PHILADELPHIA - The City of Philadelphia health officials announced that foodservice businesses no longer need to ask guests to provide proof of vaccination to restaurant patrons on-premises.

During a virtual press conference hosted by Mayor Jim Kenny and Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole, They announced the city's new four levels of COVID-19 response — extreme caution, alert, mask precautions, and total clarity — was revealed on the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Philadelphia is now at 'Mask Precautions,' which means no proof of vaccination is required for indoor dining. However, masks will still be necessary for closed public areas. The change comes about six weeks after the city introduced trial vaccination orders in early 2022 due to a spike in micromicron-related coronavirus cases.

The four response levels are intended to guide the decision to either reintroduce or relax mandates—more information on each level is available on the City of Philadelphia website. "This is what we need to do to be safe," Kenny said at the conference. Asked when the city predicts we'll reach the All Clear stage, Kenny said, "We'll get there when we get there."