Philadelphia, PA
- Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley announced today that the City will permit indoor dining to resume effective September 8, 2020, the day after Labor Day. Indoor dining will be permitted under specific restrictions that are largely consistent with indoor dining restrictions statewide.
Philadelphia's New Indoor Dining Restrictions
- Restaurants cannot be filled to more than 25 percent capacity.
- No more than four diners per table.
- Tables must be arranged so that diners at separate tables are at least six feet apart or have an impermeable barrier between them.
- Servers must wear both masks and face shields for additional protection.
- No bar service. Alcohol can be served only for on-premises consumption when in the same transaction as a meal.
- The last call for all indoor dining orders will be at 11 p.m. and establishments will be required to be closed for service by midnight.
- Restaurants must install physical barriers such as sneeze guards or partitions in restaurant kitchens and at cash registers, host stands, and food pick up areas where maintaining a physical distance of at least six feet is difficult.
- Restaurants must screen every employee for symptoms before every shift and prevent them from remaining on-site if they have a cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, muscle pain, or new loss of taste or smell.
Restaurant owners are also being urged to increase ventilation in their establishments to further decrease the risk of transmission. “We are announcing this change now in order to give restaurant operators sufficient time to prepare,” said Dr. Farley. “However, we move forward with an abundance of caution. Between now and September 8, should we witness an increase in the rate of COVID-19 case counts in Philadelphia, we will reconsider whether this change is still viable.”
Outdoor dining can continue under current restrictions, including having no more than 50 people outside. The full list of restrictions for restaurants and food trucks is available here.
