St. Lawrence County and Chautauqua County have been added to the list of counties in New York state that should return to wearing masks indoors, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on Covid-19.
The CDC says people should wear masks indoors in areas with “substantial” (orange areas on map above) and “high” (red) transmission of Covid-19, even if vaccinated against the coronavirus. That includes places with at least 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the past week, or 90% of U.S. counties — including 49 of New York’s 62 counties now.
Cattaraugus County was previously on the list for substantial transmission, but now is listed as “moderate.” St. Lawrence and Chautauqua were added as “substantial” areas Monday night, while Herkimer County has moved from “substantial” to “high” transmission.
As of Tuesday morning (based on the most recent CDC data available from Aug. 2-8), the list of New York state counties where vaccinated people should resume wearing masks indoors includes:
High Covid transmission:
- Albany County
- Bronx County
- Dutchess County
- Hamilton County
- Herkimer County
- Kings County (Brooklyn)
- Nassau County
- New York County (Manhattan)
- Orange County
- Queens County
- Rensselaer County
- Richmond County (Staten Island)
- Rockland County
- Saratoga County
- Schenectady County
- Suffolk County
- Sullivan County
- Warren County
- Westchester County
Substantial Covid transmission:
- Broome County
- Cayuga County
- Chemung County
- Chenango County
- Cortland County
- Delaware County
- Erie County
- Fulton County
- Greene County
- Jefferson County
- Lewis County
- Madison County
- Monroe County
- Montgomery County
- Niagara County
- Oneida County
- Onondaga County
- Orleans County
- Oswego County
- Otsego County
- Putnam County
- Schoharie County
- Seneca County
- St. Lawrence County
- Tioga County
- Tompkins County
- Ulster County
- Washington County
- Wayne County
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has not issued any new Covid rules, leaving decisions up to local governments. Some retailers have changed mask policies in recent weeks, such as requiring face coverings for store employees and/or recommending them for customers.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the new recommendation is largely due to the more transmissible Delta variant, which now accounts for the vast majority of Covid cases in New York state and nationwide. Most new infections in the U.S. continue to be among unvaccinated people.
The CDC also recommends face coverings indoors for teachers, staff, students and visitors in all schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status. Children under 12 are still ineligible to get vaccinated, and a large number of kids under 18 are still unvaccinated.
The CDC’s recommendation for unvaccinated people remains the same nationwide: Continue wearing a mask until you get the vaccine. And masks are still recommended for all people in crowded indoor settings, such as buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.
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