The rationale for the adjustment, according to Mayor Jim Kenney‘s administration, is a decrease in coronavirus-related hospitalizations and daily case counts.

However, the city will continue to strongly advise all residents to wear masks indoors, but will not impose a mask requirement.

The mayor’s office did not say when the adjustment will be implemented. They added that more information would be presented at a briefing today.

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The announcement was made on SEPTA official Twitter account the same day Philly reimposed its indoor mask mandate due to the increase of COVID-19 cases.

Effective immediately, in accordance with CDC and TSA recommendations, the wearing of masks aboard SEPTA vehicles and in SEPTA stations & concourses is recommended but no longer required of customers or employees.

— SEPTA (@SEPTA) April 19, 2022

The ruling came only hours after a federal judge in Florida overturned the national mask requirement for flights and other forms of public transportation. The mask order “is not in effect at this time,” according to the White House, citing the court verdict.

The judgment appeared to give airlines more freedom in deciding whether or not to require masks, with numerous airlines saying that they would no longer enforce them.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia reinstated an indoor mask requirement in response to an increase in new coronavirus cases. After metrics no longer satisfied the ‘All clear’ criteria of Philadelphia’s COVID-19 response, the city stated a week ago that it will reimpose the mandate.

🧵 Due to increasing COVID-19 cases, @PhiladelphiaGov will move to Level 2: Mask Precautions beginning today. In order to provide a one-week education period for businesses, masks will be required in all indoor public spaces as of Monday, April 18, 2022. (1/4)

— Philadelphia Public Health (@PHLPublicHealth) April 11, 2022

As a result, masks usage are mandatory in all indoor public locations, including schools and daycare facilities, companies, restaurants, and government buildings. City authorities ask residents to report any businesses that do not comply with the ordinance to Philly311.

But a group of businesses and residents is trying to nullify it through a state lawsuit.

The suit, filed in Commonwealth Court on Saturday, states the city lacks the authority to impose the mandate.

The group filing the lawsuit says the mandate violates the state constitution and flouts guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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”The people of New Jersey are being told by this administration that they must comply, don’t ask questions, or get labeled a knucklehead or worse, while those demanding compliance flout the very policies they push,” said state Sen. Holly Schepisi, R-Bergen. “It is the height of hypocrisy, and it is wrong.”

As reported by nj.com, the Democratic Governor has said the criticism against him is “ridiculous. “ He suggested the situation is more nuanced than Republicans are painting. Others point out the irony of the judgment because, despite recommendations from health authorities, numerous Republican leaders in New Jersey have been opposed to mask rules.

The Garden State was among the first entities to install a mask mandate and one of the last states to lift it. And when federal officials re-tightened guidelines this summer, Murphy said all New Jerseyans are now “strongly recommended” to wear face coverings in indoor settings.

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This all comes as Republicans try to gain ground against Phil Murphy, who has led Jack Ciattarelli in all public-opinion polls.

Key election issue

Numerous polls have shown the pandemic to be a key issue in the race, with a majority of New Jersey citizens supporting how the Democratic governor has responded to the crisis. However Republicans claim that Murphy has not only been too drastic but has also mishandled the crisis, with more than 8,000 deaths in nursing homes and more than a third of the state’s small businesses closing.

In their debate Tuesday night, Ciattarelli said that the governor and others were maskless at an indoor ball hosted by Garden State Equality in Asbury Park last Friday.

None of those who attended were technically breaking state rules. Murphy’s administration ended its mask mandate for most public places in late May. And people at the gala were required to present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to get in.

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According to a report by Fox 43, the lawsuit said that the masking order is not valid because it did not go through the state’s regulatory review process. It also accused the Wolf administration of trying to circumvent newly approved constitutional amendments limiting a governor’s emergency powers.

“The Secretary of Health’s order subjects healthy, non-infected teachers, children, students, staff, and visitors (…) to the wearing of face coverings,” the suit said. The plaintiffs, it said, are “not patients, they are heathy, non-infected children.”

The governor’s spokesperson dismissed what she called the GOP’s “effort at undermining public health.”

The plaintiffs include Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Centre; Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford; two private Christian schools; and parents in three public school districts, Wyomissing Area in Berks County, and Butler Area and Slippery Rock Area, both in Butler County.

The parents said in affidavits that they intend to send their children to school without masks, claiming Beam’s order is illegal.

Undermining public health

Meanwhile, Lyndsay Kensinger, spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, said that the health secretary’s authority is “clearly outlined in existing law.” Kessinger blamed Republicans for undermining public health. “We need Republicans to stop spending their time undermining public health and instead encourage people to get vaccinated.”

You can read: Mask mandate for Pennsylvania K-12 schools

The mask order requires students, teachers and staff to wear face coverings when inside, regardless of vaccination status.

Gov. Tom Wolf has justified the order because most of Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts did not impose their own mask mandates. State health officials said more than 5,000 students have tested positive for the coronavirus since the start of the academic year.

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According to a wytv.com report, the Department of Health order will take effect Tuesday, September 7.

“My office has received an outpouring of messages from parents asking the administration to protect all children by requiring masks in schools,” said Gov. Wolf in a prepared statement. “The science is clear. The Delta variant is highly transmissible and dangerous to the unvaccinated, many of whom are children too young to receive the vaccine. Requiring masks in schools will keep our students safer and in the classroom, where we all want them to be.”

Effective September 7, masks will be required in schools and early learning and childcare programs in Pennsylvania.

This will keep our students safer and in the classroom, where we all want them to be.

— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) August 31, 2021

The mandate requires students, teachers and staff to wear masks when inside, according to two people briefed on the plan. The order will not apply to student athletes while they are playing.

Less than a month ago, Wolf had ruled out a statewide mask mandate for schools after requiring them last year. But the delta variant has changed the administration’s projections about what is needed to keep students in class.

Misinformation campaign

“I preferred for local school boards to make this decision. Unfortunately, an aggressive nationwide campaign is spreading misinformation about mask-wearing and pressuring and intimidating school districts to reject mask policies that will keep kids safe and in school. As we see cases among children increase in Pennsylvania and throughout the country, this is especially dangerous and challenging as we seek to keep kids in school and maintain a safe and healthy learning environment.”

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The Wolf administration says failure to follow the new masking mandate may subject a person to penalties under the Disease Prevention and Control Law of 1955 and exposure to personal liability.

Pennsylvania’s two statewide teachers unions had urged K-12 schools to require masks in school buildings, citing delta’s threat. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention recommends masks in schools for students, staff and teachers.

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However, the return to universal in-person learning under this condition has not been easily accepted. While numerous health officials have praised Murphy´s initiative, there have been protests in East Brunswick and near the Governor’s home in Middletown.

As reported by nj.com, the mask mandate for schools calls for all students in preschool through 12th grade, as well teachers, staff members, and visitors, to wear masks inside all schools across the Garden State at least for the start of the new academic year. That includes all public, private, parochial, charter, and renaissance schools.

What are the exceptions?

• When doing so would inhibit the individual’s health, such as when the individual is exposed to extreme heat indoors;
• When the individual has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a face covering without assistance;
• When a student’s documented medical condition or disability precludes use of a face covering;
• When the individual is under two years of age;
• When an individual is engaged in an activity that cannot be performed while wearing a mask, such as eating and drinking or playing an instrument that would be obstructed by the face covering;
• When the individual is engaged in high-intensity aerobic or anaerobic activity;
• When a student is participating in high-intensity physical activities during a physical education class in a well-ventilated location and able to maintain a physical distance of six feet from all other individuals; or
• When wearing a face covering creates an unsafe condition in which to operate equipment or execute a task.

In-person classes

Murphy said that New Jersey’s schools will return to all-day in-person instruction, with no more option for hybrid learning, despite the uptick in coronavirus numbers.

You can read: Phil Murphy announces mask requirement for New Jersey K-12 students

“We remain steadfast in the recognition that our children learn better in a classroom setting tailored for their educations,” he said.

How will it be enforced?

The Governor said it would be up to individual school districts to “come up with appropriate consequences” for students who do not wear masks or parents who refuse the mandate for schools.

When will the mandate for schools end?

Murphy did not provide give a specific date. However, he said he will lift it if there’s a “meaningful improvement” in the state’s coronavirus data and as vaccinations increase.

“We hope it’s not a permanent step,” he said. “We hope we beat this thing. The more people that comply with masking, the more people who get vaccinated, the higher the probability is we can take a turn for the better.”

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What do health experts say?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced last month it’s recommending everyone in K-12 schools in America to mask up to battle the Delta variant.

The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends face coverings.

Meanwhile, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all New Jersey residents wear masks at public places indoors as COVID-19 cases spike.

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This means all businesses can open their doors to as many people as they prefer at 100% capacity, and crowd-size restrictions will be lifted on all indoor and outdoor gatherings.

“All COVID-19 restrictions related to gatherings, restaurants, and other businesses will be lifted,” Governor Tom Wolf tweeted when the changes to the mitigations orders were announced.

It's an exciting day in Pennsylvania: COVID-19 mitigation orders have now been lifted.

Thank you to each and every Pennsylvanian who did their part to get us here.

This milestone is possible because of you. pic.twitter.com/KHIUtDNErk

— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) May 31, 2021

As reported by ellwoodcityledger.com, cleaning, sanitizing, and distancing mandates for business owners will also be lifted, though the Department of Health encourages all to follow CDC guidance. Schools will no longer need to report their coronavirus prevention measures to the state either.

The Department of Health also said in mid-May that fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians could stop wearing masks indoors “in most situations.” That was in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that still requires masks restrictions in public transit and health care facilities like nursing homes.

Mask mandates remain

The current order requiring masks for unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals will be operative until June 28 or when 70 percent of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older get their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, whichever comes first.

This week, Pennsylvania became the 10th state to have 70% of its adults vaccinated with at least one dose.

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Gov. Wolf stressed the importance of following the steps of the vaccination process. “As we lift mitigation orders, it is important for eligible Pennsylvanians to get the COVID-19 vaccine,” Wolf said. “Getting vaccinated is our best defense against this virus and ensuring individuals and their loved ones remain safe as we reopen Pennsylvania.”

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Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said during a briefing those who have received the complete procedure of COVID- 19 vaccination are protected from catching and spreading the virus. She urged people who have not been vaccinated or people who are within the vaccine process to continue to wear a mask.

“While we’re going to go ahead and relax outdoor mask guidance, since we know COVID is rarely transmitted outside, we’re going to wait a bit longer to relax indoor mask rules,” Bettigole said.

Previously to the mask mandate lifting, the city announced the increase of capacity limits in most settings to 50% and the reduction of social distancing from six feet to three feet on Friday. Restaurants and bars are still capped at 50%, or 75% with enhanced ventilation, but now customers will be able to buy alcohol without needing to purchase food.

Mask mandate reviewed

According to a 6 ABC report, if the numbers keep the desired tendency, Philadelphia health authorities will continue to ask everyone to wear masks indoors and then the mask mandate will be reviewed again two weeks later. But, regardless of the changes for fully vaccinated, the city says people who have not completed the vaccination process, should continue to wear masks when around others indoors.

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“Based on the most recent studies, we can now be comfortable, finally, that people who are fully vaccinated are not only protected from getting sick from COVID, they’re also protected from passing it to others,” Bettigole said over the removal of the mask mandate.

On June 11, Philadelphia will lift its ‘Safer at Home’ COVID-19 restrictions, other than the mask requirements. The rest of Pennsylvania will do the same two weeks earlier.

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