The City of Philadelphia lifted its indoor mask mandate last Wednesday, the second time since the pandemic began, allowing patrons the opportunity to shop maskless indoors for the first time since the mandate was reinstated in August of last year.

David, a shopper at Chestnut Hill’s Weavers Way Co-op who chose not to give his last name, said that it felt “great” to have the mandate removed, and that it was finally the right time to do so.

“We’re going to have to learn to live with the virus,” he said. “It’s not going anywhere.”

And on Saturday, a couple of customers at “I Spy You Buy,” a clothing store in Mt. Airy, burst out laughing when asked why they were all wearing masks.

“Wait - you mean it’s over?” one customer said. “I don’t know - it’s hard to know how to act about it now.”

Maurice J., who wore a mask while waiting for his food at the Mt. Airy Wawa, told the Local that deciding to wear a mask should be a personal decision. He said he would only wear his mask in crowded spots such as the packed Wawa where the Local found him during the store’s lunch rush. He’ll continue to do so, he said, “until I continue to see the COVID rate drop.”

Recently, the city’s health department published new COVID response levels that use pandemic metrics to decide if mask mandates are needed. Those statistics include the number of people who are testing positive every day and how many are hospitalized with COVID. 

Claire Owen, an unmasked shopper the Local encountered at the Mt. Airy Acme, said that she felt comfortable not wearing a mask since she was now vaccinated and boosted.

But, “at the height of the pandemic,” she said, “I was OK with [the mandate].”

Nick Mulcahy, a shopper at the same store, was wearing a mask - but only because the sign on the door requested it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have worn one.

“I don’t think [masking] is necessary unless you’re in a really crowded, tight spot,” he said. “The rise in transmission is next to nothing.”

Mulcahy partially attributed the low transmission rates to the end of the respiratory infectious disease season. He was open to the idea of reinstating the mask mandate at the beginning of next year’s season “if there’s a huge spike in cases,” but otherwise thinks the masks should now be a thing of the past. He criticized rhetoric that he said was “based on fear, not science.”

“For instance, I saw people wearing masks while hiking in the Wissahickon,” he said. “That makes no sense.”

As of last week, a total of 275,000 Philadelphians have been diagnosed with COVID-19,  and of those, 4,777 have died, according to public health data. Philadelphia is averaging 88 new cases of COVID-19 per day over the previous two weeks.

Joann F-Dasent, a patron at Rothe Florists, said she wore her mask into the store simply because she didn’t know the store’s policy. Her decision to wear a mask, she said, is usually dependent on whether the people around her seem comfortable being around an unmasked person.

“Some people's immune systems are not up to par,” she said. “It’s not one size fits all.”

The Chestnut Hill Business Association is “very grateful to have reached this milestone” of the mask mandate being removed, interim executive director  Kate O’Neill said in an email.

“Our shops and restaurants are feeling a cautious sense of relief as they begin to return to a more normal way of operating,” O’Neill said. “It's certainly extra lovely to see the in-person, smiling faces of steadfast customers who found a way to keep shopping and dining on the Hill even during the most challenging times. Their loyalty kept many businesses going!” But after two years of COVID, many - particularly older adults - say they will continue to wear their masks.

Howard Alexander, who was shopping at the Mt. Airy Wawa, said he will mask up because of his age - and also because he’s a smoker. He said he’ll stop wearing it once the disease is under better control and “no one dies from getting sick.”

“I can’t afford to get sick,” he said. “The disease is still out there.”

Shawn Harold, an employee at Jonesy’s Accessories in Chestnut Hill, said she continues to wear a mask for her elderly mother’s sake. Her mother’s twin died of COVID during the pandemic.

“I’ll keep wearing the mask,” she said, “until there are no more variants.”

As of last Thursday, nearly 82% of Philadelphia adults have been vaccinated, according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Currently, everybody in the city ages five and older is eligible to receive a vaccination.

The department reported that there were 152 patients with COVID-19 currently being treated in Philadelphia hospitals, 18 of which were on ventilators.