local
COVID Cases On the Rise,
But New Normal Here To Stay
SASHA ROGELBERG | STAFF WRITER
P hiladelphia reimplemented its
indoor mask mandate on April
18, a preemptive action to mit-
igate the county’s rising COVID cases
— up 81% from two weeks ago, accord-
ing to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention — and subsequent rise
in hospitalizations.

The FDA’s March 29 approval of a
second booster shot for those over age
50 was yet another measure to try to
quell the pandemic’s impact.

“We believe that things aren’t at a
crisis level right now, but that if we take
action now, we can head off the worst of
this wave,” Philadelphia Department
of Public Health Media Coordinator
Matthew Rankin said. “We don’t yet
know if BA.2 is going to cause a real
surge in Philadelphia or just a brief
increase in cases.”
Though the large public health bod-
ies have been quick to sound alarm
bells, for Jewish Philadelphians, new
public health protocols are old hat, an
indication that the pandemic is becom-
ing endemic and something with which
people are learning to live.

“When it’s recommended either by
the state or the health department I’ll
do it, no matter what other people are
doing,” said Deena Pollock, an East
Falls resident, of the mask mandate.

Pollock is planning on receiving her
second booster but admitted it won’t
change much for her. She’s already din-
ing at indoor restaurants but would be
reluctant to travel in an airplane even
after getting the shot.

It’s a balance Pollock has found over
the past two years of being “sad, but not
DON’T MISS A
SINGLE ISSUE OF THE
Call 215.832.0700 or email
subscriptions@jewishexponent.com with your new address.

6 APRIL 21, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
Courtesy of Philadelphia Department of Public Health
Changing Addresses?