Wearing face masks is still recommended in nearly two dozens areas across Virginia, number of new cases remains stable generally
RICHMOND, Virginia — According to this week’s update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, masking is now recommended for 16 places in the Commonwealth, including five parts of the our viewing area. Most of Metro Richmond is still at a medium level (CDC).
The update comes after the 7-day positivity rate in Virginia dropped to 15.5%, new cases dropped by 8% last week, and the Virginia Department of Health said that 73.7% of the state’s population was fully vaccinated. As of February 1, the average number of weekly COVID cases in the U.S. had gone down by 6.7%, and 85.5% of the country’s population (people 5 and older) had received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to the CDC’s weekly update.
The agency put out a new map on Thursday, February 2, with different colors for each county to show whether people should wear masks or not.
“There are three levels (low, medium, and high), which are based on the number of COVID-19 patients using hospital beds, the number of new COVID-19 hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in your area,” CDC officials wrote.
The CDC recommends wearing a mask inside 16 places, including Central Virginia’s Charles City, Emporia, Greensville, Hopewell, and Prince Edward. This is up from last week, when only 12 places were as high.
Sixty-two places, including Amelia, Cumberland, Brunswick, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Essex, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, King and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Lunenburg, Middlesex, New Kent, Northumberland, Petersburg, Powhatan, Prince George, Richmond City and Richmond County in Central Virginia, rank as medium. Last week, 63 places were ranked as medium.
The remaining 55 places in the Commonwealth are also at the bottom of the list. This is less than last week, when 58 places were ranked as low.
CDC
High Community Level
- Wear a mask indoors in public
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
- Get tested if you have symptoms
- Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness
- 16 Virginia localities this week; up from 12 localities last week
Alleghany (ranked low last week)
Amherst (no change from last week)
Buena Vista (ranked medium last week)
Charles City (ranked medium last week)
Covington (ranked medium last week)
Dickenson (no change from last week)
Emporia (no change from last week)
Greensville (no change from last week)
Hopewell (ranked medium last week)
Lee (ranked medium last week)
Lexington (ranked medium last week)
Norton (no change from last week)
Prince Edward (no change from last week)
Radford (ranked low last week)
Wise (ranked medium last week)
Wythe (ranked medium last week)
CDC
Medium Community Level
- If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
- Get tested if you have symptoms
- 62 Virginia localities this week; up from 63 last week
Amelia (no change from last week)
Appomattox (no change from last week)
Augusta (ranked low last week)
Bath (ranked low last week)
Bedford (no change from last week)
Bland (ranked high last week)
Botetourt (no change from last week)
Brunswick (no change from last week)
Campbell (no change from last week)
Caroline (ranked low last week)
Charlotte (no change from last week)
Chesterfield (no change from last week)
Colonial Heights (no change from last week)
Craig (no change from last week)
Cumberland (no change from last week)
Dinwiddie (no change from last week)
Essex (no change from last week)
Floyd (no change from last week)
Franklin County (no change from last week)
Fredericksburg (ranked low last week)
Galax (no change from last week)
Giles (ranked low last week)
Goochland (no change from last week)
Grayson (ranked low last week)
Halifax (no change from last week)
Hanover (no change from last week)
Harrisonburg (no change from last week)
Henrico (no change from last week)
Highland (ranked low last week)
King and Queen (no change from last week)
King George (ranked low last week)
King William (no change from last week)
Lancaster (no change from last week)
Lunenburg (no change from last week)
Lynchburg (no change from last week)
Mecklenburg (no change from last week)
Middlesex (no change from last week)
Montgomery (ranked low last week)
New Kent (no change from last week)
Northumberland (no change from last week)
Nottoway (no change from last week)
Page (no change from last week)
Petersburg (no change from last week)
Powhatan (no change from last week)
Prince George (no change from last week)
Pulaski (no change from last week)
Richmond City (no change from last week)
Richmond County (no change from last week)
Roanoke City (no change from last week)
Roanoke County (no change from last week)
Rockbridge (ranked low last week)
Rockingham (no change from last week)
Salem (no change from last week)
Spotsylvania (ranked low last week)
Stafford (ranked low last week)
Staunton (ranked low last week)
Surry (no change from last week)
Sussex (no change from last week)
Tazewell (ranked high last week)
Washington (no change from last week)
Waynesboro (ranked low last week)
Westmoreland (ranked high last week)
CDC
Low Community Level
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
- Get tested if you have symptoms
- 55 Virginia localities this week; up from 58 last week
Accomack (no change from last week)
Albemarle (no change from last week)
Alexandria (no change from last week)
Arlington (no change from last week)
Bristol (ranked medium last week)
Buchanan (ranked high last week)
Buckingham (no change from last week)
Carroll (ranked medium last week)
Charlottesville (no change from last week)
Chesapeake (no change from last week)
Clarke (ranked medium last week)
Culpeper (no change from last week)
Danville (ranked medium last week)
Fairfax City (no change from last week)
Fairfax County (no change from last week)
Falls Church (no change from last week)
Fauquier (no change from last week)
Fluvanna (no change from last week)
Franklin City (ranked medium last week)
Frederick (ranked medium last week)
Gloucester (no change from last week)
Greene (no change from last week)
Hampton (no change from last week)
Henry (no change from last week)
Isle of Wight (no change from last week)
James City (no change from last week)
Loudoun (no change from last week)
Louisa (no change from last week)
Madison (no change from last week)
Manassas (no change from last week)
Manassas Park (no change from last week)
Martinsville (no change from last week)
Mathews (no change from last week)
Nelson (no change from last week)
Newport News (no change from last week)
Norfolk (no change from last week)
Northampton (no change from last week)
Orange (no change from last week)
Patrick (no change from last week)
Pittsylvania (no change from last week)
Poquoson (no change from last week)
Portsmouth (no change from last week)
Prince William (no change from last week)
Rappahannock (no change from last week)
Russell (ranked high last week)
Scott (ranked medium last week)
Shenandoah (ranked medium last week)
Smyth (ranked high last week)
Southampton (no change from last week)
Suffolk (no change from last week)
Virginia Beach (no change from last week)
Warren (ranked medium last week)
Williamsburg (no change from last week)
Winchester (ranked medium last week)
York (no change from last week)
Full Virginia City/County-by-County Breakdown
Accomack Low
Albemarle Low
Alexandria Low
Alleghany High
Amelia Medium
Amherst High
Appomattox Medium
Arlington Low
Augusta Medium
Bath Medium
Bedford Medium
Bland Medium
Botetourt Medium
Bristol Low
Brunswick Medium
Buchanan Low
Buckingham Low
Buena Vista High
Campbell Medium
Caroline Medium
Carroll Low
Charles City High
Charlotte Medium
Charlottesville Low
Chesapeake Low
Chesterfield Medium
Clarke Low
Colonial Heights Medium
Covington High
Craig Medium
Culpeper Low
Cumberland Medium
Danville Low
Dickenson High
Dinwiddie Medium
Emporia High
Essex Medium
Fairfax City Low
Fairfax County Low
Falls Church Low
Fauquier Low
Floyd Medium
Fluvanna Low
Franklin City Low
Franklin County Medium
Frederick Low
Fredericksburg Medium
Galax Medium
Giles Medium
Gloucester Low
Goochland Medium
Grayson Medium
Greene Low
Greensville High
Halifax Medium
Hampton Low
Hanover Medium
Harrisonburg Medium
Henrico Medium
Henry Low
Highland Medium
Hopewell High
Isle of Wight Low
James City Low
King and Queen Medium
King George Medium
King William Medium
Lancaster Medium
Lee High
Lexington High
Loudoun Low
Louisa Low
Lunenburg Medium
Lynchburg Medium
Madison Low
Manassas Low
Manassas Park Low
Martinsville Low
Mathews Low
Mecklenburg Medium
Middlesex Medium
Montgomery Medium
Nelson Low
New Kent Medium
Newport News Low
Norfolk Low
Northampton Low
Northumberland Medium
Norton High
Nottoway Medium
Orange Low
Page Medium
Patrick Low
Petersburg Medium
Pittsylvania Low
Poquoson Low
Portsmouth Low
Powhatan Medium
Prince Edward High
Prince George Medium
Prince William Low
Pulaski Medium
Radford High
Rappahannock Low
Richmond City Medium
Richmond County Medium
Roanoke City Medium
Roanoke County Medium
Rockbridge Medium
Rockingham Medium
Russell Low
Salem Medium
Scott Low
Shenandoah Low
Smyth Low
Southampton Low
Spotsylvania Medium
Stafford Medium
Staunton Medium
Suffolk Low
Surry Medium
Sussex Medium
Tazewell Medium
Virginia Beach Low
Warren Low
Washington Medium
Waynesboro Medium
Westmoreland Medium
Williamsburg Low
Winchester Low
Wise High
Wythe High
