Philadelphia reported record-breaking numbers of Covid-19 cases this week and will announce new safety restrictions at a special press conference on Monday.

On Friday, 1,158 cases of Covid-19 were reported, making it the first time the city reported over 1,000 cases in one day. The number of tests received that day is not yet fully available on the city’s testing data site, but the Mayor and city leaders continue to warn the public about the surge in cases.

“We are entering the most dangerous phase of this pandemic, and everyone—everyone—needs to take this seriously: stay away from others, and wear a mask,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley.

As the city prepares details prior to Monday’s announcement of new safety restrictions, area schools are stepping up safety precautions. At Tuesday’s Covid-19 update press conference, Philadelphia School District Superintendent Dr. William Hite announced that the school district will delay moving to a hybrid model of instruction which included in-person learning and was scheduled to start November 30.

“Transitioning to hybrid learning and having students engage in face to face instruction with teachers is our goal, but our top priority is the health and well-being of our students and our staff,” said Hite. “Therefore, our transition to hybrid learning will take place only when guidance and data from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Health indicates that we can safely do so.”

On Friday, Montgomery County schools announced a full shift to virtual learning, closing all public and private schools for two weeks.

New Jersey is ramping up safety precautions as cases surge in the state, establishing an indoor dining curfew of 10 p.m. and prohibiting high school level and below indoor sports tournaments. Over 3,000 confirmed cases were reported in New Jersey on Friday, making it the fourth day in a row with a daily case count exceeding 3,000.

Pennsylvania as a whole reported more than 5,000 cases on Friday, continuing a surge statewide. Yesterday, the commonwealth reported 5,488 cases.

Ahead of new safety restrictions enacted by the city, Dr. Farley emphasized the importance of individuals adhering to recommendations already in place, especially in light of contact tracing which repeatedly shows that spread is happening in households or small social gatherings.

“More important, though, because the spread is mainly happening in private settings, our success depends mostly on what Philadelphia residents do on their own.”

In Philadelphia, 52,043 confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic. Five new deaths were reported Friday bringing the total number among Philadelphia residents to 1,909.