Coronavirus Philadelphia: 'Deeply Disappointing' To See Residents Ignoring Social Distancing Guidelines, Officials Say
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- City officials are not happy with video showing residents ignoring social distancing guidelines. The stay-at-home order didn't seem to matter on Saturday as people flocked outside to enjoy the weather.
Video shows people packed into Rittenhouse Square, some were wearing masks but many were not. It also shows many were not at least six feet apart.
More than 12,000 people have now tested positive for the COVID-19 in Philadelphia. On Saturday, 452 new cases were reported.
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Under Gov. Tom Wolf's reopening guidelines, Philadelphia would have to report 50 cases per 100,000 people for 14 straight days. Based on the past two weeks of data, that rate is currently 398 per 100,000.
Keeping that in mind, CBS3 asked the city for its response to seeing so many out and about Saturday.
"It's deeply disappointing to see Philadelphians out socially and recreationally and not adhering to the city and state's social distancing guidelines," a city spokesperson said in a statement. "We understand it will get increasingly difficult as the weather improves, but we're at a critical period of this crisis.
"The better we follow the public health guidance, the sooner we will get out lives back to normal. The opposite is also very true. Ignoring the guidance will only prolong our current circumstances."
Pennsylvania officials say the state now has more than 40,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. In addition to seeing a drop in cases before reopening, testing has to ramp up too.
