PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The year 2021 was, if nothing else, a time of transition. Rules and guidance about COVID-19 changed dozens of times. A new president took office in Washington. Following the death of George Floyd and the conviction of his murderer, Derek Chauvin, a social awareness of racial injustice popped up in public policies relating to law enforcement across the United States.
Here to help you remember where we will pick up in the new year is a KYW "News You Can Use" cheat sheet.
Is there a vaccine mandate in Philadelphia?
Starting Jan. 3, the city of Philadelphia will institute a vaccine requirement for any place where food or beverages are consumed indoors, including bars, restaurants, movie theaters and arenas. For the first two weeks, patrons can show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 24 hours if they’re not fully vaccinated. However, by Jan. 17, only people showing proof of vaccination will be allowed indoors to eat or drink.
All city employees and some city contractors — including union workers, regardless of where they work or their full- or part-time status — must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 14, 2022. Health care workers and higher education employees and students were already required prior to this.
Is there a vaccine mandate in Philadelphia schools?
School District of Philadelphia employees must be fully vaccinated or take two COVID-19 tests a week. All student athletes must provide proof of full vaccination to be or be ineligible to participate.
Is there a vaccine mandate in suburban Philadelphia school districts?
No.
Is there a vaccine mandate in Pennsylvania?
Only commonwealth employees in state health care facilities and high-risk care facilities will be required to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. While a federal mandate is tied up in the courts, there is no mandate in place for private health care systems in the state.
Is there a vaccine mandate in New Jersey?
Proof of full vaccination will be required of only the following workers: those in preschool to grade 12 schools; in certain health care facilities and high-risk group care settings; in state agencies, authorities, and colleges and universities; and in child care facilities. Those who cannot show proof are subject to COVID-19 testing at minimum one to two times per week.
Is there a mask mandate in Philadelphia?
Yes. Masks must be worn indoors at all Philadelphia businesses and institutions that do not require proof of vaccination for employees and patrons. Masks will also be required at all non-seated outdoor events in the city with more than 1,000 attendees. Certain essential businesses, including grocery stores, pharmacies, and medical offices, will require masks of all staff, patients, clients and customers, regardless of vaccination status.
Is there a mask mandate in Philadelphia schools?
Yes. Superintendent William Hite has said the district would not be lifting its mask requirement for staff and students unless federal and city officials say it is safe. Hite says he will not seek to renew his contract at the end of the school year, so where will land in the summer is anyone's guess.
Is there a mask mandate in suburban Philadelphia school districts?
On Dec. 10, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a Commonwealth Court decision from November that ended the Department of Health's statewide mask requirement in schools and child care centers. Since then, school boards have been free to decide mask policy individually, and some have made masks optional.
Whether a district requires masks or not, they are still mandatory on school buses, which are covered under the federal mask requirement for public transportation.
Is there a mask mandate in Pennsylvania?
No. The statewide order requiring the universal use of face coverings was lifted at the end of June. And the Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently upheld a Commonwealth Court decision that ended the Department of Health's statewide order that masks be worn in schools and child care centers. The administration of Gov. Tom Wolf urges residents to follow CDC guidance, at a minimum.
Is there a mask mandate in New Jersey?
In New Jersey, masks are no longer required in most outdoor and indoor settings. Masks are required in high-risk areas such as schools, health care settings, public transportation, child care centers, prisons and shelters. The majority of state offices that are open to the public, including Motor Vehicle Commission locations, require staff and visitors to wear masks. Businesses may require masks for employees, customers and guests. Apart from that, masks are only recommended for vaccinated and unvaccinated people for indoor settings.
Are Philadelphia streeteries here to stay?
A bill to make about ¾ of streetery shelters permanent was passed in December. The rest of them will have to undertake a legislative process to acquire that additional seating.
Has Philadelphia's plastic bag ban started?
Yes, sort of. It technically began in October. Businesses should be warned to make the switch away from disposable single-use bags. In April, businesses will be issued fines if they do not stop giving away disposable single-use plastic bags.
Is there a plastic bag ban in New Jersey?
There is a "soft ban" in place now, with a permanent plastic bag ban set to take effect May 4. Under this, plastic bags will be banned at nearly all stores, and grocery stores will not be allowed to provide paper bags.
Is weed legal in New Jersey? Or not?
New Jersey has legalized marijuana, but there has been very little movement toward setting up the capacity for actual sales to occur. Applications for dispensaries will start being accepted in March. Sales should begin in 2022, but there is no telling when.
With calls to "defund" police departments after George Floyd's murder, will there be changes to the Philadelphia Police Department?
Philadelphia's police department isn't going anywhere. Neither is Minneapolis', for that matter. However, the PPD's most recent contract resolution will usher in more accountability to regular folks with the creation of a new Citizen Police Oversight Commission. This is a board of nine citizen commissioners charged with independently investigating citizen complaints against the Philadelphia Police Department. They will have subpoena power, and they will be tasked with reviewing and improving police officer conduct, which officials hope will increase police accountability.
Also, Philadelphia City Council passed a bill on Oct. 14 that will prohibit police from stopping drivers for certain low-level violations, which disproportionately affected Black drivers. In effect, it ends a practice known to some as "driving while Black."
How is the federal infrastructure deal expected to affect Pennsylvania?
The White House reports that there are more than 3,350 bridges and 7,540 miles of highway across the state flagged as in "poor condition" across the state. Since 2011, commutes have increased by 7.6% in Pennsylvania, and drivers pay, on average, $620 per year because of roads in need of repair.
The aging infrastructure of the Northeast Corridor rail line, which serves 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, will be upgraded, including repair or replacement of several bridges and tunnels that are more than 100 years old. There is also the possibility of a new Philadelphia-to-Reading connection.
$355 million: airport infrastructure improvements
$49 million: for wildfire protections
$26 million: security against cyberattacks
Biden's plan also includes $1 billion for the Reconnecting Communities Initiative designed to rectify damage caused by highways predominantly built through communities of color.
U.S. Rep Dwight Evans (D-Pa.) co-sponsored it to help Philadelphia neighborhoods like Nicetown and Chinatown, which were respectively split by the Roosevelt and Vine Street expressways.
How is the federal infrastructure deal expected to affect New Jersey?
The Garden State stands to get more than $12 billion. According to a breakdown from New Jersey Sens. Cory Booker and Bob Menendez (both Democrats), the state will get $6.8 billion to invest in highways and roads, $1.1 billion for bridge repairs, $104 million for electric vehicle initiatives, $24 million for enhancing ferry services, and $4.1 billion, over six years, to improve the state’s transit system, another $1 billion to ensure safe drinking water, and $727 million for airports. There are also provisions to expand the state's electric vehicle charging network, at $104 million.
The White House graded New Jersey a D-plus for infrastructure, noting there was a great need for investment in bridges and highways, the state's drinking water systems, and broadband internet technologies.
The American Society For Civil Engineers estimates New Jersey drivers pay $713 per year to commute on roads in need of repair, which have also contributed to longer commuting times over the last 10 years.
The Resilient Highways Act, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Andy Kim and included in the final legislation, allows the Department of Transportation to use up to 15% of funds from the National Highway Performance Program on projects that reduce the risk of recurring damage from extreme weather, an important consideration after the chaos of recent extreme weather events, including hurricanes Sandy and Ida.
The state would also get about $40 billion for Amtrak's Gateway Project, which aims to replace old railway tunnels under the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York.
The state also expects to get about $100 million for broadband internet. According to the Biden administration, 31% of New Jersey residents have access to only one internet service provider, and 10% of residents have access to none at all.
On the smaller end, the legislation allocates $17 million to protect import systems from cyber attacks and $15 million to protect against wildfires.
What happened to the minimum wage in Pennsylvania and New Jersey?
Amid an ongoing pandemic and inflation increasing the cost of just about everything, the minimum wage in New Jersey will go up a dollar to $13/hour for most workers. Tipped workers get bumped up a buck, too, at $5.13/hour. Businesses with fewer than six employees will see an increase of 80 cents to $11.90/hour. The pay boost is part of state legislation that gradually raises the minimum wage for most employees to $15 an hour by 2024.
In Pennsylvania, the minimum wage is tied to the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25/hour. In 2022, minimum wage in the Keystone State will stay where it has been since 2006.
What happens now that Juneteenth is a federal holiday?
For the first time, June 19, the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, is a federal holiday. Depending on their contracts, public services and some private businesses will offer June 19th as a paid holiday. And in Philadelphia, the city's historically bombastic July Fourth celebrations will now blend in with Juneteenth celebrations, observances and events from mid-June through mid-July.
Did the admissions process for Philadelphia magnet high schools change?
Yes, for now. A new, supposedly more equitable, policy was announced in October with the intention of taking human bias out of the admissions process for the district’s criteria-based schools — Central, Masterman, Parkway Center City Middle College, Academy at Palumbo, and Carver High School of Engineering and Science. The new process relies on computers to grade writing samples and puts qualified students into a lottery, with preference given to students from historically underrepresented ZIP codes.
Will athletes in the NCAA now get paid for playing sports?
Not quite. But the rules did change in June. The Supreme Court ruled that the NCAA can no longer limit the education-related benefits that colleges can offer to sports stars, such as computers and paid internships. And separately, the NCAA voted to allow athletes from Division I athletic programs -- in our area that includes Drexel, LaSalle, Penn, St. Joseph's and Temple universities -- to profit from the use of their name, image and likeness.