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Which St. Louis-area counties are still advised to wear masks by the CDC?

Three counties in our region are considered high risk. The CDC recommends wearing masks in these areas.

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.

Credit: CDC

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.

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