Philadelphia health department is moving the city to Level 2 due to the supposed increase in Covid cases. At this level for the city indoor masking is mandated.
The mask mandate comes just a month after lifting the initial indoor mandate, they’re reinstating it.
Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said the department will allow a one-week education period for businesses, with masks required in all indoor public spaces, including schools and child care settings, businesses, restaurants, and government buildings, as of April 18.
“This is our chance to get ahead of the pandemic,” Bettigole said at a news conference. “Simply put, that means that we’re reintroducing the mask mandate in Philadelphia”.
Remember 2 weeks to flatten the curve? 2 years ago?
Philadelphia is seeing an entire 142 new cases per day which is fairly low.
Philadelphia is the first major city to reinstate mask mandates and it goes against the CDC guidance. In fact, according to the CDC Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania where Philadelphia is located is currently at a “low” status. This takes hospital admissions, cases per 100,000, and new covid cases.
Areas with a low community level are not advised to require masking under the CDC’s new guidelines.
Bettigole defended the city’s decision, saying that “local conditions do matter” in making such decisions.
“We’ve all seen here in Philadelphia, how much our history of redlining, history of disparities has impacted, particularly our Black and brown communities in the city,” she said. “And so it does make sense to be more careful in Philadelphia, then, you know, perhaps in an affluent suburb.”
The mask mandate comes as the city reaches its “Level 2” designation under its Covid-19 response plan. The city had been at “Level 1” since the beginning of March, a designation that means most mitigation measures, including indoor mask mandates and proof-of-vaccination requirements in restaurants can be lifted.
However, Level 2 means that average new daily case counts and hospitalizations are low but “cases have increased by more than 50 percent in the previous 10 days.” A spokesman for the health department told the New York Times that over the past 10 days, the average number of new cases had risen nearly 70 percent.
Level 2 automatically triggers a reinstatement of the mask mandate.
“The mask mandate is tied to the COVID Response Levels, and as COVID cases rise in Philly, we want to protect our most vulnerable residents. Wearing a mask around others is an easy way to do that,” the department said. “The sooner that we can stop this wave, the sooner we can get back to Level 1.”
How many more major Democrat-controlled cities will follow in Philadelphia’s footsteps? Will people finally say enough is enough and stand up to the tyranny?
Do not comply.
