Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its public health guidance. Amongst other recommendations, the CDC advised that fully vaccinated people may participate in outdoor activities unmasked. CDC guidance also recommended mask use while indoors for all vaccinated and unvaccinated people, consistent with Leon County’s emergency ordinance requiring face coverings while indoors in a place of business.
The CDC’s updated guidance does not change Leon County’s emergency ordinance. Public health science continues to reinforce that indoor environments promote the transmission of COVID-19. Also, the State of Florida has the highest number of reported COVID-19 variant cases in the nation, and Leon County’s percent positivity rate remains elevated at 4.48%, a three-week consecutive increase. Additionally, Governor DeSantis today extended Florida’s state of emergency because “COVID-19 poses a continuing threat to the health, safety and welfare of the State of Florida and its residents.”
“With more vaccinations occurring every day, we are all eager to be done with the pandemic, but it’s not yet done with us,” said Leon County Commission Chairman Rick Minor. “The new CDC guidance reinforces what we know: outdoor gatherings can be safe, and indoor gatherings can lead to the spread of COVID-19. Right now we need to be vigilant and stay safe, wear our masks in indoor spaces, and follow the guidance of public health experts. Face coverings continue to protect the most vulnerable amongst us as we work to increase vaccinations and defeat this virus.”
Learn more about the CDC guidance HERE.
Learn more about Leon County’s face covering emergency ordinance HERE.
For more information, please contact Mathieu Cavell, Leon County Community and Media Relations at (850) 606-5300 / CMR@LeonCountyFL.gov.