Still wearing a mask? Here is what the new CDC guidelines mean for Southern Utah

Stock photo | Photo by triocean/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — In another sign that the omicron surge served to increase herd immunity to COVID-19, new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control on the wearing of masks or face coverings has made masks no longer needed in Southern Utah except for those over 65 or at high risk for severe illness or death.

Stock photo | Photo by
Mahsun YILDIZ/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

The guidelines were released Friday and come a week after Utah announced it would be winding down its emergency COVID-19 status to end on March 31.

At the time, health officials described the move as a transition for people to make their own determinations on when to wear masks based on their comfort with the risk level. Gov. Spencer Cox also asked people to respect both those who choose to continue wearing masks and those who do not.

Dr. Leisha Nolen, the state epidemiologist for the Utah Department of Health, also noted that it isn’t the case the COVID-19 has gone away, but large number of people infected with the omicron variant combined with those already vaccinated and/or boosted has left more than 80% of Utahns immune to the severe effects of COVID-19 that can cause hospitalization and death.

The new guidelines separate each American county into high, medium or low COVID-19 Community Levels. Those levels are mostly based on a combination of current COVID-19 local hospital admissions and available staffed hospital beds along with the local infection rates.

Chart shows recommendations for each COVID-19 Community Level | Chart courtesy of Centers for Disease Control, St. George News | Click to enlarge

Under a high community level, masks are recommended to be worn by everyone in public indoor spaces. Under medium, masks are needed only for those at high risks, and masks aren’t needed at all for those in low community level areas.

All five of Southern Utah’s counties are at a medium COVID-19 Community Level.

At this point, that doesn’t necessarily mean a change to some local places that require masks. For now, masks are still required for anyone inside St. George Regional Hospital or any of the other Intermountain Healthcare facilities locally, hospital officials said.

The CDC has a list on its website describing just who is high risk and should continue to wear a mask in medium-risk areas. That includes those over 65, those with cancer, those with chronic kidney or liver diseases, those with moderate to severe asthma, and those with diabetes.

COVID-19 Community Levels and mask recommendations: 

  • Washington County (Medium): Masks only needed in indoor spaces for those with high risk of severe illness.
  • Iron County (Medium): Masks only needed in indoor spaces for those with high risk of severe illness.
  • Kane County (Medium): Masks only needed in indoor spaces for those with high risk of severe illness.
  • Garfield County (Medium): Masks only needed in indoor spaces for those with high risk of severe illness.
  • Beaver County (Medium): Masks only needed in indoor spaces for those with high risk of severe illness.

COVID-19 information resources

St. George News has made every effort to ensure the information in this story is accurate at the time it was written. However, as the situation and science surrounding the coronavirus continues to evolve, it’s possible that some data has changed.

Check the resources below for up-to-date information and resources.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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