The city of Philadelphia on Wednesday lifted its COVID-19 vaccine passport mandate due to a drop in cases, according to the city’s health commissioner. “As of today, we no longer need our city’s dining establishments to check vaccines,” Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole announced Wednesday. The mandate went into effect in January, requiring proof of vaccination for indoor dining. Officials on Wednesday said a tiered system will be used to potentially implement future COVID-19 mandates in case new variants emerge, meaning that the city is not permanently ending the vaccine passport system. If cases spike in the future, authorities can re-implement it, according to local media reports. Masks will still be required indoors, Bettigole said Wednesday. Mask mandates were lifted across Pennsylvania several weeks ago. Some business owners said the vaccine passport harmed their ability to make money. “We turned away several hundred dollars in business,” The Goat’s Beard owner Brendan …