Philadelphia to lift outdoor mask mandate for fully vaccinated people on Friday

Philadelphia to lift outdoor mask mandate on Friday for fully vaccinated people

Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said fully vaccinated people will no longer be required to wear a mask outside in Philadelphia on Friday.

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Department of Health said it will lift its outdoor mask mandate for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on Friday and could pull back its indoor mask mandate in June.

In her first briefing since taking over for ousted Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley, Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said those who are fully vaccinated 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.

CDC: Fully vaccinated people can skip masks in most places

Dr. Mike joins Good Day Philadelphia to discuss the CDC's decision to change mask guidelines for full vaccinated people.

In the meantime, the health department said beginning Friday fully vaccinated people no longer have to wear a mask at outdoor gatherings, restaurants, games, and performances. Of course, restaurants and businesses can still require customers to wear a mask outdoors.

Philadelphia previously announced plans to raise capacity limits in most settings to 50% and drop social distancing from six feet to three feet on Friday. Restaurants and bars are still capped at 50%, or 75% with enhanced ventilation, but on Friday customers can buy alcohol without needing to purchase food.

Bettigole said the city will review the COVID-19 metrics and could pull back indoor mask-wearing on Jun. 11 if the numbers continue to trend in the right direction. The city previously announced that on Jun. 11 it will fully reopen by repealing all ‘Safer at Home’ measures that have been in place for more than a year.

"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.

Pennsylvania closely followed the CDC's updated guidance on masking that said fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or practice social distancing inside or outside in most settings. Since the surprise announcement, several states across the country have eased or fully repealed mask rules.

Philadelphia has remained independent from the state during the coronavirus pandemic and sets its own rules due to population density. So far more than 850k Philadelphians have had a least one dose and over 630k are fully protected.