Masking again recommended while indoors in the Lowcountry

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Masks are now recommended to be worn indoors while in public places in the Lowcountry, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 County Check.

Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Georgetown and Williamsburg County are all considered to have a high community level, triggering the mask recommendation.

The level is based on new COVID admissions per 100,000 people in the past week, the percentage of inpatient beds occupied by COVID patients and the total new COVID cases per 100,000 people in the past week.

The dominant strain in the U.S. is currently BA.5, according to the CDC.

“It is highly contagious, highly transmissible,” MUSC College of Medicine Bioinformatics Scientist Dr. Bailey Glen said. “It’s getting around a lot of immunity that people might have through vaccination or through COVID exposure naturally.”

Across South Carolina, both COVID cases and hospitalizations are increasing.

You can check your county’s community level by clicking here.

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