PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The City of Philadelphia will require all health care workers and college students and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, the acting health commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, said the mandate takes effect on Oct. 15. It applies to all health care workers in the city and all staff, students and faculty at Philadelphia colleges and universities.
Religious or medical exemptions may be accepted, but exempt health care workers must undergo coronavirus tests twice a week. Colleges must offer weekly COVID-19 testing for exempt students and staff.
However, Bettigole said if 90% of the college population is vaccinated, the institution can opt to require double masking and social distancing for the remaining unvaccinated people. They can also choose to offer virtual classes.
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Additionally, based on public input on the indoor mask mandate that took effect on Thursday, Bettigole said essential businesses like grocery stores, pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and urgent care centers must require masks regardless of vaccination status. The updated rule is meant to protect young children, who are still at risk as they are unable to get vaccinated at this moment in time.
About half of the city's COVID-19 cases are now of the delta variant, and Bettigole expects that number to reach 100%.
She said it is likely these mandates may be tweaked in the coming weeks as the spread of and the city’s response to the virus changes.