State and local leaders across the U.S. have moved to abandon pandemic mitigation measures in recent months as cases dwindle this winter following the growth of Omicron. Cases are now on the rise in more than half of the states, though the average daily incidence is relatively low, at around 31,000 – the lowest daily average since last summer.
It’s too early to say, though Philadelphia’s move to tighten restrictions could be a sign that leaders across the country will re-impose a mask mandate if the situation continues.
The city’s public health activities are in line with data-driven guidelines established by local leaders. To stay “Level 1: Everything is clear”, the city’s Covid metric must meet two or more requirements: new average daily cases must remain below 100, hospitalization must remain below 50, and cases must be “50% – At less increased in the previous period. 10 days. “
Philadelphia Health Commissioner Sheryl Betigole said Monday that the city will move to the second level, requiring internal masks to report an average of 142 new cases a day, about 50 percent more than it was 10 days ago. He said 750 people had died in Philadelphia during the Omicron winter wave and that the city was trying to anticipate another increase in hospitalization and mortality.
“We do not know whether the BA.2 variant in Philadelphia will have the same impact on hospitalization and death as we did in the original version of Omicron this winter,” Betigol said. “I doubt this wave will be smaller than we saw in January.
It is unknown how long the mask mandate will last. Betigol said lifting the restriction would depend on hospitalization data.
