(WFXR) — One week after many people began gathering for Memorial Day weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) actually reported a decrease in the number of the southwest and central Virginia localities with “high” or “medium” COVID-19 community transmission levels.
In order to calculate these coronavirus community levels, the CDC looks at the number of new cases over the previous seven days in each city and county, comparing different indicators to determine each transmission level.
On May 20, the CDC only reported two counties with “high” community levels in the the Commonwealth — Augusta County and Highland County. Then, by May 27, that number was up to nine just in southwest and central Virginia.
As of this writing, only five localities in the region are listed at “high” alert levels for the virus:
- Augusta County
- Charlotte County
- Galax
- Halifax County
- Lexington
Health officials recommend that residents who live in areas under a “high” COVID transmission level do the following:
- Wear a mask indoors in public
- Stay up to date with COVID vaccines
- Get tested if you have symptoms
- Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness
Meanwhile, there are numerous counties and cities in southwest and central Virginia listed as “medium” alert levels by the CDC:
- Bath County
- Bland County
- Buena Vista
- Carroll County
- Covington
- Giles County
- Grayson County
- Henry County
- Highland County
- Martinsville
- Pittsylvania County
- Radford
- Roanoke City
- Roanoke County
- Rockbridge County
- Salem
The CDC recommends the following for localities deemed as “medium” COVID transmission level:
- High risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provided about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions
- Stay up to date with COVID vaccines
- Get tested if you have symptoms
If you’re planning on taking a summer vacation anywhere in the U.S. in the near future, you can check out your destination’s coronavirus risk level on the CDC’s website.
