Skip to content
Sign In Donate
COVID-19 vaccination — Top News — Government — COVID-19 — Melissa Viray — COVID in Henrico — Amy Popovich — Richmond and Henrico Health Districts

Richmond and Henrico Health Districts recommend indoor masking for all

,   and  Citizen Staff Reports
2 min read

Table of Contents

COVID

Richmond and Henrico Health Districts officials Friday announced that they are recommending that everyone – regardless of vaccination status – wear masks indoors while around others who are not a part of their households.

The announcement follows new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control that suggests that in some cases, vaccinated people may still be able to spread the Delta variant of COVID-19. The CDC recommends that people in areas with “high” or “substantial” rates of COVID transmission wear masks indoors. Henrico is in the “substantial” range.

The county Friday reported 40 new confirmed cases of the virus, bumping its seven-day average number of new daily cases to 37 and increasing its three-day total to 136. Henrico reported three virus-related hospitalizations and one death July 28 but otherwise has reported none in either category since July 17.

The new local recommendation will remain in effect until otherwise notified, according to RHHD officials – even if community transmission dips to moderate or low levels. RHHD’s clinical and epidemiological experts will consider community transmission, cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and vaccination data – as well as federal and state laws and guidelines – to change the universal mask recommendation, they said.

“We believe that this recommendation will make it easier to consistently follow CDC guidance,” said Melissa Viray, deputy director of the RHHD. “Folks can just know to grab a mask when heading out the door without having to look up community transmission on public health dashboards.”

RHHD officials continue to encourage those who are not vaccinated to get a vaccine.

“I want to highlight the safety and efficacy of all the COVID-19 vaccines currently available,” said RHHD Nurse Manager Amy Popovich. “We have this incredible resource widely available that will help us end the pandemic. If you’re still unsure about the vaccine, please give us a call and ask us your questions.”

For details about the virus or vaccine opportunities in Henrico and Richmond, visit http://vax.rchd.com or call 205-3501.

Related