By Kennedy Rose Philadelphia Business Journal   

If you were looking to take a seat in an air-conditioned restaurant to escape Philadelphia’s summer heat, you’re going to have to keep waiting.

Philadelphia again extended its ban on indoor dining at restaurants to Sept. 1 after the city has seen another week Covid-19 cases on the rise. The previous ban was set to end Aug. 1. 

Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said during a press conference Tuesday that he sympathizes with restaurant owners, but that the risk of infection spread is increased with indoor dining and while case counts are rising.

“It’s better for them to not open than to open and to have to turn around and completely shut down again a week or two later,” Farley said.

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Mayor Jim Kenney said his administration is working with restaurants to help with permits extending outdoor seating to sidewalks or “streeteries.”  Philadelphia is allowed to offer indoor dining while limiting capacity under guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, but city officials have prohibited it as Covid-19 case rates still hover around more than 100 per day.

The city’s health department reported an additional 142 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, for a total of 29,945 since the beginning of the pandemic. For the week ended July 25, the city averaged 164 cases per day, up from last week’s average of 141 cases per day. The increase in cases is partially attributed to the increase in testing, but the average number of cases reported Tuesday will likely increase because of a lag in reporting from labs processing Covid-19 tests, Farley said.

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