Philadelphia eases COVID restrictions, to pay people $100 to get vaccinated

Philadelphia on Wednesday announced that health clinics in the city would pay $100 to people getting vaccinated against COVID-19 for the first time, and the city has also lifted its vaccine mandates for indoor dining. The announcement was part of a slew of new measures introduced in the city as part of its new, tiered COVID-19 response system.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s new, tiered system was announced by city health commissioner Cheryl Bettigole at a news conference on Wednesday. The system has four tiers of COVID-19 alert levels: Extreme caution, Caution, Mask precautions only, and All clear.

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The new system will look at various indicators simultaneously to determine the level of caution to be exercised against the spread of COVID-19, and represents a more nuanced understanding of measures to take against the spread of the virus.

Details can be found in the link below:

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“I am glad that we have reached a point where we know much, much, much more about this virus and which strategies will help us manage its spread,” said Philadelphia Mayor James Kenney on Wednesday morning, highlighting the advantages of the system.

With its current case load of an average of 189 COVID-19 cases per day and a positivity rate of 2.9%, Philadelphia now falls under the ‘Mask precautions only category’, under which its residents are not required to present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry into indoor dining/drinking establishments. The mask wearing mandate, however, will remain in place for the time being.

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Additionally, as per Bettigole, Philadelphia clinics will pay $100 to people getting fully vaccinated for the first time over the next six weeks in a bid to incentivise vaccination. The money will be paid to first-time vaxxers via an app or through mail, she added.

The city of Philadelphia also announced the incentivisation scheme on its website, writing, “Philadelphians who complete their COVID vaccine series at a participating Health Department vaccine clinic will get $100! After they get their shot, they will register to receive their incentive. The $100 can be delivered as a virtual gift card via email or a physical gift card through the mail, delivered right to your home.”

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“The virtual gift card will be delivered to your email in one to two days and will come from akimbo_card@akimbocard.com. People who choose to have their gift card mailed will receive it in 10 to 14 days,” the announcement on the website added.

The new rules apply not just to restaurants and bars, but also to various businesses, ranging from hotels to bowling alleys. However, they are contingent on the COVID-19 situation and harsher restrictions could be imposed later should case counts go up.