SEVIERVILLE — Sevier County is back down to a medium risk of COVID-19 in the latest update from the CDC.
The federal agency provides weekly updates of its county-by-county data on the virus’s spread, using data compiled by state and local health officials.
Earlier this week, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park began requiring masks again after noting the CDC’s data indicated “High” levels of COVID-19 in Sevier, Blount, and Cocke counties.
But the latest update shows that Sevier and Blount are already back down to medium levels.
The CDC recommends that people in communities with high incidence of COVID-19 wear masks while visiting indoor public spaces, and make sure they’re up to date with their vaccinations.
After federal mask mandates ended last year, the National Park Service has had its facilities follow the CDC guidelines, keeping up with the transmission levels in surrounding communities, GSMNP spokesperson Dana Soehn said.
This was the first time that those levels were high for the communities around the park, she said.
The mandate remains in place in the park for now, due to the high rate in Cocke County.
“(It ends) after seven consecutive days of the counties being in medium or low,” she said. “So hopefully we’ll hit that mark next Thursday.”
The Tennessee Health Department no longer includes data on active cases in the information it shares with the public.
However, its latest update shows that there were 230 new cases in Sevier County for the week from July 31 to Aug. 6.
