The city's new system creates four different categories, depending on case counts, hospitalizations, and other factors. With COVID-19 cases dropping in Philadelphia, the city announced Wednesday it's easing restrictions, including lifting the vaccine mandate to eat inside restaurants. Is it time for the same here, too? According to the tiers, the city would need to get under 100 cases per day on average, and under a 2% positivity rate in order to reach All Clear. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Q: What types of accommodations are available for students and healthcare workers that get exemptions from the vaccine mandate? In part to grapple with this anticipated reality, last month Mayor Kenney announced a vaccine mandate for all diners at any venues serving food. RELATED: Those Nerdy Girls of Dear Pandemic have spent the last 15 months sharing science-backed info with their 100,000 followers. Vaccination rates in Philadelphia are the lowest in our younger folks and coincidentally, those are the folks with the highest rates of COVID infection these days. Philadelphia Mask, Vaccine Mandates to Remain as NJ, Delaware Ease City employee vaccine rates of employees fully vaccinated by departments as of Tuesday, January 11, 2022 are available online. And what you can do about it. If feasible, colleges and universities may choose to offer those with exemptions a virtual option as their accommodation. How will penalization be handled? Thats essentially the Kenney administrations approach to Phillys own infection with long Covid, our endless fever dream now moving into its third year. The Health Department strongly believes that being fully vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself and the people around you from severe COVID infections and to bring this pandemic wave to an end. Think the city should take a more aggressive approach to vaccine mandates? Its precisely the omicron variants comparatively benign effects fueling the strain on the nations healthcare system. They also provide a host for the virus to continue to mutate, possibly one day evading the protection of our vaccine technology or becoming more virulent and deadly. First published on February 16, 2022 / 5:00 PM. from the Guardians Today in Focus podcast. Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With COVID-19 cases dropping in Philadelphia, the city announced Wednesday it's easing restrictions, including lifting the vaccine mandate to eat inside restaurants.. Providers can find more information about COVID-19 on the Health Information Portals novel coronavirus page. As vaccines continue to be the best way to protect Philadelphians and save lives, were proud that nearly 22,000 city employees have gotten vaccinated and at least another 1,300 have an approved exemption to the vaccination mandate for city employees representing nearly 81% of all city employees, Mayor Jim Kenney said in the statement. six-week incentive program to get more people vaccinated. That decision was about smallpox and is 116 years old, but its the established law of the land that local Health departments can compel residents to vaccinate. To me, the solution is simple. The Citys approach has always been aimed at instituting the least restrictive rules that allow us to keep people safe from Covid-19, he added. Proof of vaccination or negative test within 24 hours (acceptable tests include lab or onsite testing, not home tests) for places that serve food or drink. Officials had previously mandated vaccines for non-union workers only by Dec. 1. "Philadelphia's vaccine mandate has been hard on our restaurants and on our places of entertainment. The attention wed get would be massive, locally and nationally. Philadelphia vaccine mandate: Negative tests no longer accepted at Dec 13, 2021. Is it time for the same here, too? In New York, new Mayor Eric Adams is enforcing his predecessor Mayor Bill Di Blasios rule that all employees of the citys 184,000 private businesses must be vaccinated to keep their jobs. Stop the incremental, hopeful approach. Go big or go home (and quarantine). If your post is offensive, not only will we not publish it, we'll laugh at you while hitting delete. The city is asking that those groups have a first dose by Jan. 3 and a second dose by Feb. 3. Philadelphia Announces January 2022 Vaccination Mandate By protecting them, we protect our most vulnerable as well. An official website of the City of Philadelphia government, City Releases Update Regarding Implementation of Workforce Vaccine Mandate. The city's current mask mandate went into effect on Aug. 12 for businesses and institutions that do not require everyone entering to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Answers to your latest pandemic questions. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health has ended its vaccine mandate, and changed how it is responding to COVID-19 cases by introducing a new system to determine restrictions. PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With COVID-19 cases dropping in Philadelphia, the city announced Wednesday it's easing restrictions, including lifting the vaccine mandate to eat inside restaurants. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All rights reserved. Philadelphia's new COVID-19 safety standards could end indoor dining New Jersey Gov. Those Nerdy Girls of Dear Pandemic have spent the last 15 months sharing science-backed info with their 100,000 followers. Phillys glaring omission of gyms, where people are forcefully expelling air and where, anecdotally in my experience, people are as committed to maintaining proper masking as they are on the El, seems bizarre. By signing up for the Super Citizen membership, you agree to have your information shared with partner organization(s), including: first name, last name and email. Its the Health Departments goal that everyone in Philadelphia be vaccinated against COVID. While Philadelphia's vaccine mandate for indoor dining was announced in mid-December and officially started on Jan. 3, it was, to use restaurant lingo, more of a soft opening. One of the conditions in the Citys agreements with DC 33 and DC 47 is that any eventual deal with the other labor unions that includes more favorable terms must automatically be extended to their membersincluding any extension to the January 14 deadline (to either get a first dose of vaccine or submit an exemption request). 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