Philadelphia will end reimposed mask mandate
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Philadelphia made the decision to end its mask mandate on Thursday night, just four days after reimposing it.
Why it matters: With the U-turn, Philly will no longer be the only major city in the country with such a mandate.
- The mask mandate ends Friday following a vote from the Philadelphia Board of Health to rescind it on Thursday.
State of play: The city made the decision on April 11 to bring the mandate back into effect one week later on April 18 — the same day a federal judge struck down the Biden administration's transportation mask mandate.
- The mandate was at odds with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which currently does not recommend mandated masking in Philadelphia.
Yes, but: The city still strongly recommends masks in indoor public places, city spokesperson Sarah Peterson told Axios.
What they're saying: The decision came "due to decreasing hospitalizations and a leveling of case counts," Peterson said.
Of note: The city will no longer use its tiered response levels that were introduced in February, health officials announced during a briefing Friday.
Flashback: Philadelphia had originally cited rising COVID cases in the city — as well as rising hospitalizations — to justify its decision to bring the mandate back.
- "This looks like we may be at the start of a new COVID wave, like Europe just saw," Philadelphia health commissioner Cheryl Bettigole said last week.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include additional details on the decision to end the mask mandate and use of the city's tiered COVID response system.