What PA Counties No Longer Require Masks: Latest CDC Guidance

PENNSYLVANIA — Masks are no longer recommended by federal authorities in the majority of counties across Pennsylvania, according to the latest updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new guidance, released last week, is based on a three-tiered system that categorizes most of the state as low or medium risk.

The move comes as case numbers plummet in Pennsylvania and around the country, going to levels lower than before the emergence of the omicron variant.

A total of 17 counties in the state are low risk, 29 are medium risk, and 15 are high risk. Masks are no longer required indoors for the general at the low or medium level; in medium risk counties, masks are recommended only for those with compromised immune systems.

“Pennsylvania continues to address the evolving challenges created by the global COVID-19 pandemic,” Acting Secretary of Health Keara Klinepeter said during a news briefing Friday. “Over the past year, tens of millions of vaccinations and booster doses were administered to save lives and mitigate the spread of disease. COVID-19 isn’t going away. But Pennsylvania is well-positioned with the tools, knowledge, and resources to prioritize prevention in everyday life and manage outbreaks when they occur.”

Some of the state's most populous counties fall into the "low risk" grouping, including Allegheny and York. Others like Montgomery and Bucks are in the medium category.

In Pennsylvania, the universal mask mandate was lifted on June 28, 2021. Indoor masking remains in place at the county level in many places, including in Philadelphia. It's also still in effect in many schools, although more districts and counties are loosening their protocols every week.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky tweeted last week that the agency is shifting its focus to concentrate on preventing the spread of COVID-19 to minimize the strain on the health care system.

Here's a full list of counties in Pennsylvania and where they fall in the CDC's new guidelines:

Low risk (masks not required indoors)

• Forest
• Elk
• Potter
• Cameron
• Jefferson
• Washington
• Allegheny
• Westmoreland
• Beaver
• York
• Lancaster
• Berks
• Adams
• Tioga
• Venango
• Clarion
• Butler

Medium risk (masks not required indoors but recommended for immunocompromised individuals)

• Montgomery
• Bucks
• Philadelphia
• Chester
• 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 risk (masks still recommended indoors)

• Susquehanna
• Wyoming
• Bradford
• Sullivan
• Crawford
• Jefferson
• Clearfield
• Cambria
• Centre
• Huntingdon
• Bedford
• Fulton
• Juniata
• Mifflin
• Montour