Philly Indoor Dining On Track Despite Increased Coronavirus Cases

PHILADELPHIA — Daily coronavirus cases and positivity rates in Philadelphia have increased, but even with the increase indoor dining and other activities are still planned to resume next week.

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said case counts have increased over the past few days, as well as positivity rates.

Despite the increase, Farley said indoor dining with restrictions such as capping capacity at 25 percent, as well as some other activities, will resume Tuesday, Sept. 8.

See details on how Philadelphia restaurants, theaters, and more will operate here.

Farley reported an additional 166 cases Thursday after reporting 235 cases Wednesday.

About 4.1 percent of tests came back positive.

He said the large numbers are due in part to the outbreak at Temple University and some people who were tested last week that were recently identified as Philadelphia residents. According to Temple University, 212 students have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Farley said officials don’t have a complete account of cases associated with Temple’s outbreak because students may not report their address as Philadelphia and that students who get tested at community sites may not make it known they go to Temple.

Contact tracing efforts showed new cases were in predominately off campus students who become infected by roommates and participating in small social gatherings.

Farley said students should stay in their rooms or apartments, wear masks when around others, and assume everyone has the virus.

Of the new cases reported Thursday, 31 percent were 20 to 29 and 25 percent were 10 to 19, with most of the latter age group being in the higher teens.

The week that ended Aug. 28 saw an average of 108 cases per day. On Tuesday Farley reported the figure was around 90.

One new death was reported Thursday, bringing the city's total coronavirus-related deaths to 1,759.