RICHMOND, Va. — Universal masking is 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 increased 53% last week and 73% of Virginians are fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the Virginia Department of Health. COVID cases in the U.S. increased 19% from the prior week, and nearly 82.1% 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 14 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 Metro Richmond continues to be ranked as low with the exception of Prince George, which is 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.
The agency is still advising that people, including schoolchildren, wear masks where the risk of COVID-19 is high.
Also, the new recommendations do not change the requirement to wear masks on public transportation.
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
- 15 Virginia localities this week; up from10 localities last week
Albemarle Medium
Arlington Medium
Buckingham Medium (ranked low last week)
Campbell Medium
Covington Medium (ranked low last week)
Cumberland Medium (ranked low last week)
Falls Church Medium (ranked low last week)
Fluvanna Medium
Lunenburg Medium (ranked low last week)
Madison Medium
Martinsville Medium (ranked low last week)
Nottoway Medium
Prince Edward Medium (ranked low last week)
Prince George Medium (ranked low last week)
Rappahannock Medium
Low Community Level
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
- Get tested if you have symptoms
- 118 Virginia localities this week; down from 122 localities last week
Accomack Low
Alexandria Low
Alleghany Low (ranked medium last week)
Amelia Low
Amherst Low
Appomattox Low
Augusta Low
Bath Low (ranked medium last week)
Bedford Low
Bland Low
Botetourt Low
Bristol Low
Brunswick Low
Buchanan Low
Buena Vista Low
Caroline Low
Carroll Low
Charles Low
Charlotte Low
Charlottesville Low
Chesapeake Low
Chesterfield Low
Clarke Low
Colonial Heights Low
Craig Low
Culpeper Low
Danville Low
Dickenson Low
Dinwiddie Low
Emporia Low
Essex Low
FairfaxCity Low
Fairfax County Low
Fauquier Low
Floyd Low
Franklin City Low
Franklin County Low
Frederick Low
Fredericksburg Low
Galax Low
Giles Low
Gloucester Low
Goochland Low (ranked medium last week)
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 Low
King and Queen Low
King George Low
King William Low
Lancaster Low
Lee Low
Lexington Low
Loudoun Low
Louisa Low
Lynchburg Low
Manassas Low
Manassas Park Low
Mathews Low
Mecklenburg Low
Middlesex Low
Montgomery Low
Nelson Low
New Kent Low
Newport News Low
Norfolk Low
Northampton Low
Northumberland Low
Norton Low
Orange Low
Page Low
Patrick Low
Petersburg Low
Pittsylvania Low
Poquoson Low
Portsmouth Low
Powhatan Low
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
Scott 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
Waynesboro 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 Low
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 Medium
Buena Vista Low
Campbell Medium
Caroline Low
Carroll Low
Charles Low
Charlotte Low
Charlottesville Low
Chesapeake Low
Chesterfield Low
Clarke Low
Colonial Heights Low
Covington Medium
Craig Low
Culpeper Low
Cumberland Medium
Danville Low
Dickenson Low
Dinwiddie Low
Emporia Low
Essex Low
Fairfax City Low
Fairfax County Low
Falls Church Medium
Fauquier Low
Floyd Low
Fluvanna Medium
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 Low
King and Queen Low
King George Low
King William Low
Lancaster Low
Lee Low
Lexington Low
Loudoun Low
Louisa Low
Lunenburg Medium
Lynchburg Low
Madison Medium
Manassas Low
Manassas Park Low
Martinsville Medium
Mathews Low
Mecklenburg Low
Middlesex Low
Montgomery Low
Nelson Low
New Kent Low
Newport News Low
Norfolk Low
Northampton Low
Northumberland Low
Norton Low
Nottoway Medium
Orange Low
Page Low
Patrick Low
Petersburg Low
Pittsylvania Low
Poquoson Low
Portsmouth Low
Powhatan Low
Prince Edward Medium
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 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
Waynesboro Low
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).
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.