Philadelphia has delayed entry into the green phase of the Pennsylvania COVID-19 reopening process until August 1. The city was aiming to start the green phase on Friday, but is scrapping that plan that would have further eased the city’s business and social restrictions.
Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said Tuesday that key metrics for the coronavirus indicate a move to the green phase would be premature.
“Unfortunately, the goals we set to go green will not be met this Friday,” said Farley.
Of the new COVID-19 cases, the largest increase in patients in Philadelphia has been among residents under the age of 30, representing 34% of the city’s new cases in the past two weeks. Before this period, people under the age of 30 accounted for only 20% of diagnoses in Philadelphia.
Through contact-seeking efforts, many of these younger patients have been linked to visits to the Jersey shore, social gatherings and other high-risk settings, Farley said.
Earlier this month, city officials set July 3 as a target date for the green phase and issued a series of guidelines covering how Philadelphia could safely reopen. At the same time, Farley warned that if the momentum turned in the wrong direction, Philadelphia would exercise caution.
Last week, amid record numbers of reported cases in Sunbelt states, Farley said Philadelphia seemed to be entering a “second wave” of infections. While the increase in cases has been modest and both deaths and hospitalizations have decreased significantly, authorities said Tuesday that stopping plans to reopen is the best course.
“We believe this is the right decision at the moment, but it is something that we will have to evaluate in the future,” Farley said.
The health commissioner acknowledged that the election was a difficult decision.
“It is a difficult decision because we are concerned about the Philadelphia economy, the social effects of that, and the health effects of the social effects,” Farley said. “I said before, the virus kills, but poverty also kills.”
Starting this Friday, Philadelphia will enter a “modified restricted green phase,” with permits for outdoor activities or where masks can be worn and reinforced.
Museums, libraries, indoor shopping malls and casinos may open in the city on Friday, but food and drinks will not be allowed indoors. Meetings of up to 50 people will be allowed outdoors according to the city’s Safe Mode guide.
The companies that reopened on June 26 (hairdressers, salons and residential and private pools) will continue to be open. Outdoor dining, which is considered a lower risk of viral transmission, will continue under current guidelines.
Eating inside restaurants will not be allowed until the city can reassess progress. Gyms and gyms will also remain closed.
“We think it’s better to be cautious now than, like Texas and Florida, open restaurants and repent later,” Farley said.
Philadelphia reported 142 additional cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the city total to 26,133. Over a seven-day period, Philadelphia averages around 100 cases, which is above the benchmark of 80 that the city had set to enter the green phase, along with other key metrics included in the chart below. .
Source / City of PhiladelphiaThe ad comes as a neighbor New Jersey canceled plans Monday to reopen indoor dining. Governor Phil Murphy cited the large number of people seen without face masks and without practicing social distancing in Jersey Shore bars and restaurants among his reasons.
In Allegheny County, Pittsburgh closed bars and restaurant alcohol sales amid a spike in COVID-19 cases after the county went green on June 5.
Farley has argued that Philadelphia must see strong compliance with the city’s mandatory mask order, instituted last week, if residents hope to resume more activities and see them remain open. A media campaign is expected to begin urging residents to wear masks in the near future.
At least 16 states have reversed reopening plans as coronavirus infections increased more than 2.5 million this week and the national death toll exceeded 126,000.
Philadelphia will continue to take a cautious approach, which can mean redial if necessary.
“If the cases escalate here in Philadelphia, we may have to back down and shut down the activities that we are currently allowing, or we may start allowing the reopening starting Friday,” Farley said.
City residents are advised to avoid visiting areas that are experiencing spikes in the cases. Those who come to the city from these high incidence areas are asked to be quarantined for 14 days, whenever possible.
Experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that the country now has “too much virus” to follow the pattern of nations like New Zealand and South Korea, which have effectively rejected the virus. enough to reopen their economies safely.
“This is really the beginning,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, CDC’s senior deputy director. “I think there were a lot of illusions across the country that, hey, it’s summer. Everything will be fine. We have overcome this and are not even beginning to overcome it. There are a lot of worrying factors over the last week or so. ”
Farley explained that residents should have a broader view of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The big picture here, if you think about it, is that it is clear that we will be living with this virus for a long time,” Farley said. “We will not eliminate it here in Philadelphia, we will not eliminate it nationally, we will not eliminate it regionally, until we have a vaccine. Fortunately, most people who have (COVID-19) have a mild infection or are recovering.” And fortunately, our healthcare system has more experience now than a few months ago regarding how to treat this infection.
“If we can’t eliminate this virus, we have to do everything we can to protect the people who are most likely to have a serious case,” Farley said.
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