Philadelphia Stay-At-Home Order Reaches Two-Month Milestone As Coronavirus Cases Now Stand At 21,234
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Saturday marks two months since Philadelphia's stay-at-home order first took effect. This milestone comes as an additional 225 coronavirus cases were reported in the city.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia now stands at 21,234.
Another 12 deaths were also reported Saturday, raising the citywide death toll to 1,233.
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"The last two months have been something that no public health official has ever wanted to see," Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said. "But while we have lost far too many of our loved ones, the COVID-19 pandemic has not hit us as hard as we feared. Recent models have shown that, through the actions of everyday Philadelphians, we have saved thousands of lives."
Dr. Farley added that he hopes that Philadelphia residents will continue to follow the lessons we learned, like give six feet of distance, wear a mask, and wash your hands in the coming months.
COVID-19 Deaths In Pennsylvania Top 5,000 As Statewide Cases Near 67,000
On Friday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said he is anticipating easing some pandemic restrictions in Philadelphia and the heavily populated suburbs on June 5.
Mayor Jim Kenney says his administration will release more information next week on what residents need to know when the city moves to the "yellow" reopening phase.
"But as we move to the next stage of the response, I need to remind Philadelphians that we are not yet out of the woods. The virus is still very present in our communities, and as we've seen, it disproportionately impacts people of color who suffer from chronic health conditions at a greater rate, making treating a COVID infection even harder," Kenney said.