Masks Should Be Worn In These New York Counties According To The CDC

Last week, the CDC came out with new recommendations regarding masks and the Delta variant surging across the country.

Governor Cuomo announced that county governments will be responsible for mask mandates to help eliminate the spread of the Delta variant. More than half of the 62 counties in New York State have hit the threshold recommended for individuals out in public, vaccinated or not, to wear a mask. That's according to current CDC data. That doesn't mean, however, that it's being enforced.

The map indicates areas where COVID-19 transmission rates are low, moderate, substantial and high. Areas in substantial or high areas are the ones being recommended to wear masks.

Although listed in the substantial zone, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said today he has no plans to issue a broad mask mandate, according to Syracuse.com. He plans to sign an executive order requiring them in senior facilities, although many of those facilities, including nursing homes, already require masks.

As of 8/5, both Herkimer County and Oneida County have been added to the list. However, both counties are NOT instituting any community wide mandates related to the CDC recommendations at this time.

Cuomo says if the numbers don’t come down, there should be mandatory vaccinations for nursing home workers, teachers and all public-facing health care workers. He also says vaccination sites will open in locations with a high concentration of state employees to make getting vaccinated as convenient as possible for those who haven't been yet. That includes the State Office Building in Utica.