CDC RECOMMENDING ALL EAST TN COUNTIES WEAR MASK AGAIN AND PLACES KNOX COUNTY AT ‘HIGH’ RISK – CUMBERLAND COUNTY ONE OF FEW REMAINING AT ‘MEDIUM’ RISK
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending people in Knox County and across most of East Tennessee to wear masks again after the area reported another increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations and infections this week.
The CDC on Friday placed Knox, Blount, Sevier and other counties back at “high” risk for community impact from COVID-19 for the first time in roughly five months.
Cocke, Cumberland, Fentress, Greene and Hancock counties are the few that remain at “medium” risk.
Per the CDC’s recommendations, counties with “high” community levels are recommended to wear masks in public when indoors and should take extra precautions needed to protect people at high risk of developing a serious illness.
The CDC gauges impact and risk by comparing the number of COVID cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days with the number of hospitalizations and available hospital beds. When the average number of new infections over the past seven days exceeds 200 per 100,000 people, counties are considered “high” risk when hospitalizations exceed 10 admissions per 100,000 people.
