RICHMOND, Va. — Universal masking continues to be recommended for 61 localities in Virginia, and that once again includes most of Metro Richmond, according to the COVID Community Levels from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The update comes as Virginia’s 7-day positivity rate topped 23.7% last week, while new cases dropped roughly 5% and 82.3% of Virginians 18+ had received at least one vaccine dose, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The 7-day moving average for COVID cases in the U.S. decreased 7.3% as of Aug. 5 and 83.6% of the country’s total population (people 5+) had received at least one vaccine dose, the CDC reported in its weekly update.
The agency released an updated map Thursday, Aug. 11 with county-by-county color designations to indicate whether residents should wear masks or not.
“There are three levels (low, medium, high), which are determined by looking at hospital beds being used by patients with COVID-19, new hospital admissions among people with COVID-19, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in your area,” CDC officials wrote.
Sixty-one localities in Virginia rank as high where masking indoors is recommended by the CDC. That includes Amelia, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Essex, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, Hopewell, King and Queen, Lunenburg, New Kent, Nottoway, Orange, Petersburg, Prince Edward, Prince George, Richmond County and the city of Richmond.
Fifty-seven localities in the Commonwealth now rank as medium, including Buckingham, Caroline, Charles City, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Emporia, King William, Lancaster, Louisa, Middlesex, Northumberland and Powhatan.
Fifteen localities now rank as low.
The update comes as the CDC relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines, dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said people no longer need to stay at least 6 feet away from others.
The changes, which come more than 2 1/2 years after the start of the pandemic, are driven by a recognition that an estimated 95% of Americans 16 and older have acquired some level of immunity, either from being vaccinated or infected, agency officials said.
“The current conditions of this pandemic are very different from those of the last two years,” said the CDC’s Greta Massetti, an author of the guidelines.
Many places around the country long ago abandoned social distancing and other once-common precautions, but some of the changes could be particularly important for schools, which resume classes this month in many parts of the country.
Perhaps the biggest education-related change is the end of the recommendation that schools do routine daily testing, although that practice can be reinstated in certain situations during a surge in infections, officials said.
The CDC also dropped a “test-to-stay” recommendation, which said students exposed to COVID-19 could regularly test — instead of quarantining at home — to keep attending school. With no quarantine recommendation anymore, the testing option disappeared too.
However, masks continue to be recommended only in areas where community transmission is deemed high, or if a person is considered at high risk of severe illness.
The average numbers of reported COVID-19 cases and deaths have been relatively flat this summer, at around 100,000 cases a day and 300 to 400 deaths.
The CDC previously said that if people who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations come into close contact with a person who tests positive, they should stay home for at least five days. Now the agency says quarantining at home is not necessary, but it urges those people to wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested after five.
The agency continues to say that people who test positive should isolate from others for at least five days, regardless of whether they were vaccinated. CDC officials advise that people can end isolation if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and they are without symptoms or the symptoms are improving.
Also on Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration updated its recommendations for how many times people exposed to COVID-19 should test.
Previously, the FDA had advised taking two rapid antigen tests over two or three days to rule out infection. Now the agency recommends three tests.
FDA officials said the change was based on new studies that suggest the old protocol can miss too many infections and result in people spreading the coronavirus, especially if they don’t develop symptoms.
High Community Level
- Wear a mask indoors in public
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
- Get tested if you have symptoms
- Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness
- 61 Virginia localities this week; down from 65 localities last week
Alleghany (ranked medium last week)
Amelia (no change from last week)
Amherst (no change from last week)
Appomattox (no change from last week)
Bath (ranked medium last week)
Bedford (no change from last week)
Bland (no change from last week)
Botetourt (no change from last week)
Bristol (no change from last week)
Buchanan (no change from last week)
Carroll (no change from last week)
Charlotte (no change from last week)
Chesterfield (no change from last week)
Clarke (ranked medium last week)
Colonial Heights (no change from last week)
Covington (ranked medium last week)
Craig (ranked medium last week)
Culpeper (no change from last week)
Dickenson (no change from last week)
Essex (no change from last week)
Fluvanna (no change from last week)
Franklin County (ranked medium last week)
Frederick (no change from last week)
Galax (no change from last week)
Goochland (ranked medium last week)
Grayson (no change from last week)
Halifax (no change from last week)
Hanover (no change from last week)
Henrico (no change from last week)
Hopewell (no change from last week)
King and Queen (no change from last week)
Lee (no change from last week)
Lunenburg (ranked medium last week)
Lynchburg (ranked medium last week)
Mecklenburg (ranked medium last week)
Nelson (ranked medium last week)
New Kent (no change from last week)
Norton (no change from last week)
Nottoway (no change from last week)
Orange (ranked medium last week)
Page (ranked low last week)
Petersburg (no change from last week)
Portsmouth (ranked medium last week)
Prince Edward (no change from last week)
Prince George (no change from last week)
Rappahannock (ranked medium last week)
Richmond City (no change from last week)
Richmond County (ranked medium last week)
Roanoke City (no change from last week)
Roanoke County (no change from last week)
Russell (no change from last week)
Salem (no change from last week)
Scott (no change from last week)
Shenandoah (no change from last week)
Smyth (no change from last week)
Southampton (no change from last week)
Tazewell (no change from last week)
Warren (no change from last week)
Washington (no change from last week)
Winchester (no change from last week)
Wise (no change from last week)
Medium Community Level
- If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
- Get tested if you have symptoms
- 57 Virginia localities this week; no change from 57 last week
Albemarle (no change from last week)
Alexandria (no change from last week)
Arlington (no change from last week)
Brunswick (ranked high last week)
Buckingham (ranked high last week)
Campbell (ranked high last week)
Caroline (ranked high last week)
Charles City (ranked high last week)
Charlottesville (ranked high last week)
Chesapeake (no change from last week)
Cumberland (no change from last week)
Danville (no change from last week)
Dinwiddie (ranked high last week)
Emporia (no change from last week)
Falls Church (no change from last week)
Fauquier (ranked low last week)
Floyd (no change from last week)
Franklin City (ranked high last week)
Fredericksburg (ranked high last week)
Giles (no change from last week)
Gloucester (no change from last week)
Greene (ranked high last week)
Greensville (ranked high last week)
Hampton (no change from last week)
Harrisonburg (ranked low last week)
Henry (no change from last week)
Isle of Wight (no change from last week)
James City (no change from last week)
King William (no change from last week)
Lancaster (no change from last week)
Louisa (no change from last week)
Madison (no change from last week)
Manassas (no change from last week)
Manassas Park (no change from last week)
Martinsville (no change from last week)
Middlesex (ranked high last week)
Newport News (no change from last week)
Norfolk (no change from last week)
Northampton (no change from last week)
Northumberland (no change from last week)
Patrick (no change from last week)
Pittsylvania (no change from last week)
Poquoson (ranked low last week)
Powhatan (no change from last week)
Prince William (no change from last week)
Pulaski (no change from last week)
Rockbridge (no change from last week)
Rockingham (ranked low last week)
Stafford (ranked high last week)
Staunton (ranked high last week)
Suffolk (ranked high last week)
Surry (ranked high last week)
Sussex (ranked high last week)
Virginia Beach (no change from last week)
Waynesboro (no change from last week)
Westmoreland (no change from last week)
Wythe (no change from last week)
Low Community Level
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
- Get tested if you have symptoms
- 15 Virginia localities this week; up from 11 last week
Accomack (ranked medium last week)
Augusta (ranked high last week)
Buena Vista (ranked medium last week)
Fairfax City (no change from last week)
Fairfax County (ranked medium last week)
Highland (ranked medium last week)
King George (ranked high last week)
Lexington (ranked medium last week)
Loudoun (no change from last week)
Mathews (no change from last week)
Montgomery (no change from last week)
Radford (ranked medium last week)
Spotsylvania (ranked high last week)
Williamsburg (no change from last week)
York (no change from last week)
COMING SOON: County-by-county look at COVID-19 cases in Virginia; which areas saw most cases last week
Full Virginia City/County-by-County Breakdown
Accomack Low
Albemarle Medium
Alexandria Medium
Alleghany High
Amelia High
Amherst High
Appomattox High
Arlington Medium
Augusta Low
Bath High
Bedford High
Bland High
Botetourt High
Bristol High
Brunswick Medium
Buchanan High
Buckingham Medium
Buena Vista Low
Campbell Medium
Caroline Medium
Carroll High
Charles City Medium
Charlotte High
Charlottesville Medium
Chesapeake Medium
Chesterfield High
Clarke High
Colonial Heights High
Covington High
Craig High
Culpeper High
Cumberland Medium
Danville Medium
Dickenson High
Dinwiddie Medium
Emporia Medium
Essex High
Fairfax City Low
Fairfax County Low
Falls Church Medium
Fauquier Medium
Floyd Medium
Fluvanna High
Franklin City Medium
Franklin County High
Frederick High
Fredericksburg Medium
Galax High
Giles Medium
Gloucester Medium
Goochland High
Grayson High
Greene Medium
Greensville Medium
Halifax High
Hampton Medium
Hanover High
Harrisonburg Medium
Henrico High
Henry Medium
Highland Low
Hopewell High
Isle of Wight Medium
James City Medium
King and Queen High
King George Low
King William Medium
Lancaster Medium
Lee High
Lexington Low
Loudoun Low
Louisa Medium
Lunenburg High
Lynchburg High
Madison Medium
Manassas Medium
Manassas Park Medium
Martinsville Medium
Mathews Low
Mecklenburg High
Middlesex Medium
Montgomery Low
Nelson High
New Kent High
Newport News Medium
Norfolk Medium
Northampton Medium
Northumberland Medium
Norton High
Nottoway High
Orange High
Page High
Patrick Medium
Petersburg High
Pittsylvania Medium
Poquoson Medium
Portsmouth High
Powhatan Medium
Prince Edward High
Prince George High
Prince William Medium
Pulaski Medium
Radford Low
Rappahannock High
Richmond City High
Richmond County High
Roanoke City High
Roanoke County High
Rockbridge Medium
Rockingham Medium
Russell High
Salem High
Scott High
Shenandoah High
Smyth High
Southampton High
Spotsylvania Low
Stafford Medium
Staunton Medium
Suffolk Medium
Surry Medium
Sussex Medium
Tazewell High
Virginia Beach Medium
Warren High
Washington High
Waynesboro Medium
Westmoreland Medium
Williamsburg Low
Winchester High
Wise High
Wythe Medium
York Low
Virginians age 6 months+ are eligible for COVID-19 vaccine. Go to Vaccine Finder to search for specific vaccines available near you or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-275-8343).
