PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia will expand limits on restaurants and indoor capacity on April 30, on the condition that COVID-19 rates decline.
The state of Pennsylvania will be relaxing restrictions on dining capacity and bars on April 4, but with Philadelphia reporting its second week of increasing COVD-19 cases, Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley said the city will hold off until the end of the month.
In the last week, new COVID-19 cases have averaged more than 400 a day, whereas two weeks ago, new cases totaled fewer than 300 a day.
There is also an increase in the percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive in the last two weeks, as well as an increase in hospitalizations — from a low point of 200 to now over 300.
Farley said the city plans to adopt the state standards on April 30, but that depends on whether the upward trend of cases and hospitalizations changes.
"If they're still rising very quickly (by April 30), we're not going to be able to remove those restrictions," he added.
But Farley is hopeful. He believes the pace of vaccinations will pick up in April, and he expects the city to start vaccinating the next priority group in early to mid-April.
"There's a lot of reasons still to be optimistic over the next few months — over the next few months, but not the next few days or couple of weeks," he said.
However, a few minor changes will take effect on April 4. Farley said food will be allowed to be served at business meetings. Outdoor catered events will be able to expand maximum capacity to 250 people, with some restrictions.
The city encourages people 65 and older to be fully vaccinated before attending these events. More guidance on these plans is forthcoming.
Since the start of the pandemic, the city has confirmed 120,490 total cases of COVID-19 and 3,230 total deaths.
