Vaccines Now Required To Eat, Drink At Philly Restaurants
PHILADELPHIA — Vaccination is now required to eat and drink at bars and restaurants in Philadelphia as of Monday.
A vaccine mandate for eating and drinking inside establishments is now in effect.
The mandate affects these types of establishments:
Indoor restaurant spaces.
Cafes within larger spaces (such as museums).
Bars.
Sports venues that serve food or drink for on-site consumption.
Movie theaters.
Bowling alleys.
Other entertainment venues that serve food or drink for on-site consumption.
Conventions (if food is being served).
Catering halls.
Casinos where food and drink is allowed on the floor.
Food court seating areas should be cordoned off and have someone checking vaccine status on entry to the seating area.
The mandate does not affect K-12 and early child care settings, hospitals, congregate care facilities, special population providers that serve food, residential or health care facilities, grocery stores, convenience stores or other establishments that primarily sell food and drink for offsite use, or in Philadelphia International Airport, except in traditional seated restaurant or seated bar-style locations.
Establishments can choose to accept proof of a negative test within 24 hours of entry for people who are not fully vaccinated for the first two weeks of the mandate, ending on Jan. 17.
After Jan. 17, negative tests will no longer be allowed to get into food establishments.
Food and drink establishment employees and children 5 years and 3 months old through 11 years old are required to have one dose of vaccine as of Monday and are to have completed their vaccine series by Feb. 3.
The city is also offering exemptions to this mandate for those who cannot be vaccinated for health or religious reasons.
By completing the appropriate forms, Philadelphians who cannot be vaccinated will be able to continue to enjoy their favorite restaurants and eating and drinking establishments.
Below are links to the exemption forms.
There is no word on when the mandate will be lifted, with Philadelphia Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole saying it will be lifted when case and hospitalization figures decrease.
As of Monday, 949 patients with coronavirus are currently being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, with a total of 66 on ventilators.
In the last two weeks, 38 percent of coronavirus tests in Philadelphia have come back positive. Thus far during the pandemic, 215,251 Philadelphians have been diagnosed with coronavirus, and 4,233 have succumbed to the virus. Philadelphia is averaging 2,654 new cases of coronavirus per day over the last two weeks.
The total number of fully vaccinated Philadelphians is at least 962,075, and the number of Philadelphians with at least one dose of vaccine is at least 1,217,793. Currently, 77.5 percent of Philadelphia adults are fully vaccinated, and 98.1 percent of Philadelphia adults have received at least one dose of vaccine.
All residents ages five and older are eligible to be vaccinated in Philadelphia. 25.3 percent of 5-to-11-year-olds in Philadelphia have received at least one vaccine dose. Among eligible Philadelphians ages 12 and older, 71.8 percent are fully vaccinated, and 90.8 percent have received at least one dose of vaccine.
Find a vaccine provider online here.
This article originally appeared on the Philadelphia Patch
