Philadelphia's indoor mask mandate returns as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations rise - The Philadelphia Inquirer

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LATEST4 hours ago

For now, SEPTA will keep mask requirement

A federal judge Monday voided the national mask mandate for airplanes, transit, railroads and other forms of public transportation. It was not immediately clear whether the administration would appeal the ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle.

”SEPTA’s mask requirement will remain in place until further notice,” spokesman Andrew Busch said.

Mizelle said that the Centers for Disease Control exceeded its statutory authority in imposing the mask mandate and failed to follow procedural requirements for rulemaking by federal agencies. The mandate was set to expire Monday, but the CDC had extended it until at least May 3.

Officials at the Philadelphia International Airport had no immediate comment on how they would proceed in light of the ruling.

— Thomas Fitzgerald and Max Marin

7 hours ago

Florida judge voids the U.S. mask mandate for planes, other travel

Travelers lining up at O'Hare airport in Chicago, on July 2, 2021.. ... Read moreNam Y. Huh / AP

A federal judge in Florida has voided the national mask mandate covering airplanes and other public transportation as exceeding the authority of U.S. health officials.

The decision Monday by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa also said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rule-making.

The CDC recently extended the mask mandate, which was set to expire on April 18, until May 3 to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus that is now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the United States.

» READ MORE: Florida judge voids the U.S. mask mandate for planes, other travel

— Associated Press

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9 hours ago

People over 60 should get a fourth vaccine dose, White House official says

People over 60 should get a second coronavirus vaccine booster shot, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish K. Jha said Sunday, noting that new data out of Israel showed a fourth dose provides a “substantial reduction” in infections and deaths.

“The data out of Israel is pretty compelling for people over 60,” Jha said in an appearance on Fox News Sunday. “When people got that second booster shot four months after their first booster, what we saw was a substantial reduction not just in infections, but in deaths. So, I think people over 60 should be getting it.”

For those age 50 to 59, though, it’s “more of a close call,” he added. For people in that age group, he said, getting a second booster is “dependent on risk profile,” and that they should talk to their doctor first.

Released earlier this month, the data from Israel that Jha cited found that in people 60 and older, a fourth shot gave strong protection against severe illness. The study did not have data on whether a second booster shot is effective for people under 60. In January, Israel approved a fourth dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for people 60 and up.

Last month, the Food and Drug Administration authorized second booster shots of both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for Americans age 50 and older. That approval, the FDA said at the time, was granted to help combat the “waning of protection over time against serious outcomes from COVID-19″ in older and immunocompromised people.

— Nick Vadala

11 hours ago

Why is Philly requiring masks again today when other cities aren’t? We asked the experts.

Philadelphia’s return to indoor masking on Monday is drawing mixed reactions.. ... Read moreCynthia Greer

Philadelphia’s return to indoor masking on Monday has drawn as many different reactions as there are new variants of the coronavirus.

Relief among those concerned about the recent rise in cases of COVID-19. Grudging acceptance from others. And resentment among those who see the move as overcautious and arbitrary. Over the weekend, several businesses and residents filed a lawsuit in Commonwealth Court challenging the city’s right to impose the mandate.

Though the city is an outlier among major metropolitan areas in bringing back masks, the decision did not come out of nowhere. It is based on benchmarks set by city health officials in February — with levels of caution triggered by the number of cases, how fast they are rising or falling, and hospitalizations.

In this case, masks are back because the city is averaging more than 100 new cases each day, and because the total, as of April 11, had risen by more than 50% over the previous 10 days.

Will Philadelphia get it right, where other health agencies may regret not taking action sooner? Or will the move turn out to be a false alarm?

We asked the city to explain the evidence driving its decision. And we spoke to three outside experts about what is appropriate at this stage of the pandemic, when most people in Philadelphia are vaccinated (and exhausted) yet the potential for risky new variants remains unknown.

» READ MORE: Why is Philly requiring masks again today when other cities aren’t? We asked the experts.

— Tom Avril

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12 hours ago

Philly’s latest mask mandate is relieving COVID anxiety for some. For others, it’s making things worse.

Masked visitors walk past the colorful walls outside of the Elegy exhibit inside the Philadelphia Museum of Art in March.. ... Read moreHEATHER KHALIFA / Staff Photographer

Ask Philadelphians how they feel about Monday’s return of the mask mandate and the answer is unlikely to be one of ambivalence.

When asked about the city becoming the first in the country to reinstate the rule for indoor establishments after a rise in coronavirus cases, residents described feeling intensely emotional about the policy change.

“Super relieved.”

“Drained.”

“Very angry and a bit hopeless.”

As coronavirus cases tick up again after the post-omicron lull that brought the lifting of nearly all restrictions, some reported that Philadelphia’s decision to again require masks indoors affected their mental well-being — for the better or the worse, depending on their situation.

Some are comforted, feeling they can still keep their families safe while shopping at stores or eating at restaurants. Others are burned-out and fed up with restrictions, believing the case numbers aren’t high enough to warrant the move.

Philadelphia’s reimposition of the mask mandate is just the latest example of the pandemic up-and-downs that have marked the last two years. The ebbs and flows have caused whiplash and exacerbated fatigue.

On Saturday, several businesses and residents filed a lawsuit in Commonwealth Court, claiming Philadelphia lacks the authority to impose such a mandate.

Attorney Thomas W. King III, who was among those involved in last year’s successful challenge to the statewide mask mandate in schools, said the city’s emergency order went against recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and “imposed a renegade standard unfound anywhere else in the world.”

But among city residents, opinions are divided.

» READ MORE: Philly’s latest mask mandate is relieving COVID anxiety for some. For others, it’s making things worse.

— Erin McCarthy

14 hours ago

Philly indoor mask mandate back in effect

A sign requiring masks hangs on a storefront in Philadelphia back in February. . ... Read moreMatt Rourke / AP

Philadelphia is reviving its indoor mask requirement Monday to combat the spread of the latest COVID-19 variant and minimize the risk of overwhelming hospitals.

Masks are once again required in all indoor public places, including schools, businesses, and restaurants.

The exception: Any business can require proof of vaccination instead of requiring guests and employees to mask up.

Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole last week called for the mandatory masking as a precaution. She said it’s not clear yet whether the latest rise in cases will have the same impact on hospitals as the surge this past winter.

“I suspect that this wave will be smaller than the one we saw in January. But if we wait to find out and to put our masks back on, we’ll have lost our chance to stop the wave,” Bettigole said during a news conference.

Philly dropped its mask mandate less than two months ago. While some residents told The Inquirer last week that they support the return of the mandate, others are reluctant to mask up yet again. Even some City Council members have expressed concerns.

» READ MORE: Here’s where you need to wear a mask in Philly

— Felicia Gans Sobey

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14 hours ago

What would trigger a return of Philadelphia’s vaccine mandate

Loraine Hopkins Pepe, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, CCRN-K, holds a vaccine card at Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia.. ... Read moreJESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer

If COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, Philadelphia could once again require restaurant and bar patrons to show proof of vaccination to dine indoors.

As of Friday, Philadelphia was averaging 224 COVID-19 cases a day over the past seven days, a 61% increase over the past 10 days, according to an Inquirer analysis of city data. As of Sunday, there were 82 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 — eight on ventilators — according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

While those numbers remain far below pandemic peaks reached during the omicron surge, the recent numbers have been high enough to trigger Philadelphia’s mask mandate.

Philadelphia’s COVID-19 response level would need to reach the “caution” phase for the city to once again mandate vaccinations for indoor dining. For that to happen, two or more of the following must be true:

• Average new cases per day are between 225 a day and 500 a day (currently at 183)

• Hospitalizations are between 100 and 500 COVID-19 patients (currently at 82)

• Cases have increased by more than 50% in the previous 10 days (currently at 73%)

— Rob Tornoe and John Duchneskie

15 hours ago

Lawsuit seeks to overturn mask mandate

An masked visitor passes through the Philadelphia Museum of Art back in September 2020. . ... Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer

A group of Philadelphia business owners and residents have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn Philadelphia’s mask mandate.

The lawsuit, filed in Commonwealth Court on Saturday, claims the city doesn’t have the authority to impose a new mask mandate and has “usurped the power and authority” of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the legislature, and the commonwealth’s advisory health board.

Attorney Thomas W. King III, who was part of a group that successfully overturned Pennsylvania’s statewide mask mandate in schools, told the Inquirer he plans to file a motion for a preliminary injunction early this week.

“The citizens bringing this action ... have had enough of Philadelphia acting in a way contrary to the rest of the world,” King said in a statement.

This isn’t the first lawsuit Philadelphia has faced regarding the return of the mask mandate. On Thursday, the Court of Common Pleas ruled in favor of the city in a lawsuit filed by a Philadelphia resident seeking to stop the mandate from going into effect.

Kevin Lessard, a city spokesperson, told the Inquirer the courts have repeatedly confirmed that Philadelphia “has both the legal authority and requisite flexibility to enact the precautionary measures necessary to control the spread of COVID-19.”

» READ MORE: Suit seeks to overturn renewed Philadelphia mask mandate

— Rob Tornoe

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15 hours ago

Cases rising across the region, but hospitalizations and deaths remain low

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and his wife, Tammy, watch a Rutgers basketball game in February. Cases are also rising in New Jersey. . ... Read moreNoah K. Murray / AP

Coronavirus cases continue to rise in Philadelphia and the surrounding region, though the numbers remain far below levels experienced during the peak of the pandemic last winter.

Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, according to data from the New York Times and the states’ health departments:

Pennsylvania

• 1,162 new COVID-19 cases a day over the past week, an increase of 95% compared to two weeks ago (597 cases a day)

• 457 COVID-19 hospitalizations, a decrease of 13% compared to two weeks ago (526 COVID-19 hospitalizations)

• 12 COVID-19 deaths a day over the past week, a decrease of 20% compared to two weeks ago (15 deaths a day)

New Jersey

• 2,065 new COVID-19 cases a day over the past week, an increase of 71% compared to two weeks ago (1,205 cases a day)

• 369 COVID-19 hospitalizations, flat compared to two weeks ago (367 COVID-19 hospitalizations)

• Six COVID-19 deaths a day over the past week, a slight increase compared to two weeks ago (5 deaths a day)

Delaware

• 148 new COVID-19 cases a day over the past week, an increase of 85% compared to two weeks ago (80 cases a day)

• 38 COVID-19 hospitalizations, an increase of 41% compared to two weeks ago (27 COVID-19 hospitalizations)

• 23 COVID-19 deaths a day over the past week, a decrease of 20% compared to two weeks ago (34 deaths a day)

» READ MORE: As BA.2 spreads, Pa. and N.J. COVID cases are rising again

— Rob Tornoe

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Philadelphia's indoor mask mandate returns as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations rise - The Philadelphia Inquirer
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