Owensboro Health loosens masking policy

OWENSBORO, Ky. (WFIE) - Owensboro Health has updated its masking policy.

Officials there say it’s to reflect recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Under the amended policy, masking requirements can be loosened in counties with lower COVID-19 transmission rates. Locations with high transmission rates will still require masking.

Owensboro Health will evaluate and update the masking policy for all of its locations on a weekly basis and use CDC data as the benchmark.

“Throughout the pandemic, Owensboro Health has closely followed federal and state guidelines to make key decisions and keep our communities safe,” said Chief Medical Officer Francis DuFrayne, M.D. “Recently, CDC gave health systems more flexibility to adjust their masking requirements in counties where the transmission rates are not considered high.”

Owensboro Health will evaluate the CDC transmission rates each Monday and determine weekly masking requirements for each of its facilities.

· Counties rated “red” by CDC – Masking required at Owensboro Health facilities

· Counties rated “orange, yellow or blue” – Masking optional unless otherwise noted

Owensboro Health’s official mask guidance will be kept current on its website, OwensboroHealth.org/Masking.

Updates will be made every Tuesday and will be based on CDC’s transmission rate data from the previous Monday. Visitors can also call their Owensboro Health facility or watch for signage upon entry.

Owensboro Health has physical locations in nine counties: Daviess, Muhlenberg, Grayson, Henderson, Hopkins, McLean, Ohio, Logan and Perry (IN).