'A Lot Of Social Media, Very Obscure And Boring Movies': After 14 Days Of Self-Isolation, Mayor Bill Peduto Looks To What's Next For Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - After 14 days in isolation, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is finally out of his house.
He didn't have any symptoms, but learned several leaders he met with in Washington D.C. tested positive for the virus.
He's back to work and video chatted with KDKA's Meghan Schiller to talk about what happens next for the city.
Mayor Peduto said he's glad people are staying home and the city is taking this virus seriously. But he realizes this "shut down" means we're all taking a huge hit financially.
Meghan Schiller: "Did you do games? Puzzles?"
Mayor Peduto: "A lot of social media, very obscure and boring movies."
Like many Pittsburghers, he experienced the 14 day self-quarantine.
He's focused now on helping struggling small businesses.
"They're concerned they're not going to be able to make it by the end of this month or maybe the end of April -- they want to know what programs are out there," he said.
The messages on social media keep pouring in, he said.
Business owners who worry: can they survive?
He said even the city's budget is feeling it.
"Our revenues are going to be significantly lower than what we presumed just a month ago," he said. "We will not have money to be able to pay the bills this year and we also realized that our expenditures will go up as well."
He's focused now on getting crucial patient information to first responders and firefighters trying to stay safe on the job.
He's trying to strike a deal with Governor Tom Wolf.
"I think we should have a deal struck by today or tomorrow at the latest involving information being given to the medical director and then that information being able to be shared with any first responder or city employee," he said.
That deal would allow first responders to know if they've come in contact with a patient who ended up testing positive for the novel coronavirus.
He said he's also working with local hotels to set them up for city employees and first responders who need a comfortable place to quarantine away from family.
