Philadelphia Lifts Indoor Mask Mandate After over a Year of Restrictions

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 07: Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney speaks during the
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for MoveOn
Hannah Knudsen

The City of Philadelphia lifted its indoor mask mandate Friday, June 11, after over a year of coronavirus restrictions in place.

On Friday, the city officially lifted the indoor mask mandate, as well as the 11 p.m. restrictions on restaurants, as the Philadelphia Department of Public of Health no longer requires fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks indoors or outdoors.

“For nearly fifteen months, the City of Philadelphia has had restrictions in place to protect each other, and I have no doubt that these restrictions saved countless lives,” Mayor Jim Kenney said.

“But Friday will be a day that we’ve all been looking forward to: getting back to doing the things that we love,” he added.

Masks will still be required in certain settings, including prisons, trains, buses, court facilities, and indoor schools.

NBC Philadelphia reported:

As of Monday, the Health Department reported that at least 836,370 Philadelphians have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine and 645,568 Philadelphians were fully vaccinated. That’s 67.4% and 52% of Philadelphia adults respectively. According to the CDC, 66.3% of Philadelphians over the age of 64 are fully vaccinated.

Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, however, warned the easing of restrictions “doesn’t mean that we are totally past COVID-19.”

“Dozens of Philadelphians are still being diagnosed with COVID-19 every day, which means that more of us still need to get vaccinated,” she added.

The department is still recommending unvaccinated people to wear a mask, and the mayor continues to urge “everyone who has not been vaccinated to join the more than 800,000 fellow Philadelphians” in doing so.

Gov. Tom Wolf (D) has not yet lifted the statewide mask mandate. It will either be lifted when 70 percent of the state’s adults are “fully vaccinated” or by June 28 — whichever comes first:

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