10 Michigan Counties Could Be Affected By CDC Mask Guidelines

MICHIGAN — National health officials on Tuesday recommended that people wear masks indoors if they are in an area with high coronavirus case rates — even if they have been vaccinated.

The decision, which came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, comes as the Delta variant of the coronavirus spreads rapidly across the nation.

Ten Michigan counties are classified by the CDC as having either "high" or "substantial" transmission rates, and they should be mandating indoor masks under the new federal guidance. Those descriptors are categorized as:

• Substantial: Areas with between 50 and 99.99 cases per 100,000 people in a week
• High: Areas with more than 100 cases per 100,000 in a week

The 10 Michigan counties that fall under the CDC's "high" or "substantial" category are:

• Alpena
• Branch
• Cass
• Dickinson
• Gogebic
• Hillsdale
• Iron
• Kalkaska
• Mason
• Van Buren

It's important to note that the CDC can only make recommendations. Any decision on a mask mandate would be up to the state or local government. As of Tuesday, it appears it's unlikely Michigan will go down that road.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday said the state isn't likely to reintroduce more mask-wearing rules despite the recommendation.

"I do not anticipate another pandemic order, not in the near future and maybe not ever," Whitmer said, according to The Detroit News. "The fact of the matter is we now know a lot more about this virus. We have vaccines."

Early studies show the delta variant is more infectious — it has around double the hospitalization rate of the alpha variant, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The coronavirus vaccine is effective against the delta variant, particularly two weeks after both doses are received, public health officials said.

Patch editors William Bornhoft and Amber Fisher contributed to this report.