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BELLEFONTE -- The masks are back.
Earlier this week, the Centre County Board of Commissioners discussed Centre County returning to a high level of community transmission of COVID-19. County administrator John Franek explained the need to return to masking -- at least temporarily.
"Last week … the CDC changed Centre County's community level from a green or low category directly to high or red, which was a surprising leapfrog of anything in between," said Franek. "The current policies that the county has in place directly refers to CDC guidance as to when certain actions may be required amongst county employees as well as those who visit county facilities."
Centre County returned to the high community level for COVID-19, according to last week's report from the CDC. For the previous 12 weeks, Centre County had been at the low level.
Community levels measure new cases and new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 people over seven days, along with the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients. To be at the high level, the CDC requires 200 or more new cases per 100,000, with 10 or more COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 and/or a seven-day average of 10 percent of hospital beds occupied by COVID inpatients.
Centre County had a case rate of 248.79 and 13.7 new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 people over the last week, with 5.7 percent of inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 inpatients.
In the high level, the CDC recommends universal masking at indoor places open to the public.
"The high level designation within the county requires masks to be automatically reinstated and so we have done that," Franek said.
However, the county has changed its COVID-19 testing policy, primarily due to the availability of free tests.
"With the extreme availability of testing; we also have the AMI testing site that's available … we could revoke this policy," said BOC chair Michael Pipe. Commissioner Steve Dershem made the motion to rescind the testing policy and it passed unanimously.
The BOC also addressed the county's leave directive.
"Per CDC guidance, if someone tests positive, they have to be isolated. If we continue to have additional employees testing positive, the work that needs to be done in person can't be done, we will have operational concerns," Pipe said.
Pipe pointed out that the Mount Nittany Medical Center hasn't seen an uptick in hospitalizations thus far.
"Mount Nittany hasn't had a great increase at this time, but that isn't to say that it isn't coming," Pipe said.
As of May 31, the Mount Nittany Medical Center had a total of 17 inpatients, up seven since May 25. Patients range in age from 42 to 96. There are no patients in ICU and none on ventilators. Of the 17, 12 are fully vaccinated and five are not vaccinated.
The county will revisit its COVID-19 policies on a weekly basis, Pipe said.