Only 2 Arizona counties still have high COVID community levels, CDC says
Mar 4, 2022, 11:00 AM
(Pexels Photo)
(Pexels Photo)
PHOENIX – Only two Arizona counties remained in the highest risk category after Thursday’s update of community COVID-19 levels across the nation.
Yuma and La Paz counties in the southwest corner of the state are still at the high community level, but Arizona’s other 13 counties are now medium.
Healthy individuals in counties where COVID levels are classified as low or medium are safe to stop wearing face masks in public indoor spaces, per U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. Face coverings are still recommended indoors in public where the level is high.
The CDC unveiled its new system for determining COVID risk last week as the coronavirus was receding across the nation, with less of a focus on case numbers and more on what’s happening at hospitals. The initial classifications showed four Arizona counties – Coconino, Maricopa, Santa Cruz and Yavapai — as medium, while the rest were high.
RELATED STORIES
Individuals at high risk for severe illness should talk to their doctors about whether they should wear a mask and take other precautions in counties where the community level is medium, the CDC said.
The only recommendations for people in areas where the level is low are to get tested for COVID if symptoms appear and to stay up to date on vaccines. Those apply where the level is medium or high, also.
More than 90% of the U.S. population is now located in areas where the level is low or medium, up from 70% last week, the CDC said. The agency plans to update the community levels each Thursday going forward.
The new recommendations affect requirements to wear masks on public transportation and in airports, train stations and bus stations.
The CDC guidelines for other indoor spaces aren’t binding, meaning cities and institutions can set their own rules, regardless of levels.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
