More Philly museums requiring visitors to be vaccinated against COVID-19

The Philadelphia Museum of Art and three other prominent museums will begin requiring visitors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 later this month.

Vaccine requirements will take effect at the Mütter Museum and Museum of the American Revolution on Monday. The Barnes Foundation will follow on Jan. 21. The Philadelphia Museum of Art's rule will begin Jan. 24.

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The vaccine requirements will apply to all guests ages 5 and older. Visitors must present their vaccination cards or electronic versions to gain entry. Photos of the card also are acceptable. 

All adults also will need to provide a photo identification. Acceptable forms include a driver's license and passport. Student and employee identifications also are valid.

The requirements come in the wake of the city's vaccine mandate for indoor dining, which took effect Monday. All museum restaurants and cafes are included in the citywide vaccination requirement.

Other Philly cultural institutions, including the Penn Museum and Woodmere Art Museum, already have vaccine mandates in place. 

Like most of the United States, Philadelphia is experiencing high levels of coronavirus transmission, driven by the omicron variant. 

Philly has averaged 2,654 new COVID-19 cases per day over the last two weeks, according to the city health department. About 38% of COVID-19 tests administered during that time period have come back positive.

The city has sought to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by implementing various vaccine mandates in recent months, though the museums chose to do so on their own. 

The vaccine mandate for city employees will take effect Jan. 14. All health care workers at hospitals and long-term care facilities, as well as college students and staff, have needed to be fully vaccinated since the fall.

The School District of Philadelphia has required all teachers, staff and employees to be fully vaccinated since late September. 

Overall, nearly 72% of Philly residents ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the city health department. Nearly 91% have received at least one vaccine dose. More than 25% of children ages 5-11 have received at least one vaccine shot.