Chatham County Chairman Chester A. Ellis issued an order Tuesday afternoon requiring the use of masks or face coverings inside county facilities. The order includes all team Chatham members and visitors regardless of vaccination status.
The order is effective immediately and comes just hours after Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools announced that all students and employees will be required to wear masks while indoors.
On Monday the City of Savannah reinstated its mask mandate for tours, city buildings, hospitals and other facilities. Both the city and county governments are strongly advising the use of face coverings or masks in commercial establishments such as retail shops and restaurants.
As on Tuesday, the seven-day rolling average, which is an average of the number of newly diagnosed cases over the previous seven days, was 89. Last Friday it was 64 on Friday. A month ago, the seven-day rolling average was 7.6.
Hospitalizations have also increased since last week. Memorial University Medical Center currently has 47 cases, 18 at St. Joseph's and 17 Candler Hospital. Last Friday Memorial reported 26 cases while St. Joseph’s had 15 and Candler had 14.
On Tuesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also updated its masks guidance. The new guidance recommends that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors when in areas rated "substantial" and "high."
The CDC defines substantial locations in places where the seven-day rolling average is between 50 and 100 cases. High is defined as a seven-day rolling average of 100 or more cases.
Katie Nussbaum is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Contact her at knussbaum@savannahnow.com. Twitter: KmartSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Chatham County reinstates masks for county buildings
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