PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Department of Public Health today announced 171 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Philadelphia. That brings the number of confirmed cases to 39,520. In addition, the Department of Public Health also announced eight new probable cases from rapid antigen tests.

The Department of Public Health confirmed five additional fatalities in Philadelphia. This brings the number of residents who have succumbed to the virus in Philadelphia to 1,838. Of the 1,838 total deaths, 904 (49 percent) were long-term care facility residents. 

New Guidance for Outdoor Dining in the Winter: The City today announced initial guidelines to support restaurants in continuing to offer outdoor dining options to patrons as the weather gets cooler. The guidelines—which address shelter and heating specifications—provide businesses with as much flexibility as possible, consistent with the Philadelphia Fire Code and current COVID-19 safety measures. In June, the City launched four new options for restaurants to operate outdoor dining in order to earn much needed revenue. 

The City’s outdoor dining initiative has enabled hundreds of restaurants across Philadelphia to earn much-needed revenue by offering outdoor dining, including many businesses located in areas of the city that were previously prohibited from doing so. Since June 15, 2020, the City has issued 735 temporary approvals for sidewalk cafes, streeteries in the curb lane, or expansions onto privately owned parking areas and vacant lots. This is in addition to dozens of periodic street closures to further support outdoor dining.

To see this weekend’s approved street closures, view this blog. Vehicular traffic should avoid these streets.

Contact Tracing Update (Week Ending 10/10): Of 1,219 cases reported and not managed by partner organizations: 49 percent were reached and agreed to participate; 9 percent did not have a phone; 26 percent were unable to be reached; 3 percent refused; 8 percent of cases were closed because of a long delay from test to initial report; and 6 percent of cases were not attempted due to caseload. Of the contacts named, 79 percent were reached and agreed to quarantine.

Don’t Delay, complete the 2020 Census today: the 2020 Census will end tomorrow at 5:59 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The option to respond to the census by phone will be available today from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Paper responses must be postmarked by today, October 15. Enumerators will continue their nonresponse follow up activities through the end of the day. 

To date, 56.5 percent of Philadelphia’s households have completed the 2020 Census. A few hours remain to ensure a complete and accurate count for our city. Philadelphia residents are encouraged—if they have not done so already—to fill out the census online at 2020census.gov, over the phone, or using the paper form. Now more than ever, we need to ensure that every person in the city is counted. 

Daily Trash and Recycling Update: Residents can check the daily trash and recycling update blog post to see the current status of trash and recycling collections.

  • Trash: Delayed one day due to Monday’s holiday. Trash collections will be one day behind schedule for the remainder of the week.
  • Recycling: Delayed one day due to Monday’s holiday. Recycling collections will be one day behind schedule for the remainder of the week.

Testing Site Map: A testing site finder at phila.gov/testing helps people find a free COVID-19 test in Philadelphia. Anyone can search for a site by address, click on a map location for specific site information, and filter by day of week and by drive-thru or walk-up.

COVID-19 Resources:

Resources for Media:

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