ST. LOUIS — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlined new pandemic guidance that calls for a break from wearing masks where risk is lowered.
The CDC released a new color-coded map to help guide local officials and residents. The colors are green, yellow and orange. In green counties, local officials can drop any indoor masking rules, including for schoolchildren. Yellow means people at high risk for severe disease should be cautious. Orange designates places where the CDC suggests masking should be universal.
The criteria for orange, yellow, and green is based on new COVID-19 hospital admissions, the share of staffed hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients and the rate of new cases in the community.
So how does that guidance affect the Bi-state? Three counties in the St. Louis area are currently considered high risk: Pike County, Missouri; Marion County, Illinois; and Washington County, Illinois.
Here are the COVID-19 Community Levels for the counties around St. Louis:
Bond County, IL - Green
Calhoun County, IL - Green
Clay County, IL - Yellow
Clinton County, IL - Green
Crawford County, MO - Yellow
Fayette County, IL - Yellow
Franklin County, MO - Yellow
Gasconade County, MO - Yellow
Greene County, IL - Green
Iron County, MO - Yellow
Jefferson County, MO - Yellow
Jersey County, IL - Green
Lincoln County, MO - Yellow
Macoupin County, IL - Green
Madison County, IL - Green
Marion County, IL - Orange
Monroe County, IL - Yellow
Montgomery County, IL - Yellow
Phelps County, MO - Yellow
Pike County, MO - Orange
Randolph County, IL - Yellow
Reynolds County, MO - Yellow
St. Charles County, MO - Yellow
St. Clair County, IL - Green
St. Francois County, MO - Yellow
St. Louis County, MO - Yellow
St. Louis City, MO - Yellow
Ste. Genevieve County, MO - Yellow
Warren County, MO - Yellow
Washington County, IL - Orange
Washington County, MO - Yellow
The CDC says more than 70% of the U.S. population live in counties where the coronavirus is posing a low (green) or medium (yellow) threat to hospitals.
Additionally, the CDC said masks are no longer necessary on buses or vans that are operated by public or private school systems. That includes early care and child care programs.
The new recommendations do not change the requirement to wear masks on public transportation and indoors in airports, train stations and bus stations.
The CDC guidelines for other indoor spaces aren’t binding, meaning cities and institutions even in areas of low risk may set their own rules. And the agency says people with COVID-19 symptoms or who test positive shouldn’t stop wearing masks.
The Associated Press' Zeke Miller contributed to this story.