Philadelphia Drops Its Vaccine Mandate for Indoor Eating

Philadelphia is becoming a member of a rising listing of cities that may not require proof of vaccination to enter locations that serve meals or drink.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health introduced the coverage on Wednesday, citing bettering numbers of circumstances and hospitalizations because the Omicron-driven wave recedes.

Different cities and counties have just lately relaxed vaccination mandates for indoor eating, including Washington, D.C., and, as of Wednesday, the county that includes Seattle.

Philadelphia authorities introduced a brand new tiered Covid response system that they stated would make their public well being choices extra clear by tying them to particular benchmarks for brand spanking new circumstances, constructive assessments and hospitalizations. If the metrics enhance, authorities will proceed to ease restrictions, but when they go within the fallacious route, the laws will likely be reinstated.

Whereas Philadelphia is dropping its vaccine mandate, masks will nonetheless be required in all indoor public locations for now. Below its new system, that might additionally change if its state of affairs retains bettering.

Philadelphia is one in all a number of cities and counties, together with Los Angeles, to maintain its masks coverage in place and never observe the lead of a sequence of states, together with New York, New Jersey, Oregon and California, the place masks mandates are lifting. Pennsylvania ended its statewide masks mandate for Okay-12 college students on Jan. 17.