Philadelphia health officials say that some Covid-related business closures will be lifted on Saturday.

For the first time since November, indoor dining, in-person college classes, theaters and performance spaces will be permitted to reopen — but at significantly reduced capacity.

Indoor dining will be capped at 25 percent capacity, while theaters will be capped at 10 percent capacity and prohibit food and drink.

"Your restaurant cannot have entertainment and your theater cannot have food," Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said, according to NBC News Philadelphia.

Indoor, senior and catered events remain restricted, the city said. 

Mask mandates remain in effect, and next Tuesday, Jan. 19, some branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia will reopen to the public — including crucial computer access, according to interim Director Leslie M. Walker.

“The Free Library is an important resource for our communities, and our staff has worked tirelessly to ensure those resources are available in a safe setting during the pandemic,” Walker said in a press release.

DETROIT — In the weeks since the arrival of the first Covid-19 vaccines, the Rev. Dr. Sarah Bailey has been fielding calls from friends and neighbors in Flint.

Callers ask about the new vaccines' side effects, said Bailey, who runs a faith-based health awareness organization called Bridges Into the Future.

They wonder whether the messenger RNA — or mRNA — vaccines can change a person's DNA, she said.

"They say, 'Ooh, can I catch Covid from it?'"

Bailey, an elder at Flint’s Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International and the vice chair of a local network called Community-Based Organization Partners, reassures them. The vaccine won't give them the virus and it won't affect their DNA, she tells them, just as all major medical authorities have said based on extensive testing. She walks them through the science behind the vaccines.

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that New Yorkers ages 65 and above are eligible for Covid-19 vaccine "effective immediately."

Cuomo shared the news with a link pointing New York residents toward a website to determine if they are eligible for Covid-19 vaccine. 

In a tweet Cuomo urged patience "as unfortunately there are far more eligible NYers than there is vaccine supply from the federal gov."

Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said he tested positive for Covid-19 Tuesday morning, becoming the third lawmaker since Monday to receive the diagnosis since being confined with other lawmakers during the rioting at the Capitol last week. 

Schneider suggested he was likely infected during the ordeal, when he was sheltering in place with dozens of other members, including some House Republicans who chose not to wear face masks.

"Several Republican lawmakers in the room adamantly refused to wear a mask, as demonstrated in video from Punchbowl News, even when politely asked by their colleagues," Schneider said in a statement. "Today, I am now in strict isolation, worried that I have risked my wife’s health and angry at the selfishness and arrogance of the anti-maskers who put their own contempt and disregard for decency ahead of the health and safety of their colleagues and our staff."

Schneider said that he hasn't experienced symptoms yet.

Federal health agencies are expected to announce new coronavirus vaccine guidelines as early as Tuesday,  directing states to vaccinate anyone 65 and older, a senior administration official said.

The sudden change in recommended policy is aimed at boosting the nation’s sluggish vaccination efforts.

In addition to the age guidance, the government will also suggest that any adult with pre-existing conditions that puts them at risk for serious infection should also get vaccinated.

This means that some doses that have been held back for second shots will likely be released earlier, a move that President-Elect Joe Biden called for last week.

The U.S. counted 254,921 new Covid-19 cases and 2,276 reported deaths Monday, the latest numbers in the continuing pandemic.

From Saturday to Monday, an average of 820,000 people per day received a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to NBC News' tally. Note that people require two doses to be fully vaccinated. 

Over the past seven days, the U.S. is averaging 257,000 cases per day, 3,200 deaths per day and 636,000 people who received a dose of the vaccine.

Among states on Monday, California set a single-day record for cases with 61,744.

Football fans flooded the streets of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to celebrate the University of Alabama's championship win against Ohio State on Monday, despite rising Covid-19 rates in the state.

In videos circulating on social media, crowds of people — including many without masks — spilled into the Tuscaloosa Strip, an area known for its bars and nightlife, chanting victory songs to mark another national title for the Crimson Tide.

In the lead up to the game, Mayor Walt Maddox said that celebrations should be limited, and tweeted last Friday that “we can’t have block parties this year. There will be a time and place to celebrate but this is not the time.”

Alabama public health guidelines mandate people to wear a mask within six feet of a person. Alabama has a state total of 404,000 infections and recorded 5,347 deaths as of Monday.