All non-essential businesses in Philadelphia will need to shut down by 5 p.m. today, city officials announced, to slow the spread of COVID-19, a strain of coronavirus, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Grocery stores, big box stores, pharmacies, electronics stores, daycares, laundry facilities and hardware stores will remain open, the Inquirer reported. Restaurants must operate as take-out only.
Non-essential city services will also close and city government offices will be closed to the public starting Tuesday, the Inquirer reported.
“These changes will disrupt life in Philadelphia and we do not make these changes lightly,” Mayor Jim Kenney said at City Hall, the Inquirer reported.
Workers in Philadelphia covered under the sick leave law can use their sick time during this pandemic, the Mayor’s Office of Labor announced Monday, the Inquirer reported.
Will cube smart have to close also?