Do I need to wear a mask indoors? Here are the recommendations for PA counties

Crissa Shoemaker DeBree, Bucks County Courier Times
·3 min read

The CDC on Friday loosened mask guidelines, dropping recommendations for masks indoors for more than 70% of Americans, including those living in most Pennsylvania counties.

In addition to case numbers, which previously determined risk, the CDC now also is considering hospitalizations, current beds occupied by COVID patients and hospital capacity in determining whether an area is low, medium or high risk for community spread of COVID.

In all areas, the CDC is recommending residents get vaccinated and receive booster shots when needed, and get tested if they have symptoms.

However, the agency is no longer recommending masks indoors in low-risk areas. Under the new guidelines, 17 Pennsylvania counties are considered low risk, including Allegheny, Beaver and York.

In areas of medium risk, it's recommended that those who are high risk of illness consult with their doctors if they should wear masks indoors. More than half of Pennsylvania counties fall in this category, including Bucks, Erie, Monroe and Montgomery counties.

For people in areas where the risk of COVID is higher, the CDC still advises everyone wear masks in indoor public places. Fifteen Pennsylvania counties are high risk, including Crawford and Susquehanna.

The CDC recommendations do not impact businesses and local governments that may still require masks to enter certain spaces. Philadelphia recently lifted vaccination requirements for restaurants, but officials said Friday they were not yet ready to lift mask rules for indoor public spaces.

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Mask guidelines map

Check out the map and the list of counties by risk.

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Low risk: No masks

  • Adams County

  • Allegheny County

  • Armstrong County

  • Beaver County

  • Berks County

  • Butler County

  • Cameron County

  • Clarion County

  • Elk County

  • Forest County

  • Lancaster County

  • Potter County

  • Tioga County

  • Venango County

  • Washington County

  • Westmoreland County

  • York County

Medium risk: Talk to your doctor if you're high risk

  • Blair County

  • Bucks County

  • Carbon County

  • Chester County

  • Clinton County

  • Columbia County

  • Cumberland County

  • Dauphin County

  • Delaware County

  • Erie County

  • Fayette County

  • Franklin County

  • Greene County

  • Indiana County

  • Lackawanna County

  • Lawrence County

  • Lebanon County

  • Lehigh County

  • Luzerne County

  • Lycoming County

  • McKean County

  • Mercer County

  • Monroe County

  • Montgomery County

  • Northampton County

  • Northumberland County

  • Perry County

  • Philadelphia County *

  • Pike County

  • Schuylkill County

  • Snyder County

  • Somerset County

  • Union County

  • Warren County

  • Wayne County

High risk: Mask up indoors

  • Bedford County

  • Bradford County

  • Cambria County

  • Centre County

  • Clearfield County

  • Crawford County

  • Fulton County

  • Huntingdon County

  • Jefferson County

  • Juniata County

  • Mifflin County

  • Montour County

  • Sullivan County

  • Susquehanna County

  • Wyoming County

What are the latest case numbers in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 12,401 new cases. That's down 35.9% from the previous week's tally of 19,343 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

Across Pennsylvania, cases fell in 63 counties, with the best declines in Allegheny County, with 1,294 cases from 2,055 a week earlier; Montgomery County, with 541 cases from 1,213; and Chester County, with 391 cases from 943.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Pennsylvania ranked 13th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 83.3% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 76.3%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows.

Hospitalization rates also are declining across the state.

Last week, 3,871 patients suspected or confirmed to have COVID were admitted to Pennsylvania hospitals, down from 4,169 the week before and 6,631 a month ago.

Mike Stucka with USA TODAY contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Where to wear masks indoors in Pennsylvania, according to CDC