PHILADELPHIA – Mayor Kenney and Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley today issued the following statements in response to Governor Wolf’s announcement regarding moving Philadelphia into the ‘yellow phase’ on June 5, 2020:
Mayor Jim Kenney:
“It’s clear from the Commonwealth’s action that the work of Philadelphians—complying with the Stay at Home Order, social distancing, practicing good hygiene, and wearing masks—has put us in a much safer position than we were in two months ago. We successfully flattened the curve to prevent a hospital surge, and we undoubtedly slowed the spread of COVID-19 and saved many lives. I cannot thank our residents and business owners enough for their tremendous sacrifices during this extremely challenging time.”
“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.
“Because COVID-19 can re-surge at any time, we still need to be smart, wear masks, limit gatherings, work from home as much as possible, and look out for one another. When some sectors of our economy reopen, businesses must do everything possible to keep employees and customers safe.
“Next week, our Administration will release more on what Philadelphians need to know when we move to the Yellow phase on June 5. In the meantime, remember our Stay at Home Order is still in full effect. Please stay home to stop the spread. The next two weeks are critical—if we see a spike in cases it will jeopardize any hope we have of beginning to reopen.”
Health Commissioner, Dr. Tom Farley:
“We look forward to further review and discussion with the state Department of Health. Any re-opening should be done in a safe way—under guidelines that we will distribute—and gradually so that we can constantly evaluate with data whether we have gone too far or the spread of the virus is picking up speed again.”