The easing of coronavirus restrictions will have to wait until April 30 to be effective as Health Secretary Dr. Thomas Farley said case counts and the number of Philadelphians vaccinated so far are not good enough to match the state’s reopening plans early next month.
As stated by an NBC Philadelphia report, the easing of restrictions which included broader openings of restaurants, bars and large venues was set for April 4. However, Farley and Mayor Jim Kenney said Tuesday that they do not agree with the easing of restriction for that date because the data, they believe, does not t support reopening indoor activities and large venues more.
You can read: Restaurants in Philadelphia can increase indoor dining to 50% capacity
Nevertheless, Farley said restaurants could reopen to 75% capacity and bar service without food orders could begin for the first time in over a year on April 30 “if case rates are declining” at a satisfactory level by then.
The new date notification for reopening plans comes after Governor Tom Wolf announced the lifting of several coronavirus restrictions for Pennsylvania.
Coronavirus restrictions delayed
Gov. Tom Wolf had highlighted the cooperation of state residents in helping to curb the spread of the virus when he announced the easing of restrictions for April 4.
“Pennsylvanians have stepped up and done their part of help curb the spread of COVID-19. Our case counts continue to go down, hospitalizations are declining, and the percent positivity rate gets lower every week, all very positive signs. The number of people getting vaccinated increases daily and we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. It’s time to allow our restaurants, bars and other service businesses to get back to more normal operations.”
Noticias Newswire
