Masks are now recommended for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people in Hancock, Somerset and Waldo counties as the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that transmission rates in these counties has increased.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status if there is substantial transmission of the virus in their community, defined as 50 or more cases per 100,000 people at a county level.
Waldo County, with 108 active cases, reported a 330 percent increase in cases over the past seven days, according to U.S. CDC data.
Hancock County, with 53 active cases, has reported a 383 percent increase in cases over the past seven days, and Somerset County, also with 53 active cases, has seen an 80 percent increase in COVID-19 cases in the past week.
3 Maine counties (Waldo, Hancock, Somerset) now have high enough COVID-19 rates that the U.S. CDC recommends wearing masks.
— Jessica Piper (@jsscppr) July 30, 2021
you might have gotten wind that this would be coming earlier today if you follow our tracker:https://t.co/Mf5I6P41Di pic.twitter.com/9G40x1R2Rh
Statewide, 111 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Maine on Friday, with approximately 999 active cases having been diagnosed in the past 14 days
