PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — City officials announced Wednesday that proof of vaccination at Philadelphia restaurants and dining establishments is no longer mandated, effective immediately.
The city said it is also entering Level 2 of its COVID-19 response, known as mask precautions. Masks are still necessary at indoor public places.
While many cities and states have lifted their mask mandates, the health department “felt that a blanket rollback would ignore the local situation and put too many people who are not yet vaccinated, or who are immuno-compromised, at an unnecessary risk given the current case counts in the city,” a press release from the city reads.
Philadelphia health officials have developed a plan for moving forward using a combination of data to determine when it’s safe to lift restrictions in four stages. That data is based on the average of new cases per day, the number of hospitalizations, the percent of tests reported as positive and the rate of change of new cases.
The city said as metrics improve, more mandates will be lifted. But if numbers worsen, requirements will be enacted again.
Currently, the number of new COVID-19 cases in the city is plunging. They are down to fewer than 200 per day from last month’s high of more than 3,500 per day.
Restaurants are still allowed to be stricter with their COVID-19 precautions and can choose to continue requiring proof of vaccination status.
The Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association said this is something they have been asking for from the city — a framework, with benchmarks, so members, like caterers and hotels, can start to plan in advance for large indoor gatherings.
“You have some data there to make plans for the future, where there were no benchmarks before, there were no metrics to follow,” spokesperson Ben Fileccia said. “It gives us more confidence in the health department if they are just as quick to reduce the mitigation as they are to put more mitigation in place.”
Following the city's announcement, PRLA Executive Director Chuck Moran issued a statement. While he welcomes the change, he noted the big hit the industry has taken in implementing these requirements.
"While such mandates have good intentions to protect the health of individuals," he wrote, "they do come at a cost to communities that are now dealing with higher costs due to supply and workforce issues. In addition, for taverns and restaurants, Philadelphia’s mandates caused stressful scenarios, while putting establishments at a disadvantage compared to neighboring counties.
"It's time for our small business taverns, bars, and licensed restaurants to have a chance to heal their financial wounds and move closer to normalcy. The decision by Philadelphia begins that process for our Members located within the city."
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Fileccia, however, said some bars and restaurants actually like the vaccine mandate because it was easier to enforce than masks, and staff felt safer. And, they may decide to keep the requirement until numbers are so low that all restrictions are lifted.
“We fully recognize that this virus will be with us for the foreseeable future, and we must learn to move forward together in ways that promote public health and reflect the realities of life and society,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “While we are not done with COVID, I am glad that we have reached a point where we know much, much more about this virus and which strategies will help us manage its spread.”
“Because of the work Philadelphians have done to keep each other safe, we are safer today than we were two months ago when the vaccine mandate for indoor dining was announced,” added Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole.
Additionally, the city is incentivizing Philadelphians to get vaccinated, if they have not done so already, by offering $100 gift cards.
After completing their vaccine series at a participating city clinic, Philly residents can register to receive a $100 gift card, either mailed to them or sent via email. Up to 20,000 gift cards are available on a first-come, first-served basis.