Reopening Philadelphia: Officials Release 'Safer At Home' Plan As City Nears Yellow Phase
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With Philadelphia expected to move into the yellow phase of Pennsylvania's reopening plan next Friday, June 5, city officials today released guidance for residents and businesses to follow. The city dubbed the plan "Safer at Home."
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"It is still very much safer to stay at home when possible. This move to yellow is welcome but it is not by any means a return to normalcy," Mayor Jim Kenney said during Friday's briefing.
The plan is focusing efforts on proven strategies that are containing the virus, including:
- Containment: A combination of rapid case identification, case isolation, contact tracing, and contact quarantine.
- Social Distancing: Some businesses and activities that were previously considered nonessential will begin restart based on risk level; a safety checklist of precautions tailored to the specific activity and setting will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 as they reopen. Residents are advised that they are "safer at home."
- Protecting Vulnerable Populations: Philadelphia will emphasize protections for disproportionately impacted populations, including racial and ethnic minorities, people in congregate care, and those who are elderly or have chronic medical conditions.
Under the "Safer at Home" plan, lower-risk business and activities will be able to resume. Stores will be allowed to resume indoor shopping but with a limited number of customers -- fewer than five customers per 1,000 square feet. Retail stores must also provide hand sanitizer to customers who walk in and also wipe down high-touch surfaces every four hours.
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Workers and shoppers must continue to wear masks.
Officials say, without careful considerations of others, we could be right back to where we are right now.
"Be cautious," Kenney said. "Use your common sense."
Kenney is asking Philadelphians to use their best judgement as businesses begin to reopen.
"We need everyone to do what's right and continue following guidance provided by the Department of Public Health," Kenney said.
Businesses and activities allowed to resume include:
- Restaurants (food trucks and walk-up ordering)
- Retail businesses (with restrictions; curbside and delivery strongly encouraged)
- Child care centers
- Outdoor youth day camps and recreation
- Outdoor parks-related amenities
- Office-based businesses (telework whenever feasible)
- Consumer banking
- Automobile sales
- Real estate activities
- Manufacturing
- Warehouse operations
READ THE FULL 'SAFER AT HOME' PLAN
Restaurants can still only offer takeout and delivery. The city says they're still working on a plan so they can offer outdoor dining.
Gyms, barbers and hair salons have to wait until the green phase to reopen.
The city also put together a safety checklist that must be followed:
- Masks – block the virus from spreading from infected persons by wearing masks and requiring others to wear them
- Barriers – use sneeze guards or glass barrier screens to prevent respiratory droplets expelled by infected persons from reaching others
- Isolate – keep people who might be carrying the virus safely away from others (ideally at home)
- Distance – maintain space between people to reduce the chance that one infected individual will infect others
- Reduce crowds – decrease the number of people that an infected person could pass the virus to if other steps are not successful
- Handwashing – reduce the spread of virus from one person to another from touching contaminated surfaces
- Clean – remove respiratory droplets that may contain virus from surfaces that people may touch
- Communicate – ensure staff, customers, and others taking part in permitted activities understand this Safety Checklist
The city is recommending people not attend social gatherings of any size.
"This is not returning to where we were before the epidemic. This is not reopening Philadelphia. This is a cautious restart of certain activities which we think are important to get the economy moving in a way we think can continue to suppress the virus," Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said.
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The city has seen a steady decline in new cases and deaths since the peak of the virus in mid-April. Farley says that's because people were vigilant and he encouraged people to keep it up.
"We wouldn't be at this point if it weren't for the fact that people in Philadelphia have really stepped up and taken our guidance seriously to help protect each other," Farley said.
Kenney is urging everyone to be cautious while the city eases restrictions.
"I know we're thrilled the stay-at-home order or the red phase could be a thing of the past, but social distancing is not going away. You need to stay six feet apart, you need to wear masks and you need to avoid gatherings of any size," Kenney said.
The number of coronavirus cases in the city climbed to 22,405 as 255 new cases were reported. Another 20 people died from the virus, raising the death toll to 1,278.
CBS3's Howard Monroe contributed to this report.