Philadelphia City Council votes an emergency funding bill to fight COVID-19

The $85 million bill will distribute funds to initiatives and agencies working to fight the disease.

City Council voted on an emergency funding bill in an effort to fight the COVID-19 outbreak on Thursday. JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS

City Council voted in favor of Bill 200258, an emergency funding bill that aims to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in Philadelphia, on Thursday, according to a media release.

The emergency bill, requested by Mayor Jim Kenney, will distribute $85 million in emergency funding to various organizations and operations working to fight the disease outbreak, including the Emergency Food Assistance Program, BARDA and the Hospital Preparedness Program.       

This  meeting was the City Council’s first-ever remote meeting, according to the release. In Philadelphia, 1,852 have gotten sick with COVID-19  and 13 have passed away as of today, The Temple News reported. 

“The crisis we are facing brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented,” said Council President Darrell L. Clarke, who represents the 5th district which encompasses Main Campus, in the press release. “What Council voted on today is just the beginning of what we will need to do to help our residents, small businesses, and other organizations rebuild after this pandemic.”

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