The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging masks in nine New York state counties with high Covid-19 levels.
The CDC updated its Covid Community Levels map on Thursday, Oct. 7, showing areas where Covid is at a “high” (orange), “medium” (yellow) or “low” (green) risk. Face coverings are recommended in areas with high Covid levels, including Albany County, Broome County, Oswego County and Tioga County.
Onondaga County has been downgraded to medium risk after reaching high Covid levels list last week. Syracuse-area cases and hospitalizations rose to the highest in four months, fueled in part by children returning to school and large events like the New York State Fair and SU football games, but cases went down more than 17% this week.
Here are the nine New York state counties with “high” Covid levels where masks are currently recommended:
- Albany County
- Broome County
- Clinton County
- Fulton County
- Montgomery County
- Orange County
- Oswego County
- Rensselaer County
- Tioga County
All 62 of New York’s counties were considered low risk for most of the summer, but nearly 50 counties are now at medium or high risk, according to the CDC.
Masks are recommended, not mandated, indoors in areas with high Covid community levels under current CDC guidelines. Masking recommendations are now based on three factors — Covid hospitalizations, hospital capacity and new Covid cases — focusing more on preventing hospitals from getting overwhelmed and less on positive tests, which spiked during the omicron wave in December and January.
Masks are not recommended indoors, including in schools, in areas with medium or low community levels, though immunocompromised people and others at high risk for severe illness may still want to wear face coverings indoors and avoid large crowds.
Covid community levels were low enough at the beginning of March that masks weren’t recommended in any New York state county, but cases and hospitalizations increased in Syracuse and the surrounding area during the spring due to the rise of highly contagious BA.2 variants, the end of widespread mask-wearing, and the waning of vaccines. The state health department said CNY was the first in the U.S. to see “significant community spread” of more contagious omicron strains BA.2.12 and the related BA.2.12.1, spread rapidly through the Northeast in April and May.
The CDC updates its Community Levels map every Thursday. The map provides recommendations for mask-wearing, but does not indicate where face coverings are mandated.
New York state ended its Covid state of emergency earlier this month and dropped its mask requirement on public transportation, but face coverings are still required in health care settings including hospitals and nursing homes.
The CDC also says anyone with Covid-19 symptoms or who test positive should wear masks, regardless of vaccination status or the risk level where they live.
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