RICHMOND, Va. — Universal masking continues to be no longer recommended for any localities in the Commonwealth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As a result, healthy people in those other localities can safely take a break from wearing masks, new data reveal.
The update comes as new cases in Virginia dropped 28% last week and 73.1% of Virginians are fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the Virginia Department of Health. COVID cases in the U.S. increased 35% from the prior week, and nearly 82.3% of the country's total population (people 5+) has received at least one vaccine dose, the CDC reported in its weekly update.
The agency released an updated map Thursday, April 21 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.
The majority of Central Virginia continue to be ranked as low with the exception of Emporia and Prince George, which are ranked as medium. People in those areas (low, medium) can stop wearing masks — unless they are at high risk for severe illness.
There are no localities in Virginia ranked as as high where masking indoors is still recommended by the CDC.
The CDC's new measures focus less on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals.
Scroll down for a complete alphabetized list city/county-by-county breakdown of localities in Virginia
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
- No Virginia localities; down from 1 locality 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
- 13 Virginia localities this week; down from 15 localities last week
Albemarle Medium (no change from last week)
Alexandria Medium (ranked low last week)
Arlington Medium (no change from last week)
Campbell Medium (no change from last week)
Emporia Medium (ranked low last week)
Falls Church Medium (no change from last week)
Madison Medium (no change from last week)
Manassas Park Medium (ranked low last week)
Mathews Medium (ranked low last week)
Prince George Medium (no change from last week)
Rappahannock Medium (no change from last week)
Scott Medium (ranked low last week)
Waynesboro Medium (ranked low last week)
Low Community Level
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
- Get tested if you have symptoms
- 120 Virginia localities this week; up from 118 localities last week
Accomack Low
Alleghany Low
Amelia Low
Amherst Low
Appomattox Low
Augusta Low
Bath Low
Bedford Low
Bland Low
Botetourt Low
Bristol Low
Brunswick Low
Buchanan Low
Buckingham Low (ranked medium last week)
Buena Vista Low
Caroline Low
Carroll Low
Charles City County Low
Charlotte Low
Charlottesville Low
Chesapeake Low
Chesterfield Low
Clarke Low
Colonial Heights Low
Covington Low (ranked medium last week)
Craig Low
Culpeper Low
Cumberland Low (ranked medium last week)
Danville Low
Dickenson Low
Dinwiddie Low
Essex Low
Fairfax City Low
Fairfax County Low
Fauquier Low
Floyd Low
Fluvanna Low (ranked medium last week)
Franklin City Low
Franklin County Low
Frederick Low
Fredericksburg Low
Galax Low
Giles Low
Gloucester Low
Goochland Low
Grayson Low
Greene Low
Greensville Low
Halifax Low
Hampton Low
Hanover Low
Harrisonburg Low
Henrico Low
Henry Low
Highland Low
Hopewell Low
Isle of Wight Low
James City County Low
King and Queen Low
King George Low
King William Low
Lancaster Low
Lee Low
Lexington Low
Loudoun Low
Louisa Low
Lunenburg Low (ranked medium last week)
Lynchburg Low
Manassas Low
Martinsville Low (ranked medium last week)
Mecklenburg Low
Middlesex Low
Montgomery Low
Nelson Low
New Kent Low
Newport News Low
Norfolk Low
Northampton Low
Northumberland Low
Norton Low
Nottoway Low (ranked medium last week)
Orange Low
Page Low
Patrick Low
Petersburg Low
Pittsylvania Low
Poquoson Low
Portsmouth Low
Powhatan Low
Prince Edward Low (ranked medium last week)
Prince William Low
Pulaski Low
Radford Low
Richmond City Low
Richmond County Low
Roanoke City Low
Roanoke County Low
Rockbridge Low
Rockingham Low
Russell Low
Salem Low
Shenandoah Low
Smyth Low
Southampton Low
Spotsylvania Low
Stafford Low
Staunton Low
Suffolk Low
Surry Low
Sussex Low
Tazewell Low
Virginia Beach Low
Warren Low
Washington Low
Westmoreland Low
Williamsburg Low
Winchester Low
Wise Low
Wythe Low
York Low
RELATED: 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 Low
Amelia Low
Amherst Low
Appomattox Low
Arlington Medium
Augusta Low
Bath Low
Bedford Low
Bland Low
Botetourt Low
Bristol Low
Brunswick Low
Buchanan Low
Buckingham Low
Buena Vista Low
Campbell Medium
Caroline Low
Carroll Low
Charles City County Low
Charlotte Low
Charlottesville Low
Chesapeake Low
Chesterfield Low
Clarke Low
Colonial Heights Low
Covington Low
Craig Low
Culpeper Low
Cumberland Low
Danville Low
Dickenson Low
Dinwiddie Low
Emporia Medium
Essex Low
Fairfax City Low
Fairfax County Low
Falls Church Medium
Fauquier Low
Floyd Low
Fluvanna Low
Franklin City Low
Franklin County Low
Frederick Low
Fredericksburg Low
Galax Low
Giles Low
Gloucester Low
Goochland Low
Grayson Low
Greene Low
Greensville Low
Halifax Low
Hampton Low
Hanover Low
Harrisonburg Low
Henrico Low
Henry Low
Highland Low
Hopewell Low
Isle of Wight Low
James City County Low
King and Queen Low
King George Low
King William Low
Lancaster Low
Lee Low
Lexington Low
Loudoun Low
Louisa Low
Lunenburg Low
Lynchburg Low
Madison Medium
Manassas Low
Manassas Park Medium
Martinsville Low
Mathews Medium
Mecklenburg Low
Middlesex Low
Montgomery Low
Nelson Low
New Kent Low
Newport News Low
Norfolk Low
Northampton Low
Northumberland Low
Norton Low
Nottoway Low
Orange Low
Page Low
Patrick Low
Petersburg Low
Pittsylvania Low
Poquoson Low
Portsmouth Low
Powhatan Low
Prince Edward Low
Prince George Medium
Prince William Low
Pulaski Low
Radford Low
Rappahannock Medium
Richmond City Low
Richmond County Low
Roanoke City Low
Roanoke County Low
Rockbridge Low
Rockingham Low
Russell Low
Salem Low
Scott Medium
Shenandoah Low
Smyth Low
Southampton Low
Spotsylvania Low
Stafford Low
Staunton Low
Suffolk Low
Surry Low
Sussex Low
Tazewell Low
Virginia Beach Low
Warren Low
Washington Low
Waynesboro Medium
Westmoreland Low
Williamsburg Low
Winchester Low
Wise Low
Wythe Low
York Low
Virginians age 5+ are eligible for COVID-19 vaccine. Go to Vaccine Finderto search for specific vaccines available near you or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-275-8343).
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for the most complete coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Have You Been Fully Vaccinated?
People are considered fully vaccinated:
- 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
- 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine
How to Protect Yourself and Others When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated
COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick. Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.
We’re still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19. After you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions—like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces—in public places until we know more.
These recommendations can help you make decisions about daily activities after you are fully vaccinated. They are not intended for healthcare settings.
Click here for more information from the Virginia Department of Health.