Centre County is now in the CDC’s low COVID-19 community level. Here’s what to know
Centre County has moved into the lowest level of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new COVID-19 community level scale.
In a Thursday update, Centre County was in the low community level, one week after moving from the high to medium level. Only areas with high community levels are recommended to continue masking indoors.
The CDC recommends that residents in low level counties continue to stay up to date with vaccinations and get tested if showing symptoms.
Levels of community spread are measured by new COVID-19 hospitalizations and percentage of inpatient beds taken by COVID-19 patients over the past week.
No Pennsylvania counties are still at the high level, with a majority of the state low level. Centre County is still bordered by some medium-level counties, including Union, Mifflin and Huntingdon.
Centre County moved from the high level to the medium level March 3, prompting State College and Patton Township to end theirmask mandates.
Penn State has relaxed its policy on face masks, but still requires masks in classrooms, labs and other creative spaces. That’s expected to be the case when students return from spring break on Monday, with a university spokesman telling the CDT on Friday that there are no changes to the policy at this time.
“Penn State officials are continually monitoring the status of the pandemic and are prepared to alter plans according to conditions,” a university spokesman wrote in an email.
State College Area School District is the only school district in Centre County that still requires masks. The district released a plan in February that included March 28 as a proposed end to the mask mandate and has a work session on March 17 to discuss changes with its health and safety team.
During the seven-day period of March 3-10, there were 119 cases in Centre County and 58.5 cases per 100,000. There were 8.1 hospitalizations per 100,000, and 8.40% of staffed hospital beds occupied by COVID patients, according to CDC data.
Mount Nittany Medical Center had 3 COVID patients hospitalized between ages 31 and 82 on Friday.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 2:48 PM.