Today’s COVID-19 briefing

📊 COVID-19 by the numbers — as of Wednesday:

• 2,870 cases in Allegheny County so far, up 110 from Tuesday — that’s the highest daily increase yet (more data and demographics here)
• 397 hospitalizations in Allegheny County, up four from Tuesday
• 187 deaths in Allegheny County, up one from Tuesday
• 87,242 cases with 6,687 deaths in Pennsylvania (more data and demographics here)
• 2.7 million cases with 128,000+ deaths in the U.S. (more data and demographics here)

😷 Masks are now mandatory in all public spaces in Pennsylvania, with Gov. Tom Wolf calling the order, “essential to stopping the recent increase in COVID-19 cases we have seen.” Here’s more explanation about the order. (WTAE)

⛔️ On further restrictions, Gov. Wolf wants to leave that up to local officials as opposed to the broad shutdown orders he imposed this spring. (Associated Press)

🚫 Allegheny County bars are officially closed for on-site consumption. Some bar owners say the decision is flawed and some who aren’t happy about it are planning a protest today. (NEXTpittsburgh / WTAE)

➡️ The sports bar owner who organized today’s protest just had an employee test positive for COVID-19. (TribLIVE)

☑️ See a business not following COVID-19 rules? Fill out this Allegheny County form and this Pennsylvania one, too. (KDKA-TV)

🚫 Pennsylvania’s top doctor agrees with Allegheny County’s decision to close bars to drinkers. But the governor said he’s not ready to do the same statewide. Here’s why. (KDKA-TV / PA Post)

🔍 A federal agency failed to inspect area workplaces after COVID-19 complaints — including the site of one of Pennsylvania’s deadliest outbreaks. (Pittsburgh City Paper)

♨️ Man, it’s a hot one. Here’s how to wear a mask without being miserable. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

📈 COVID-19 cases may be spiking inside the Allegheny County Jail, too. (Pittsburgh Current)

Protests and policing

✍️ Long-awaited, statewide police reform measures are headed to the governor’s desk, where he’s expected to sign them. (Associated Press / The Incline)

📣 How a 2019 police shooting in Wilkinsburg led to protests outside the mayor’s house this week. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

🖋 There is no quick fix for white supremacy, Pittsburgher Damon Young writes. (TIME)

📚 How Pittsburgh book clubs are confronting racism. (Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle)

What else you need to know

🗳 What do they want? A November election plan. When do they want it? Now. (90.5 WESA)

🏢 Employees at all four Carnegie Museums are forming a union with goals to improve workplace conditions and ensure a better future for their jobs. (Pittsburgh City Paper)

🍸 $26.3 million. That’s how much state liquor stores have sold in online sales this year. And if you’re buying booze online now, some restrictions have been lifted. (KDKA-TV)

🌈 LGBTQ youth programs will no longer be offered by the Persad Center in Lawrenceville because state funding has expired. (Pittsburgh City Paper)

✨ Pittsburgh native Billy Porter just made history — again.  (Tre’vell Anderson on Twitter / Essence)

Some levity

📸 A photo of workers fixing the Duquesne Incline at night is being called “Peak Pittsburgh grit.” See for yourself. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

🕑 The massive South Side clock is the “largest single-clock face” in the U.S. Here’s how it’s looked through the years. (Odd Pittsburgh)

✒️ Introducing the Poets Laureate at City of Asylum. (City of Asylum)

🍋 When life gives you lemons, make … beer. Lemon Glazed, a “creme” ale, is the new collaboration between Spoonwood Brewing and Bethel Bakery. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Four historical markers and monuments recognizing Confederate troops and milestones in Fulton County will be taken down. Two were erected decades ago — in the Jim Crow era — by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Pennsylvania is home to few publicly funded acknowledgements of the Confederacy beyond Gettysburg. But while that number is one of the lowest in the country, it ranks somewhere near the top for Union states.

Here’s our story on why Pennsylvania officials have decided to start removing them now — and WESA’s reporting on the growing calls to remove a Christopher Columbus statue in Pittsburgh.

We started with a throwback, and we’ll end with a throwback.

These vintage postcards offer a peek at aviation’s past in Pittsburgh. Wish we were there. ✈️

Enjoy your Thursday, and we’ll see you tomorrow with a holiday mini edition.