The City of Philadelphia plans to reinstate indoor masking for COVID-19 mitigation as cases are on the rise. Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole made the announcement April 11. “I’d hoped we wouldn’t be meeting like this again, but here we are,” Bettigole said in an online press conference. “Starting today, I’m asking businesses and institutions in Philadelphia to dig up those old “Masks required” signs, start hanging them in your windows, and start having conversations with your staff about reminding people to wear their mask while they’re indoors.” As of Monday, Philadelphia was averaging 142 new cases per day and 44 hospitalizations. That is a case increase of more than 50 percent compared to the previous 10 days, Bettigole said. The city’s mandate is at odds with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It considers the community level “low” and recommends that people may choose to …