Delco Updates Mask Policy For County Buildings, Facilities

Media PA

01 March, 2022

2:52 PM

Description

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — Officials in Delaware County Tuesday announced it has changed its masking policy effective immediately. Masks are no longer required for county employees and members of the public inside county-operated facilities who are fully vaccinated. However, employees who have direct contact with the public — such as those engaged in custodial care and health-related positions and visitors to those locations like the Health Department, George W. Hill Correctional Facility, and Fair Acres — are still required to wear masks. Directors of individual departments can choose 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. Residents can review this framework online here. The Delaware County COVID-19 Task Force is still running vaccination clinics each week, with locations, dates and times available online here. All Delaware County residents are urged to get a COVID-19 vaccine and booster as soon as they are eligible. A full list of vaccine providers is available here.