PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia has dropped its vaccine mandate in indoor dining establishments and unveiled a new, multi-tiered system they say will guide decisions on easing - or implementing - restrictions in the future.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole announced the news during Wednesday, amid a recent drop in new cases and positivity rates in the city.Bettigole says the new system, made up of four tiers, will allow officials to use metrics to drive their decisions on COVID-19 restrictions.
Those metrics and tiers will also determine when restrictions should go back into place, should numbers worsen. "I am happy to announce our new COVID Response Levels today," said Health Commissioner Dr.
Cheryl Bettigole. "We know that local rules to fit the local conditions are the best way to protect the communities that have been disproportionately harmed by the pandemic.