It’s “game over,” at least for now, for Philadelphia’s vaccine and mask mandates. If you are going to the two Philadelphia casinos – Rivers Casino Philadelphia and Live! Casino Philadelphia – you no do not need to show proof of vaccination to enter.
Also, people attending Flyers and Sixers games or any other events at the Wells Fargo Center do not need to provide proof of vaccination.
On Feb. 16, Philadelphia dropped its vaccine mandate for indoor dining which also applies to casinos, hotels and the Wells Fargo Center.
The city’s lifted its mask mandate on March 2.
Rivers Casino Philadelphia updated vaccine entry rules
Live! Casino Philadelphia announces no vaccine card needed
Philadelphia casino mask rules
Philadelphia moved to the “all clear” response level on March 2 and dropped the indoor mask mandate effective immediately.
Officials announced Wednesday that the city is moving into the “all clear” response level and is dropping the indoor mask mandate effective immediately. Masks at Philadelphia casinos – Live! Casino and Rivers – are no longer needed.
Joe Billhimer, Executive Vice President of the Cordish Gaming Group, told Playin Pennsylvania in an email:
“We are thrilled to see the end of the mask mandate and look forward to welcoming guests with open arms and big smiles they can actually see. The good times and madness are back at Live! with the start of March Madness right around the corner and the recent launch of our new Mega Jackpot Madness promotion, which gives slot players a chance to win a guaranteed jackpot up to $50,000. The timing is perfect to Go Live! “
For Live! Casino which is located in the heart of the South Philadelphia sports complex, the end of mandates comes at a great time. The Sixers recently acquired James Harden and saw their odds for an NBA Championship improve. The first round of the NCAA Tournament starts on March 17 and the Wells Fargo Center hosts the Sweet 16 East Regionals on March 25 and 27.
Philadelphia’s new tiered COVID system
During a Wednesday news conference, city health commissioner Cheryl Bettigole laid out a new tiered system that will set benchmarks on easing or implementing restrictions.
There are four tiers – “All Clear,” “Mask Precautions Only,” “Caution” and “Extreme Caution.” The response levels are triggered by meeting the following thresholds (the lowest level for which the city meets metrics will apply):
The tiered system is as follows:
Level 4: Extreme caution
Vaccine mandate for dining establishments (with no testing option) and mask mandate remain in place when two or more of the following are true:
- Average case count 500 or more
- Hospitalizations are 500 or more
- Positivity is 10% or more
- Cases have risen by more than 50% in the past 10 days
Level 3: Caution
Three or more of the following are true
- Average new cases per day is less than 500.
- Hospitalizations are under 500.
- Percent positivity is under 10%.
- Cases have not risen by more than 50% in the previous 10 days.
Level 2: Mask Precautions
Three or more of the following are true
- Average new cases per day is less than 225 (this is approximately the cut-off between CDC’s “high” and “substantial” levels of transmission).
- Hospitalizations are under 100.
- Percent positivity is under 5%.
- Cases have not risen by more than 50% in the previous 10 days.
Level 1: All Clear
Three or more of the following are true
- Average new cases per day is less than 100 (this is approximately the cut-off between CDC’s “substantial” and “moderate” levels of transmission).
- Hospitalizations are under 50.
- Percent positivity is under 2%.
- Cases have not risen by more than 50% in the previous 10 days.
How did vaccine mandate impact Philadelphia casinos?
Philadelphia’s vaccine mandate started on Jan. 3. How it impacted Rivers and Live! Casino Philadelphia’s revenue for January won’t be known until monthly figures are released later this week.
In an early February interview on Casino Update, Rivers Casino general manager Justin Moore said that “business normals are about 30% down.”
Lead image at Live! Casino Philadelphia by Katie Kohler
