On April 18, Philadelphia made national news by reinstating the city’s indoor mask mandate even as COVID-19 mitigation efforts were being rescinded elsewhere. Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole told The New York Times, “The thing is, I could be wrong — people two weeks from now could be laughing at me, but if I manage to save lives because I’m right, that’s worth the risk.”
Bettigole’s determination was echoed across city government. Council members cited concerns about the impending mandate from the city’s business community during a hearing earlier this month on the Health Department’s 2023 budget. But lawmakers did not ask for the use of mandates to be scuttled.
In an interview with The Washington Post last week headlined “Leadership During Crisis,” Mayor Jim Kenney also defended the decision, saying “the mask issue, which I do not understand and in my lifetime I have never seen anything like it, has become such a politicized issue. It’s the most simplest thing you can do to keep yourself safe and to keep people safe.”
