open are those that have their own external entrances, but the mall itself cannot. There’s an exception: Pharmacies or other health care stores in a mall are still allowed to open.

On a more positive note, I celebrated my 53rd birthday this week in unusual ways. Terri and I went to a peonies festival in ChaddsFord, but had to stay in our car. We still took some amazing photos, since we could drive off the road and get close to the flowers. We also learned that the farm is the location for the filming of The Village. The road leading up to the farm is known as Devils Road, and is haunted.

Thad night, we had a zoom family conference call with singing and catching up while eating a virtual cupcake with them. At least my cupcake was real. Tonight I celebrated with mom where she cooked fillet, lobster tail and a homemade twice baked potato with some chocolate chocolate cake. Yum Yum Yum.

On a more somber note, this week consisted of the killing of George Floyd a black man from Minnesota. He was killed by a police officer who kneeled on his neck for eight minutes cutting off his air supply and died. Fortunately the police officer has been arrested and charged with murder but they were other officers with him who have not been charged yet. This led to rioting, looting, burning buildings in Minneapolis, and protests in other cities across the country. The vivid image of this man letting the officer know he can’t breathe is horrific and unfortunately burned into my brain. This act of brutality unfortunately his way to come in in the African-American community. Joe Biden has words sound up many of my own thoughts

“With our complacency, our silence, we are complicit in perpetuating these cycles of violence. Nothing about this will be easy or comfortable, but if we simply allow this wound to scab over once more without treating the underlying injury, we’ll never truly heal. The very soul of America is at stake.”