Philadelphia has become the first
major U.S. city to
reinstate its indoor mask mandate after reporting a sharp
increase in coronavirus infections – but what does it mean for New
Jersey?
In New
Jersey, the state’s seven-day average for confirmed cases increased Monday to
1,419 -- up 42% from a week ago and 83% from a month ago.
Monday’s case total marks seven
consecutive days of more than 1,000 new confirmed positive tests.
In Philadelphia, the city's top
health official says she wants to forestall a potential new wave driven by an Omicron
subvariant. Confirmed COVID-19 cases have risen more than 50% in 10 days in the
city.
Health officials there believe the
recent spike is being driven by the highly transmissible BA.2 subvariant of Omicron,
which has spread rapidly throughout Europe and Asia, and has become dominant in
the U.S. in recent weeks.
Health
inspectors will begin enforcing the mask mandate this Monday at Philadelphia
businesses.
There is no
word from Gov. Phil Murphy on that type of decision being made in New Jersey yet.