LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) – The La Crosse County Health Department said Friday they’re “strongly encouraging” residents to return to wearing masks indoors including people already vaccinated.
The recommendation comes as the county is seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases. Figures from the health department show the county’s 7-day case rate on July 28 was 50 cases/100,000 population/week which they said is a more than 10-fold increase of 4.2 cases/100,000 population/week on July 1.
The county said that the increase is likely caused by the delta variant.
“COVID-19 is still very much present in our community, and we are seeing a concerning increase in cases,” said Audra Martine, Director of the La Crosse County Health Department. “This is why we are strongly recommending that anyone over the age of 2 wear a mask in public indoor spaces and at indoor private gatherings.”
Data from the health department show that La Crosse County has a “high” level of community transmission. As part of the new CDC recommendations, areas with high or substantial levels of transmission should return to indoor masking for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
The health department urged people to get vaccinated as the COVID-19 vaccines offer good protection against the delta variant. They do cite the possibility of “breakthrough” infections among those already vaccinated although a vaccinated person is much less likely to get seriously ill if they contract COVID-19.
Find vaccination information here.