Philadelphia’s current “Safer at Home” restrictions have been extended through January 15, 2021. According to a Fox29 report, the restrictions which were set to expire at 8 a.m. on January 4, were extended due to a continued spike in coronavirus cases.
These restrictions impact the following: indoor dining, indoor gatherings and events, theaters, casinos, colleges, and indoor organized sports.
“We have made progress and saved lives with our Safer at Home restrictions,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. “Now we need to be very careful with how we allow activities to restart, especially around the holiday season, so that we don’t ignite another surge in the virus.”
Those restrictions were implemented since indoor spaces with large numbers of people are connected to higher risks of spreading COVID-19.
High-risk activities
As it was established by the City of Philadelphia officials, these activities continue to be considered higher risk because they take place indoors and involve a large number of people, people spending long periods of time together, people not wearing masks, and/or they’ve had previous large outbreaks due to not following social distance guidelines.
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Unless later extended, city officials will allow certain businesses to resume operating on Jan. 4. These businesses and activities include: museums, outdoor sports, gyms, in-person learning for high schools, and outdoor catered events.
Officials strongly recommend using protective masks to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health confirmed a total of 86,723 and 2,312 deaths since the pandemic began.