As of today, the obligation to wear masks indoors returns to Philadelphia after the city in recent days recorded a peak in new cases of Covid-19. It is the first major city in the United States to reimpose the measure, which will apply to all indoor public places, including schools, businesses, restaurants and government buildings. Covid cases in Philadelphia doubled in a week, and the average is now 142 new infections per day.
Nationally, cases are trending upwards in more than half of the states, although the number remains relatively low. With an average of about 34,000 new infections per day, the daily rate in the United States remains one of the lowest since mid-July.
However, in New York, health authorities are preparing to raise the alert level from “low risk” to “medium” early this week due to a new wave of infections led by two sub-variables of Omicron. Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan warned that cases were “steadily increasing” in five neighborhoods and advised New Yorkers to start wearing masks indoors again.
The commissioner also recommended that those who left or saw their families over the Easter holiday get tested for coronavirus as soon as they return. According to the latest data, going back to last Wednesday, the two variants of Omicron account for 80.6% of new cases registered in the entire state of New York.
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