ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. (WIVB) — Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz shared updated COVID-19 statistics Wednesday indicating that the county is close to meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designation for “Substantial Risk of Transmission,” which could mean a return of indoor mask requirements.
Poloncarz shared that as of Wednesday, the county had reached 44 new cases per 100,000 residents for the previous seven days. If the county reaches 50 new cases per 100,000 residents, it will move into the “Substantial Risk of Transmission” category.
Per CDC guidance, if a locale enters the “Substantial Risk of Transmission” category, they recommend that fully vaccinated people wear face masks in public indoor settings. They also continue to recommend that unvaccinated individuals wear masks in public indoor settings.
“Among strategies to prevent COVID-19, CDC recommends all unvaccinated persons wear masks in public indoor settings. Based on emerging evidence on the Delta variant (2), CDC also recommends that fully vaccinated persons wear masks in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission,” according to the CDC website.
News 4 has reached out to the county executive’s office for comment.
