The mayor of Philadelphia participated in a reality television show on Thursday, the same day he asked the city council for millions of dollars to help fight the spread of the coronavirus.
Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat, filmed an appearance on The Profit in the City of Brotherly Love. The show, which is on CNBC, focuses on Marcus Lemonis, a millionaire businessman, who seeks to help struggling businesses remain afloat. Lemonis finds those businesses and “makes them an offer that’s impossible to refuse; his cash for a piece of the business and a percentage of the profits.”
A spokesperson for the mayor confirmed his participation in the show.
“This will be for a national television broadcast that promotes Philadelphia as a tourism destination, to air months from now. Given the potential impact of COVID-19 on tourism in our city, the mayor deemed this appropriate,” the spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. “He is going to do anything he can to help support that industry.”
In addition to filming the appearance on Thursday, Kenney requested $85 million from the city council to help fight the coronavirus outbreak. To make that request happen, the city council then introduced an ordinance to transfer the funds, which would make the money available from surplus funds, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. The council president, Darrell Clarke, did not provide any details on how the funds would be allocated.
Also on Thursday, city officials banned crowds of more than 1,000 people and said that the preventative measure would be in place for 30 days, according to NBC10. The city additionally announced that 63 public schools would not open on Friday.
Philadelphia had its first coronavirus diagnosis on Tuesday, but it has remained the only case in city limits thus far. In Philadelphia’s neighboring Montgomery County, 13 patients have tested positive for the virus.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, in an effort to curb the spread of the virus in the state’s epicenter, ordered all schools, universities, gyms, entertainment venues, and community centers to close for two weeks starting Friday.
