PHILADELPHIA—The Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s school mask mandate on Friday. The ruling and lawsuit were focused specifically on the state’s mandate and allows for school districts and municipalities to institute their own mandates. The August 12, 2021 Philadelphia indoor mask mandate is still in force, and applies to all schools, day cares, and early childhood education settings in Philadelphia.
“We are disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision to end the state’s mask mandate in schools,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole. “One of the most likely reasons that Philadelphia’s rates of COVID infection have been lower than most counties in Pennsylvania, despite the fact that we are the most densely populated county in the state and the poorest big city in the country, is our indoor mask mandate. Masks have been found time and again to be protective against COVID-19 transmission. This protection is particularly important in indoor settings where not everyone may be vaccinated and is crucial now, given the wave of COVID cases hitting the country. That’s why all Philadelphia schools, day cares, and early childhood educations settings are still mandated to require masks. With the combination of indoor mask mandate and our high vaccine rate, we hope to get through this winter safely.”
The Health Department published a blog at the time of the announcement about the mandate here: https://www.phila.gov/2021-08-11-protect-yourself-and-others-from-delta-masks-required-indoors-and-at-large-outdoor-gatherings-in-philadelphia/. The City continues to track the rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations on the COVID-19 Testing dashboard. For more information on the City and Health Department’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, see https://www.phila.gov/covid.
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