PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — High school hoops are back in Philadelphia. At Tuesday’s briefing on COVID-19, the health commissioner announced basketball could resume in city high schools with some restrictions.
Dr. Tom Farley said the Philadelphia Health Department worked with coaches to devise rules that would lower the risk for indoor basketball.
The key, he said, is wearing masks at all times, including during games, practice, on the bench or on the hardwood.
“In addition to that, there’s no spectators, no tournaments, limits on the number of people involved and other precautions that you might see elsewhere,” he said.
This comes as the city is seeing falling case rates and fatalities. But Farley warns the numbers are still relatively high and mask-wearing remains crucial to weathering the winter.
He said the vaccine will not have an impact for months because of the limited supply. The city’s so far given more than 90,000 first doses and 24,000 second doses, only about 7% of the adult population.
Farley reassured those who were vaccinated by the group Philly Fighting COVID that they’ll get their second doses, despite the fact that the city has cut ties with the group over its privacy policy, which would have allowed the sale of personal data people entered on its website.
The group says it has since changed the policy.