According to the Associated Press, on the 11th local time, after the increase in confirmed cases of new coronavirus pneumonia in Philadelphia, the city became the first major city in the United States to resume indoor mask orders.

Source: Global Network

[Global Network Report Reporter Wang Yixuan] According to Associated Press , local time on the 11th, after the increase in confirmed cases of new coronavirus pneumonia in Philadelphia, the city became the first major city in the United States to resume indoor mask orders.

AP Report Screenshot

Philadelphia is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA. Philadelphia's health specialist Cheryl Bettygor said the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 here increased by more than 50% in 10 days, exceeding the city's minimum required for people to wear masks indoors. Betty Gore also mentioned that about 750 Philadelphia residents have died in the Omickron epidemic in the winter.

reported that since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines, most states and cities in the United States have lifted requirements for residents to wear masks in February and early March. Philadelphia ended its indoor mask order on March 2, and the city's health inspectors will restart the implementation of mask orders in various businesses in the city on April 18.

U.S. health officials believe that the recent outbreak was caused by the highly contagious Omickron BA.2 subtype strain, which has become the main epidemic strain in the United States in recent weeks.

As of now, the number of confirmed cases of new coronavirus pneumonia in the United States has exceeded 80 million, and the cumulative number of deaths has exceeded 1 million.