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With COVID-19 cases inching up in Philadelphia, city urges a return of masks indoors

As cases start to rise, Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole said "now is the time to start taking precautions."

Masked visitors walk past the colorful walls inside the Philadelphia Museum of Art in March.
Masked visitors walk past the colorful walls inside the Philadelphia Museum of Art in March.Read moreHEATHER KHALIFA / Staff Photographer
    by Rob Tornoe
    Updated 
    Published 

COVID-19 cases have once again started to increase in Philadelphia, and health officials are encouraging residents to consider wearing masks indoors in public spaces.

As of Monday, Philadelphia was averaging 94 new COVID-19 cases per day over the last seven days, an increase of 36% over the last 10 days, according to an Inquirer analysis of city data. The test positivity rate has also inched up to 3.1% from a low of 2% in the beginning of March.

And 51 patients with COVID-19 were being treated in Philadelphia hospitals as of Tuesday, according to the state Health Department, seven of whom are on ventilators.

That said, case counts remain far below the peaks the city experienced during the recent omicron wave, where Philadelphia was averaging more than 4,000 new cases a day.

The slight uptick in cases comes as Europe has seen a wave of new infections brought on by a subvariant of omicron — known as BA.2 — which now accounts for nearly three-quarters of new COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to the CDC.

» READ MORE: What to know about BA.2, the new omicron subvariant

“As we see more cases of COVID-19 in the city, everyone’s risk goes up. That means that now is the time to start taking precautions,” Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole said in a statement. “It’s not required yet, but Philadelphians should strongly consider wearing a mask while in public indoor spaces.”

Philadelphia’s COVID-19 response level remains “all clear,” meaning there are no restrictions or vaccination requirements across the city. City officials previously said they would require masks in indoor public places again if two or more of the following are true:

  1. Average new cases per day are more than 100 (currently at 94).

  2. Hospitalizations are more than 50 (currently at 51).

  3. Cases have increased by more than 50% in the previous 10 days (currently at 36%).

Masks continue to be required in health-care settings, congregate living settings, and on mass transit.

» READ MORE: Here’s where you still need a mask in Philly

The new warning comes as more than 5,000 Philadelphians have now died after contracting the virus.

“This loss is unfathomable, and will be felt in countless ways across our city for years to come,” Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement. “We must continue to protect ourselves and each other by getting vaccinated, testing if we don’t feel well, and taking care to protect the vulnerable people in our communities.”

New Jersey has also begun to see an uptick in cases in recent weeks, but the numbers remain far below the peaks seen during the recent omicron spike. Last week, Gov. Phil Murphy tested positive for COVID-19, but his office said he was asymptomatic and feeling well. Murphy, who is fully vaccinated and received a booster shot, said he was hoping to end his isolation Tuesday or Wednesday.

“A little bit of a stuffy nose, but frankly, I might have had that unrelated to this,” Murphy said in a remote interview on Q104.3 in New York City on Sunday. “Otherwise, I’m in good form.”