Philadelphia reimposes indoor mask mandate in response to rising omicron BA.2 cases

Philadelphia health officials announced Monday that they are reimposing the indoor mask mandate in response to an increase in cases driven by the omicron BA.2 subvariant.

“Recently we’ve been watching COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rise in several European countries and some places in the US, and now were starting to see cases here in Philadelphia rise,” Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said at a press briefing on Monday afternoon. “We’re reintroducing the mask mandate in Philadelphia.”

Philadelphia appears to be the first major city to reimpose an indoor mask mandate after local governments and states across the country lifted them earlier this year in response to plummeting cases.

The new mandate goes against recommendations by the CDC, which says that people in counties with low community transmission should choose whether or not to wear a mask based off their “personal preference.” Philadelphia County’s community risk level is still low, according to the CDC.

The city entered tier 2 of its COVID-19 response system, which means Philadelphia has hit two of three requirements between 100-225 new cases per day, a 50% increase in cases over the previous 10 days, and hospitalization between 50-100. – READ MORE