Bucks County Won't Recommend Vaccinated Wear Masks Indoors

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Despite COVID-19 cases rising in Bucks County, commissioners say they have no plans to recommend that vaccinated residents wear masks in indoor settings.

The increases have not approached the "alarming, hospital-crowding spikes" seen in other states where vaccination rates are lower, the commissioners said, and new cases are significantly fewer than this time last year, the COVID death rate continues to fall and there are only eight COVID-infected patients in county hospitals, the commissioners added.

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“The current surge in COVID cases around the nation is among those who are unvaccinated,” the Bucks County Commissioners said in a joint statement. “While being vaccinated is not a guarantee against getting COVID, almost all of the COVID-related deaths and hospitalizations around the nation are among those not vaccinated.”

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fewer than half of all Americans are vaccinated against COVID. In Bucks County, almost four out of every five people eligible for the vaccine have received at least one dose.

Bucks County reported an average of 32 new COVID cases per day last week, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the CDC. That represents an increase of 10 cases per day over the previous week, and more than triple the rate of early July, when daily cases numbered in single digits.

On Tuesday, the CDC is expected to go a step further and urge vaccinated people in high-transmission areas to resume wearing masks indoors as the delta variant spreads, multiple news outlets reported.

It's unclear if the new guidance will change the county's stance. Health Director David Damsker could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

County Commissioner Bob Harvie said Bucks will not be recommending masking of the vaccinated.

“Bucks County has no plans to urge fully vaccinated people to wear masks,” Harvie said. “Part of the motivation for people to get vaccinated has been eliminating the need to wear masks in order to be safe from the worst effects of the coronavirus or to keep from spreading it to others.

The county continues to offer free vaccinations to anyone age 12 and over from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem and Warwick Square in Jamison. For a full list of vaccine providers in Bucks County and locations where COVID vaccines are being offered, you can visit Bucks County’s Coronavirus Testing/Vaccination Information page.

School districts in Pennsylvania are required to submit their health and safety plans to the state by the end of this week. The Pennsylvania Department of Education released updated guidelines for the 2021-22 school year on Tuesday that includes a recommendation that unvaccinated people continue to wear masks indoors, but some districts, including Central Bucks, are preparing to pass health and safety plans that don't require mask wearing in schools.

County commissioners said that each school board and administration must decide what is best for their district while emphasizing the importance of vaccinating eligible children.

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