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The 1500-1600 block of Sansom Street in Center City is closed for outdoor dining. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
Philadelphia is easing restrictions on dining and events, bringing up indoor capacity to the highest point since the start of the pandemic. On May 7, indoor events like weddings and parties, can host as many as 75 people, and restaurants with proper ventilation can expand indoor dining to 75% capacity, according to the latest city guidance.
Even so, many businesses plan to continue to invest in both indoor and outdoor spaces, often with less staff than before.
“In May, we really spent the time building these outdoor ballrooms,” said Joe Volpe, founder and CEO of the “wedding brand” Cescaphe. That meant hanging 15 chandeliers, building a dance floor, and decking out cocktail and dining tents at venues like Franklin Square and the Fairmount Water Works. There are even “private restrooms with granite countertops, all the bells and whistles,” said Volpe.
Effective May 31, 2021, the state of Pennsylvania will be lifting all COVID-19 mitigation orders, Governor Tom Wolf announced on Tuesday. These mitigation orders include all COVID-19 restrictions related to gatherings, restaurants, and other businesses. These orders do not apply to the masking order, which will be lifted when 70% of Pennsylvania adults are fully vaccinated.Â
As of Wednesday, 51.2% of Pennsylvaniaâs population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, with 34.1% of the population having received both doses. As of the time of publication, Pennsylvania has administered 10,914,558 doses of the vaccine so far.Â
This news comes on top of the CDCâs announcement of new guidelines allowing fully vaccinated people to go outside maskless, provided they are not at a crowded gathering, as well as Bidenâs announcement of his plan to fully vaccinate 70% of US adults by July 4th.
COVID in Pa.: Wolf lifting restrictions but mask-wearing still necessary; case average keeps dropping | Pa. COVID vaccine map (05/04/21)
Updated May 04, 2021;
Posted May 04, 2021
Patrons enjoy dining outside at Mesa on Friday June 5, 2020, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. As announced on May 4, all COVID-19 mitigation restrictions except for mask-wearing will be lifted on Memorial Day.Saed Hindash file photo | For lehighvalleylive.com
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As Pennsylvania’s vaccination progress continues to increase, it’s provided enough evidence for Gov. Tom Wolf to lift almost all of Pennsylvania’s mitigation restrictions at the end of the month.
In a press release early Tuesday afternoon, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced that the Wolf administration and the COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Task Force determined that mitigation orders except for the masking mandate will be lifted on May 31.
With capacity limits and social distancing requirements being lifted at the end of the month, the battered restaurant industry will finally reach some of the light at the end of
Pennsylvania will lift all COVID-19 restrictions except an order to wear a mask while in public on Memorial Day, the Wolf administration announced Tuesd