Updated Mask Recommendations Due to the COVID Delta Variant

Posted by City of Philadelphia on August 3, 2021

Countries around the globe, and states throughout the United States, are seeing the number of people infected with COVID rise as the Delta variant spreads. Even here in Philadelphia, we’re seeing more people test positive.

Because of the rapid increase in cases here and around the country, and because we are seeing hospitalizations rise among children in Philadelphia, we are now strongly recommending that everyone mask while indoors in places where you do not know that everyone is vaccinated.

People who are not yet fully vaccinated should take additional precautions including avoiding crowded indoor spaces and considering double masking. In general, we recommend that you choose outdoor public places over indoors when you have the option as transmission is much less likely in outdoor settings.

The best way to protect yourself is to be fully vaccinated. Research has shown that having two doses of the Pfizer vaccine or the Moderna vaccine, both of which have been shown to be safe and effective, is more than 90% protective against the Delta variant.

Learn more about the Delta variant and how we can protect each other.