Confirmed COVID-19 cases have risen by more than 50% in 10 days, the threshold at which city guidelines require people to wear masks indoors, said Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, Health Commissioner. Health officials believe the recent rise is due to the highly contagious BA.2 subcommittee of omicron, which has spread rapidly across Europe and Asia and has become dominant in the US in recent weeks. “If we fail to act now, knowing that every previous wave of infections was followed by a wave of hospitalizations and then a wave of deaths, it will be too late for many of our residents,” Bettigole said, noting about 750 people in Philadelphia. residents died in the Omicron outbreak in winter. “This is our chance to prevent the pandemic, to put on our masks until we have more information about the seriousness of this new variant.” Health inspectors will begin enforcing the mask on the city’s businesses on April 18. Most states and cities abandoned their coverage requirements in February and early March, following new guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that focus less on the number of cases and more on hospital capacity. The CDC said at the time that with the virus receding, most Americans could safely remove their masks. Philadelphia ended its indoor mask mandate on March 2, and Bettigole acknowledged that “it was wonderful to feel that sense of normality again.” Confirmed cases have since risen to more than 140 a day – another fraction of what Philadelphia saw at the height of the surge – while only 46 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19. The CDC says community outreach in Philadelphia remains low, a level at which the agency says coverage may be optional. The restaurant industry has backed down from the city re-imposing order on the masks, saying employees will carry the brunt of customer anger over the new rules. “This announcement is a major blow to thousands of small businesses and other players in the city who hoped this spring would be the beginning of a recovery,” said Ben Fileccia, senior business director at the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association. PolicyLab at Philadelphia Pediatric Hospital said Friday that while expecting some increased transmission in the northern United States in the coming weeks, hospital admissions remained low and “our team advises not to require coverage as the hospital capacity is good.” Bettigole said requiring people to meet would help keep restaurants and other businesses open, and a huge new wave of COVID-19s would keep customers at home. She said the hospital’s capacity was only one factor in her decision to reinstate the order. “I sincerely hope we do not have to do this again,” Bettigole said. “But I’m very worried about our vulnerable neighbors and loved ones.” In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams cut short his push to relax many of the city’s antivirus rules as cases have risen, opting to retain a mask order for children ages 2 to 4 in schools for the time being. of the city and kindergartens. But Adams, a Democrat who said New Yorkers should not let the pandemic run their lives, has already removed most of the masks and rules that require vaccination proof to dine in restaurants, work out in gyms or to watch performances. Adams was asked at a virtual press conference Monday afternoon if he was considering reinstating the mask in New York in light of the Philadelphia ruling. The mayor said he would listen to his team of doctors for their advice on whether to reinstate any restrictions. Adams himself tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. New York now has an average of about 1,800 new cases a day, about three times higher than in early March, when New York began loosening rules. This does not include the many home examinations that do not refer to healthcare professionals. The latest outburst has hit many high-profile officials in Washington, including Cabinet and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut. Some universities have restored mask commands. DC health officials say they have no immediate plans to change virus protocols, but reserve the right to change course along the way.
Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania. Associated Press reporter Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this story.
