Publications

Tips on How to Prevent Zoombombing (when strangers enter your Zoom meeting and disrupt it, or get access to Zoom calls/meetings that you thought were relatively private):

How to Protect Your Zoom Calls – The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/04/03/zoom-video-set-up/

How to Prevent Zoombombing in a Few Easy Steps – The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/style/zoom-security-tips.html

How to Prevent Zoombombing – Consumer Reports

https://www.consumerreports.org/video-conferencing-services/how-to-prevent-zoombombing/

How to Prevent Zoombombing: 5 Easy Steps – Tech Republic

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-prevent-zoom-bombing-5-simple-tips/

No More Zoombombing: 4 Steps - CNET

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/no-more-zoombombing-4-steps-to-a-more-secure-zoom-video-chat/

Beginning Sunday, 4/19, at 8pm, all in-person businesses across PA must REQUIRE all employees & customers to wear face masks or facial coverings, per a new order issued by state officials on Wednesday.  The order applies to ALL businesses that are continuing "in-person" operations - this means grocery stores, other essential retailers, and take out restaurants will be asked to enforce this policy. The mask does not have to be a surgical one, but it must cover your nose and mouth.

- FAQs about homemade mask

Now more than ever, it's important to promote unity in our community. Center City Residents' Association is excited to partner with several civic organizations in Center City West that are working to address the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on our neighborhood. Big shout out to the Markward Recreation Advisory Council for getting the ball rolling on these fabulous posters!

We are especially mindful of the need to break social isolation as well as support the essential workers who are keeping our neighborhood going in this time of crisis. CCRA is one of many organizations encouraging people to display their support for essential employees by banging pots and pans in outdoor spaces at 7pm every night. We also encourage residents and businesses to display the posters included in this e-mail as a show of solidarity with your neighbors.

Together, we can say thank you to our first responders, healthcare workers, grocery store employees, and countless other frontline workers who are risking their lives everyday as this pandemic unfolds.

As the toll of this crisis becomes more apparent in the future, we welcome your suggestions for how CCRA can support the community in these unprecedented times.

- Maggie Mund, President

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/coronavirus-spread-soles-shoes-according-155240105.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=fb

A man just robbed one of our member's  front stoop at 23rd and Spruce.  The man was traveling with a female companion and after walking past once, tried to grab the package on one attempt, stopped, circled back and successfully grabbed it the second attempt.

The member had a door cam and managed to take pictures of suspects.  They were reported to the police.

Center City Residents Association is reaching out to our community to help meet an urgent and growing need.  At this time of the Coronavirus, a large number of patients with critical medical situations still must travel to town for non-elective, out-patient care: families with sick children; adult and pediatric oncology patients; pregnant moms with medical complications are among those who do not have a lodging option. 

Most importantly, the Ronald McDonald Houses are no longer accepting new families, and the Hope Family Lodge for cancer patients closed March 27, with 30-plus patients who were at this facility being forced to leave.

For 20 years the Greater Philadelphia non-profit HOSTS for HOSPITALS has provided lodging and support at volunteer Host-homes for patients and their families who travel here for specialized medical care.  HOSTS for HOSPITALS now asks that anyone with a private, furnished lodging setting contact them to potentially help patient-families in need: homes, apartments, AirBnBs, in-law suites or other spaces that adhere to social distancing.  If you know of such a resource please contact Executive Director, Mike Aichenbaum at 484-380-2999, or lodging@hostsforhospitals.org.  (HostsforHospitals.org)

https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/things-to-do-in-philadelphia-during-coronavirus/

https://www.phila.gov/2020-04-10-an-open-letter-from-mayor-kenney-to-philadelphians/

Dining Out for Life is now Dining In for Life

In light of our current crisis, Dining for Life is asking us to support the remaining restaurants still open in our respective areas.  Historically on April 30, participating restaurants would donate 33% of their proceeds to the Dining Out for Life campaign.  This year they are asking us to:

1. Buy a gift card to a restaurant to use when the restaurant re-opens.

2. Order takeout or delivery from restaurants that are offering this option.

3. Donate to an online restaurant fundraiser. 

4. On April 30, you can Dine In for Life by ordering takeout or delivery from a Dining Out For Life restaurant. Post photos of your meal on social media with the hashtag #DineInEndHIVPHL, and be sure to tag the restaurant, too!

SEPTA is making major changes across all transportation services after a third employee died from the coronavirus. Beginning Thursday, 4/9,  SEPTA will operate on a “life service schedule.”

The changes include closing 10 Market-Frankford Line stations and eight Broad Street Line and Broad-Ridge Spur stations while also limiting bus and trolley service.

The station closures include:

• Market-Frankford Line: Church, Tioga, Somerset, York-Dauphin, 2nd Street, 5th Street, 13th Street, 56th Street, 63rd Street and Millbourne.
• Broad Street Line/Ridge Spur: Tasker-Morris, Lombard-South, Spring Garden, Fairmount, Susquehanna-Dauphin, Wyoming, Logan and Chinatown.

SEPTA says all operating buses, subways and trolleys will continue to run on a Saturday schedule and open Regional Rail service will run every two hours.