Released: March 1, 2022
Delaware County Government is implementing new COVID-19 mask guidance, effective Tuesday, March 1, 2022, that relaxes mask requirements for fully vaccinated* individuals. Masks are no longer required for County employees and members of the public inside County-operated facilities who are fully vaccinated, with the exception of employees who have direct contact with the public; those engaged in custodial care and health-related positions and visitors to those locations (e.g. Health Department, George W. Hill Correctional Facility, and Fair Acres).
Directors of individual departments may elect to impose stricter requirements to address the needs of their agencies. County employees and the public will be required to wear masks during public meetings regardless of vaccination status. Unvaccinated County employees and visitors to County buildings will be required to wear masks indoors at all County facilities.
Delaware County’s decision to adopt more relaxed mask guidance is based on the steady decline in the number of hospital beds being used, hospital admissions due to COVID-19, and the number of new COVID-19 cases in the community over a seven-day period; all factors that the CDC tracks as part of their new streamlined three-tier framework of community transmission.
Delaware County is now categorized as “medium” transmission and trending toward “low.” The CDC framework clarifies specific COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies at each of the three levels, with the expectation that the County-level data can inform the public about which steps they should take based on their personal risk level and local COVID-19 levels. Delaware County residents can review this framework on the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html.
Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 remains the best way to avoid serious illness and hospitalization. The Delaware County COVID-19 Task Force continues to operate multiple vaccination clinics each week, with locations, dates and times available on the County COVID-19 website at delcopa.gov/covid. All Delaware County residents are urged to get a COVID-19 vaccine and booster as soon as they are eligible. Residents can also visit www.vaccines.gov for a list of all vaccine providers.
*Per CDC guidance, individuals are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. Individuals that don’t meet these requirements, regardless of age, are NOT fully vaccinated.