Updated COVID Risk Levels In PA: See Latest CDC Map

Justin Heinze

PENNSYLVANIA — The two-year anniversary of when the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was announced in Pennsylvania is just days away and, according to new figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

In fact, most people in Pennsylvania no longer need to wear masks indoors, according to the federal agency.

Last week, the CDC revised the system it uses to deem where certain mitigation factors are encouraged. The agency uses hospital bed capacity, hospital admissions, and new COVID-19 cases to determine how high virus levels are in a county.

See the updated map for Pennsylvania from the CDC here.

Many Pennsylvania counties currently report either low or medium COVID-19 levels.

Low COVID-19 Level Counties:

  • Forest

  • Elk

  • Potter

  • Cameron

  • Jefferson

  • Washington

  • Allegheny

  • Westmoreland

  • Beaver

  • York

  • Lancaster

  • Berks

  • Adams

  • Tioga

  • Venango

  • Clarion

  • Butler

Medium COVID-19 Level Counties

  • Montgomery

  • Bucks

  • Philadelphia

  • Chester

  • Delaware

  • Lehigh

  • Northampton

  • Monroe

  • Pike

  • Wayne

  • Lackawanna

  • Luzerne

  • Carbon

  • Columbia

  • Schuylkill

  • Dauphin

  • Franklin

  • Cumberland

  • Perry

  • Greene

  • Fayette

  • Warren

  • Somerset

  • Erie

  • Lawrence

  • Mercer

  • Union

  • Indiana

  • Blair

  • Snyder

  • Clinton

  • Lycoming

  • Luzerne

  • Northumberland

  • Lebanon

High COVID-19 Level Counties

  • Susquehanna

  • Wyoming

  • Bradford

  • Sullivan

  • Crawford

  • Jefferson

  • Clearfield

  • Cambria

  • Centre

  • Huntingdon

  • Bedford

  • Fulton

  • Juniata

  • Mifflin

  • Montour

Masks aren't recommended indoors for people in low counties, while they are only recommended in medium counties if you are at elevated risk for severe illness and speak to your doctor.

Masks are recommended indoors for people in high communities.

Everyone is still being encouraged to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if experiencing symptoms.

The new CDC guidelines come as Pennsylvania and local communities move to drop indoor mask mandates. Prominent counties like Philadelphia dropped their mask mandate on Wednesday, while other like Montgomery did on Monday.

The state announced last week that preparations are underway for a transition to the "endemic" phase of COVID-19, as the virus becomes widespread and is characterized by lower hospitalizations and case rates.

“Moving forward does not mean ignoring COVID-19,” Acting Secretary of Health Keara Klinepeter said. “We have the knowledge and tools needed to make smart decisions guided by public health research to keep ourselves and our communities safer."

Effective Feb. 25, the CDC announced it "does not require wearing of masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/childcare programs."

With reporting from Patch correspondents Mike Carraggi and Alexis Tarrazi

This article originally appeared on the Across Pennsylvania Patch

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