Despite a rise in COVID-19 cases, Philadelphia does not have plans to follow New York City in requiring proof of vaccination in order to dine indoors at restaurants, workout a gym, or see a movie.
“That’s not something we’ve been actively discussing. We’re certainly very supportive of vaccination. But we have not been actively looking or talking about something like that,” Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said during a press briefing Tuesday.
The Acting Health Commissioner said she wanted to be completely open about what being fully vaccinated means at this time.
“That’s not something we’ve been actively discussing. We’re certainly very supportive of vaccination. But we have not been actively looking or talking about something like that,” Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said during a press briefing Tuesday.
Bettigole said it is, however, a fluid situation. Though she said won’t take anything off the table, it’s “certainly not top of mind as a logical next step” for Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is currently recommending people wear masks while in public indoor spaces, whether vaccinated or not, but a mask mandate has not been issued. Bettigole said she would not rule one out in the future.
“The pandemic in Philadelphia has taken a turn that none of us wanted to see,” she said. “We believe the delta variant is now the dominant strain of COVID in Philadelphia and that’s what’s causing our case counts to rise as they have been.”
Bettigole said the number of cases is similar to last summer and much lower than when things were at their worst.
She said it’s not just the number of cases or hospitalizations that most concern her, but how quickly those numbers have risen.
The numbers have doubled from July 12 to July 19 and again from July 19 to August 1, Bettigole said.
