ST. LOUIS – Masking requirements are returning around St. Louis due to the increase of COVID transmission in the area. The Gateway Arch is the latest place to announce it is requiring masks inside all buildings at the Gateway Arch National Park.
The move comes as St. Louis City and County moved into what the CDC considers to be a “high” level of COVID transmission in the community. The surrounding counties are at a medium level.
Over the weekend, Schnucks announced it would require masks for all employees and vendors at dozens of its stores in areas where the level is considered high.
The CDC looks at the combination of three metrics — new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past 7 days, the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days — to determine the COVID-19 community level.
According to the CDC guidelines, people in an area with a “high” level of transmission should wear a mask indoors, be up to date with their vaccines, get tested if they have symptoms, and high risk patients may need to take additional precautions.
