# Wawa’s Welcome America to be Held Virtually

The 27th annual Wawa Welcome America event will be held virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The six-day event will continue to be broadcasted on NBC10 and Telemundo62 on July 4, but will also be available to stream on mobile devices. The event will still produce a concert broadcasted on July 4, at an indoor venue that will be unable to be accessed by the public to avoid a lack of social distancing. Mayor Jim Kenney says he hopes that the event will “boost morale a bit,” saying he did not want to cancel the event altogether. A press conference on June 10 will reveal more details about the celebration including who the performers will be. You can visit [Welcome America's website](https://welcomeamerica.com) and follow [Wawa’s social media](https://twitter.com/wawa) platforms to stay connected within the following weeks. As of Tuesday, the total case count is 18,537, a daily increase of 224. There are 15 new deaths, making the total 908 in the area, with 53% of the deaths being from nursing home residents. In the statewide daily briefing Tuesday, it was announced that all nursing home residents and employees will be tested for COVID-19. Dr. Thomas Farley also made an announcement concerning sleep-related deaths in young children. He said that sleep-related deaths are the number one preventable death in children. To combat the issue seen in children dying from sleeping on an adult bed or a sofa is to deliver pack-n-play cribs to parents for free. The city is working with Indego to give contact-free delivery to parents in need. For this service, call (267) 432-5844. Concerning school openings in the Fall, Mayor Kenney’s hope is that “school comes off as usual without a hitch.” He added that he will have a clearer picture later in the summer as to whether Philadelphia schools qualify for reopening in September.