Indoor Dining And Movies Reopen In Philly: What To Know

PHILADELPHIA — It's Tuesday, Sept. 8 and that means Philadelphians can once again enjoy indoor dining and going to the movies in the city.

Back on Aug. 20, Philadelphia officials announced plans to permit certain indoor activities with various restrictions beginning Sept. 8 due to improving coronavirus metrics.

Indoor dining has restrictions that are similar to, and even exceed, indoor dining restrictions set by the state.

Restrictions for indoor dining include:

• diners must wear masks when they are not seated at a table;
• a 25 percent capacity limit;
• only four diners per table;
• six feet of space between tables;
• no bar service, alcohol only available as part of the same transaction as a meal;
• indoor dining orders will have an 11 p.m. last call;
• establishments will be required to be closed for service by midnight;
• physical barriers, such as sneeze guards or partitions, will be installed in restaurant kitchens and at cash registers, host stands, and food pick up areas where 6-feet of social distancing is difficult;
• employees will be screened for symptoms before every shift and prevented from remaining on-site if they have coronavirus symptoms;
• employees must wear both masks and face shields.

Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said servers are at the highest risk of being infected due to their constant contact with others during their shifts.

Movie theaters have opened again in Philadelphia, as well.

Theaters and all other indoor venues, such as bowling alleys and arcades that opened Aug. 20, will not be able to offer food or drink.

Additionally, theaters and other indoor venues can't exceed 50 percent capacity, with a maximum of 25 people allowed inside.

Farley said any establishment that does not follow these restrictions will be shut down.

Also on Tuesday Farley said there is no exact figure on coronavirus data that would cause the city to suspend indoor activities. However, he said should case counts or the percent of positive tests rise sharply and evidence indicated the rise is tied to dining inside, the city would consider suspending indoor dining.