PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia’s last remaining major COVID-19 restrictions, including the indoor mask mandate, have officially been lifted.
The city is no longer requiring masks, and the 11 p.m. last call for restaurants is no longer in effect, as of 12:01 a.m. Friday. However, city health officials are still strongly encouraging mask-wearing in public settings for those who are either partially vaccinated or not vaccinated at all.
Businesses are also allowed to maintain mask policies that they feel are best for them.
“Anyone who has shown proof of vaccination, we’re gonna let work out mask-free, and it’s the first time that we get to that in over a year,” said Shoshana Katz, owner of BPM Fitness in Spring Garden.
She was all smiles as she greeted maskless members for a 6 a.m. class on Friday, though she did keep her mask around her chin.
“Just in case there’s a client who’s uncomfortable so I can throw it on,” she explained. “We made it optional, which means that if people are still uncomfortable, they should absolutely come in and still wear their mask.”
Katz said there was no real pushback and members were happy with the policy.
“I felt like I was able to actually work out harder,” gym member Luis Rivera said after class. “I just fed off everyone’s energy because it was the first time we were all seeing one another’s faces now and not just seeing eyes.”
There are exceptions to the lifting of the mask mandate. Masks are still required on public transportation, in health care and congregate settings, and at schools, camps and early childhood education centers that take place indoors. The same goes for courts in the city.
City officials say these restrictions could be lifted because of the dramatic drop in COVID-19 cases. On Thursday, the health department said there were about 58 cases a day during the last two weeks. Officials say about 67% of adults in Philadelphia received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Still, they stress the pandemic is not over yet, and they are still pushing to get more city residents vaccinated.