Reopening timeline: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Delaware easing restrictions
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- After over a year of pandemic restrictions, guidance and precautions, the Delaware Valley is in the process of reopening.
Here is the timeline as restrictions change for Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware from May to June:
Philadelphia
For indoor dining:
- Capacity increased from 25%, or 50% if restaurants meet enhanced ventilation standards, to 50%, or 75% if restaurants meet enhanced ventilation standards.
- There still needs to be a minimum of six-foot distance from chair back to chair back
- Maximum table size increased from four to six, and there is no longer a requirement that everyone at the table be from the same household.
For outdoor dining:
- Maximum table size increased to 10, which is the state limit.
For indoor catered events:
- Important to remember that events like indoor weddings are the highest risk.
- For the first time in more than a year, the City allows indoor catered social events up to 25% occupancy of space with a cap of 75 persons total..
Other gatherings and events:
- Indoor gatherings and events are able to increase their maximum capacity to 25% of normal capacity and outdoor gatherings and events are able to increase maximum capacity to 50%.
New Jersey
- Outdoor gathering limits increased to 500 individuals
- Indoor room capacities increased to 50% up to 250 individuals for political gatherings, weddings, funerals, memorial services, and performances
- Dance floors reopened at private catered events
- Capacities at large outdoor stadiums and venues with more than 1,000 seats increased to 50% of capacity.
- Prohibition on indoor bar-side seating lifted.
Pennsylvania
- Event and gathering maximum occupancy limits will be increased to 50% for indoor events and gatherings (up from 25%) and 75% for outdoor events and gatherings (up from 50%) effective Monday, May 17 at 12:01 AM.
- An event or gathering is defined as a temporary grouping of individuals for defined purposes, that takes place over a limited timeframe, such as hours or days.
- This update will not prevent municipalities, school districts, restaurants and venues from continuing and implementing stricter mitigation efforts.
New Jersey
- The outdoor gathering limit is removed. Instead of a hard cap on attendance, the state will require that all attendees at any outdoor event keep social distances of at least six feet and current mask requirements will remain in place.
- Restaurants no longer have a capacity limit but are able to operate at whatever capacity allows them to continue to ensure a minimum six-foot distance between groups.
- The prohibition on tables of eight persons or more is removed and tables may be spaced closer than six feet if DOH compliant partitions are in use.
- For other indoor settings or businesses, which were governed by a percentage-based cap - religious services, retail establishments, gyms and fitness clubs, personal care businesses, indoor and outdoor amusement and recreation businesses, and indoor and outdoor pools, the 50% capacity limits are lifted and replaced with the requirement a minimum of six feet of social distance between individuals and groups be maintained.
- The indoor social gathering limit (e.g. conferences, expositions, meetings of fraternal organizations, job trainings, events hosted by senior centers) increases from 100 to 250 people, so long as social distancing can be maintained.
- Indoor religious services and celebrations may be held at 100 percent of a room's capacity, but no more than 250 individuals, so long as social distancing can be maintained.
- Indoor performances may be held at 100 percent of a room's capacity, but no more than 250 individuals. Individuals or groups of people must remain six feet apart.
- Large indoor venue capacity limit increases to 30 percent and will apply to all venues with a fixed seating capacity of 1,000 or more.
Philadelphia
Face Masks:
- Philadelphia will lift its outdoor mask mandate.
Restaurants:
-Still 50% maximum capacity, or 75% maximum capacity if they can meet enhanced ventilation standards.
-Distance between chair backs will be reduced from six feet to three feet.
-The requirement for alcohol to be served with food will end.
-Mask requirements remain in effect for those not seated or eating.
Offices:
-Will be allowed to operate with no density limits, but mask requirements are still in effect.
Retail stores, bowling alleys, museums, libraries, etc.:
-Will be allowed to operate with no density limits, but mask requirements are still in effect.
Gyms and indoor pools:
-Will be allowed to operate at 75% of occupancy limit or 15 people per 1,000 square feet.
Exercise classes:
-Exercise class size will be capped at 25 persons.
Indoor gatherings and theaters:
-Will be allowed to operate at 50% of occupancy limit.
-Must enforce a minimum of three feet of distance between persons of different groups.
Outdoor gatherings and theaters:
-If the site has fixed seating, will be allowed to operate at 50% of occupancy limit.
-If the site has no seating, a maximum of 33 persons per 1,000 square feet are allowed.
-Must enforce a minimum of three feet of distance between persons of different groups.
Indoor catered events:
-Will be allowed to operate at 25% of occupancy limit.
-Food must be served at the table only.
-A maximum of 250 persons, including staff, will be allowed if there will be no music, dancing, or alcohol.
-A maximum of 150 persons, including staff, will be allowed if there will be music, dancing, or alcohol.
Outdoor catered events:
-Can operate at 50% of occupancy limit, with no cap on number of persons attending.
Outdoor pools:
-Can operate with no density limits or maximum capacity.
Casinos:
-Can operate 50% maximum capacity, or 75% maximum capacity if they can meet enhanced ventilation standards.
-Must enforce a minimum of three feet of distance between persons of different groups.
-Alcohol can be sold to patrons at gaming machines.
Delaware
-All capacity restrictions inside restaurants, retail, other business establishments and houses of worship will be lifted. Facilities will be able to use as much capacity as social distancing requirements will allow.
- Delaware will lift its requirement that Delawareans and visitors must wear face coverings anytime they are indoors with others outside their household. Delawareans should instead follow masking guidance issued by the CDC for all indoor and outdoor activities.
- CDC guidance advises that fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks in most places indoors and outdoors, with some exceptions like in crowded settings, on public transit, planes, in schools, health care facilities and congregate settings like prison facilities and homeless shelters.
- Those who are not fully vaccinated, including children not yet eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, should continue to wear masks when around others who are outside their immediate household.
- Unvaccinated Delawareans ages 12 and older are urged to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect themselves from infection and serious illness.
- Social distancing requirements will move from 6 feet to 3 feet.
- Customers must continue to remain seated indoors and outdoors at bars and restaurants unless a plan for dance floors and other areas is approved by DPH, and distancing of at least 3 feet should be maintained.
- Events over 250 people indoors and outdoors will still require plan approval from DPH to ensure compliance with basic precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
New Jersey
Vaccinated people in New Jersey will no longer need to wear masks in most indoor settings.
There are some exceptions. Masks will still be required on:
- Public-facing state offices, such as Motor Vehicle Commission agencies
- Worksites that are closed to the public, including warehousing and manufacturing facilities
- Health care settings, correctional facilities and homeless shelters
- On airplanes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation
- In transportation hubs such as airports and stations
- Child care centers and facilities
- Youth summer camps
- Public, private or parochial preschool program premises
- Elementary and secondary schools, including charter and renaissance schools
Governor Phil Murphy says those who are not fully vaccinated are strongly encouraged to continue to wear a mask in any indoor public setting.
For businesses, such as restaurants, tables can now be regularly placed next to each other, no longer needing to be six feet apart.
Social distancing will continue to be required in settings where masking is required.
Dance floors at bars and restaurants can also reopen beginning Friday. Patrons will no longer be required to stay in seats while ordering and eating or drinking.
Businesses are can require face masks and social distancing.
Pennsylvania
The Wolf administration, in coordination with the COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Task Force, announced that mitigation orders except masking will be lifted on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31 at 12:01 AM.
This means capacity restrictions on bars, restaurants and indoor and outdoor gatherings will go away on May 31.
The current order requiring unvaccinated Pennsylvanians to wear masks will be lifted on June 28 or when 70% of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated.
Philadelphia
- All Safer at Home restrictions will be ending, with the exception of mask requirements.
- The indoor mask mandate and 11 p.m. last call for dining order will be lifted on Friday, June 11.
New Jersey
Businesses in New Jersey can call back remote workers and let employees work maskless - if they are vaccinated - beginning June 4, Governor Murphy announced.
All indoor gathering limits will be removed. The 30% limit on large indoor venues with a fixed seating capacity of 1,000 or greater will also be lifted.
Philadelphia
- The indoor mask mandate and 11 p.m. last call for dining order is lifted.
Pennsylvania
Health officials announced that Pennsylvania's mask order will be completely lifted June 28, or possibly sooner, if 70% of residents get their second dose of vaccine.
