Philly's New COVID Rules Start Friday: What You Can, Can't Do

Max Bennett
Updated ·6 min read

PHILADELPHIA — The spike in coronavirus cases in Philadelphia has led officials to reinstate bans on some activities in the city, and these new restrictions go into effect Friday.

Starting Friday at 5 p.m., numerous activities in the city will be banned or limited. These new restrictions are expected to last until Jan. 1, 2021 and come as the city reports some of its highest coronavirus figures to date.

On Thursday, Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said 765 new cases were identified Thursday, bringing the total case count to 57,237. Additionally, the past week had an average daily case count of 849, which is the highest reported yet. The past week also had an 11.7 percent positivity rate, which is the highest since the middle of May.

Twenty additional deaths were reported between Wednesday and Thursday, bringing the city's death toll to 1,945.

As of Thursday, 542 people are hospitalized in Philadelphia with the coronavirus.

"What was safe before is now dangerous," Farley said, reiterating that this is possibly the worst period of the epidemic. "That's why these restrictions were added."

New restrictions include a ban on public or private indoor gatherings with people from more than one household; indoor dining at restaurants; recreational activities and sports for youth, community groups, and schools; indoor exercise classes; and senior day services.

Additionally, movie and performance theaters, gyms, bowling alleys, arcades, game spaces, museums, libraries, and casinos will be closed.

Libraries serving as Access Centers can continue to operate. Curbside dropoff and pickup services for patrons are allowed.

High schools and colleges must move to online instruction only, however clinical instruction for students in health sciences will be permitted. College sports can continue if their plan is specifically approved by the Department of Public Health and no spectators are at events.

Religious institutions are allowed to have people indoors, but density must be capped at five people per 1,000 square feet or 5 percent of maximum occupancy.

Outdoor gatherings and events are limited to 10 percent of maximum capacity of the space, or 10 people per 1,000 square feet for venues with an undefined maximum capacity—not to exceed 2,000 people in any outdoor space. In addition, everyone at outdoor gatherings must wear masks at all times, and, to help reinforce mask use, food and beverages cannot be served.

Fans will no longer be allowed at Lincoln Financial Field for Eagles games with the new restrictions. Ticket holders should check their account Ticketmaster accounts to see if they are eligible for credit. Additionally, ticket holders should expect to receive refunds automatically in as soon as 30 days.

Regarding restaurants, takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining may continue. However, outdoor dining must reduce table sizes to four people, and outdoor diners should keep their parties to members of one household.

Stores and indoor malls can stay open, but with a cap on five people per 1,000 square feet. Stores will also be required to enforce mask use and distancing among their customers.

Additionally, barbershops, beauty salons, and similar personal services can stay open, but all staff and customers must wear masks at all times. These businesses cannot work on the face or otherwise perform services that require that masks be removed, however.

Offices are permitted to have only employees that cannot work remotely.

Zoos may operate only their outdoor areas.

Parks, trails, playgrounds, and athletic fields will remain open for individual use only. Group sports are banned, however.

Gyms can offer outdoor services given they follow the capacity limit.

The following businesses and activities can continue to function under guidance from the Department of Public Health:

  • Grocery stores and farmers markets.

  • Pharmacies

  • Banks

  • Construction

  • Landscaping

  • Home-based construction, renovation, repair, and maintenance

  • Manufacturing and warehousing

  • Real estate operations and transactions

  • Health care services

  • Home-based support services, such as home health services

  • Taxis and ride share services

  • Transit

  • Outdoor mobile food carts and trucks

  • Hotels

  • Drive-in events in which people remain in their vehicles

  • Child day care and early learning centers

  • Elementary and middle schools

  • Access Centers for children in elementary and middle school

Businesses with questions about how to comply with the new restrictions should contact the Department of Commerce’s Office of Business Services at business@phila.gov or 215-683-2100.

To report a business or other institution that is not following the City’s COVID-19 restrictions, residents can call 311 or submit a request on Philly 311’s website here.

Farley Thursday said if the situation in Philadelphia worsens, additional restrictions will be put in place.

These new restrictions have businesses in the city worried about dire economic impacts.

Co-founder and owner of Cuba Libre Barry Gutin said these new restrictions will further damage Philadelphia's restaurant community, which he said is "already an endangered species."

"The newest restrictions will unquestionably force more restaurants out of business sooner. And they will force many restaurant workers to go back on unemployment," he told Patch.

At the Old City restaurant, efforts to "winterize" on-street dining have cost tens of thousands of dollars.

"We will survive, but our debt burden will be significant as we take out loans to meet our obligations and to make necessary investments," Gutin said.

The restaurant has and enhanced structure, heaters, and windbreaks for its outdoor diners.

But Gutin said those additional measures might not lead to more people dining out.

"Even with these efforts, we just don't know if people will eat outdoors when it’s cold."

Gutin said Cuba Libre has a 66-page guide manual to reopening safely and that no guests or employees have notified us that they contracted coronavirus at the restaurant.

Farley said he knows businesses are unhappy with the new restrictions.

"Now there are more people with the virus than ever and it's spreading more than ever," he said. "If we don't act now hospitals could be overrun and see hundreds of deaths." Earlier this week Farley said models predict between 700 and 1,400 additional deaths in the city by the end of 2020.

With temperatures dropping and indoor dining banned through at least the new year, Philadelphians should know how to make the most out of dining outdoors.

Gutin offered the following tips for a safe outdoor meal in the city:

  • Dine early or late, and dine on off nights. Help keep limited outdoor seating full and help employees earn.

  • Make and keep reservations. Make a reservation directly on the restaurant's website. Using third party reservation services can cost restaurants extra fees. If you make a reservation, keep it or cancel it with reasonable notice.

  • Limit your time at the table. Be courteous to those waiting for the limited seating and to the restaurant employees serving you. Don’t linger unnecessarily.

  • Dress warm.

  • Order take-out or delivery. Pick up if you can. Delivery costs restaurants and diners lots of money. Either way, go directly to the restaurant’s website to order. Using third party delivery services costs the restaurant extra fees and commissions.

  • Tip your servers generously.

This article originally appeared on the Philadelphia Patch