Philly Launches Tiered Coronavirus Response System

PHILADELPHIA — A new, tiered coronavirus response system was rolled out Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr Cheryl Bettigole announced the four-tier system that the city will use going forward to determine what restrictions are necessary to prevent the virus's spread.

The system's four tiers are "all clear," "mask precautions," "caution," and "extreme caution."

Bettigole said each tier is based on case counts, positivity rates, hospitalizations, and rate of change in cases.

As of Wednesday, the city is in the "mask precautions" tier, Bettigole said.

The city is averaging 189 new cases daily, which is down significantly from last week when more than 500 new cases were being identified, Bettigole said.

Hospitalizations are down nearly 80 percent from the peak also, she said.

The city has a 2.9 percent positive rate.

She said she hopes to reach the "all clear" tier in a few weeks if Philadelphians continue to take precautions regarding the virus.

That means the vaccination requirements for eating and drinking indoors are no longer in effect, but masking is required in indoor public spaces.

"We know that local rules to fit the local conditions are the best way to protect the communities that have been disproportionately harmed by the pandemic," she said. "I am glad to say that because of the work Philadelphians have done to keep each other safe, we are safer today than we were two months ago when the vaccine mandate for indoor dining was announced."

Mayor Jim Kenney thanked residents who heeded health guidance amid the pandemic."

"We fully recognize that this virus will be with us for the foreseeable future, and we must learn to move forward together in ways that promote public health and reflect the realities of life and society," he said. "While we are not done with COVID, I am glad that we have reached a point where we know much, much more about this virus and which strategies will help us manage its spread."

Below is a breakdown of the tiers.

All Clear

This will be declared when three of the following are true:

• Average new cases per day is less than 100 (this is approximately the cut-off between CDC’s “substantial” and “moderate” levels of transmission).
• Hospitalizations are under 50.
• Percent positivity is under 2 percent.
• Cases have not risen by more than 50 percent in the previous 10 days.

Under the "all clear" tier, there is no vaccine requirement for places that serve food or drink and no mask requirement except in schools, healthcare institutions, congregate settings, and on public transportation.

No mandates will be enforced when the "all clear" tier is reached.

Mask Precautions

This will be declared when three of the following are true:

• Average new cases per day is less than 225 (this is approximately the cut-off between CDC’s “high” and “substantial” levels of transmission).
• Hospitalizations are under 100.
• Percent positivity is under 5 percent.
• Cases have not risen by more than 50 percent in the previous 10 days.

Vaccine requirements are waved under this tier, but masks are required for indoor public spaces.

Caution

This will be declared when three of the following are true:

• Average new cases per day is less than 500.
• Hospitalizations are under 500.
• Percent positivity is under 10 percent.
• Cases have not risen by more than 50 percent in the previous 10 days.

In the "caution" tier, proof of full vaccination or a negative test results from a lab or administered onsite is required to eat indoors in addition to indoor masking.

Extreme Caution

This will be declared when three of the following are true:

• Average new cases per day is 500 or more.
• Hospitalizations are 500 or more.
• Percent positivity is 10 percent or more.
• Cases have risen by more than 50 percent in the previous 10 days

"Extreme caution" means only proof of full vaccination is accepted to eat and drink indoors; negative test results will not be sufficient to do so. Masking will be required indoors, as well.

Response levels will be updated as needed every Monday, but Bettigole said updates on other days could be necessary depending on the city's coronavirus data.

Despite these tiers, some restrictions have been instituted in certain higher-risk settings, such as schools and large events. These settings will work differently than the rest of the city in many cases.

Schools and early childhood education settings will continue to require full masking. The Health Department is discussing what that looks like if the city moves to all clear.

Healthcare settings and public transit will continue to require masks under federal guidance.

Large outdoor events, like concerts and races, with more than 1,000 people will require and check vaccine status during extreme caution, will require and check either vaccine status or have a negative test during caution, and will have no restrictions during mask precautions or all clear.

College and university food and dining halls are covered by the city’s institutions of higher education mandate and are not covered by the city’s response levels.

Bettigole also announced a new incentive program to get more Philadelphians vaccinated.

Select health department clinics will be offering $100 to those who complete their vaccination series.

The $100 will be paid out either digitally in a few days' time or mailed in the form of a gift card in a few weeks, she said.

The virtual gift card will be delivered to your email in one to two days and will come from akimbo_card@akimbocard.com. People who choose to have their gift card mailed will receive it in 10 to 14 days.

This incentive is being paid for by federal funds, Bettigole said.

The Health Department vaccine clinics that will be giving away incentives will be listed on the Health Department’s Twitter in the morning of the clinic. A full, regularly updated list of those clinics is available online here.

As of Wednesday, 997,991 Philadelphians have been fully vaccinated, according to city data.