Philly Health Officials Urge Everyone Wear Masks Indoors

PHILADELPHIA — Health officials in Philadelphia are strongly recommending everyone — including those who have been vaccinated — wear masks inside public spaces.

The decision comes in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus's Delta Variant.

Philadelphia's Health Department strongly recommends that everyone, including fully vaccinated people, wear masks in all public indoor places; choose outdoor rather than indoor spaces; avoid crowded indoor spaces; wear masks while indoors around people you don’t know are vaccinated; and consider double masking for unvaccinated people while in indoor public spaces.

"We are seeing a small but disturbing increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 among children in Philadelphia, along with more than a doubling of cases in the city," said Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole. "It's time for all of us to do what we need to do to protect our city's kids. That means getting fully vaccinated if you haven't yet, and it means all of us going back to wearing masks in public. Kids under 12 cannot yet be vaccinated. They need you to step up. If you still have questions you need answered, call your doctor or our health department staff and get the information you need. And then get it done."

The most important recommendation continues to be that everyone who is eligible get vaccinated as soon as possible; this is the best way to stop the spread of the Delta Variant, officials said.

As of Thursday, 754,821 residents have been fully vaccinated and 917,771 have gotten at least one dose.

Currently, 60.8 percent of Philadelphia adults are fully vaccinated, and 73.9 percent of Philadelphia adults have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Fifty-five patients with coronavirus are being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, with one on a ventilator.

In the last two weeks, two percent of coronavirus tests in Philadelphia have come back positive.

To date, 146,142 Philadelphians have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, and 3,763 have succumbed to the virus.

Philadelphia is averaging 64 new cases of COVID-19 per day over the last two weeks.