To mask or not to mask? The latest public health guidance for Kentucky as mask rules ease

As COVID-19 cases continue to fall in Louisville and across Kentucky, mask-wearing is falling as well.

On Feb. 28, Gov. Andy Beshear said the state was dropping a policy requiring masks in state offices. 

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said Friday he was lifting the city's requirement to wear masks inside city buildings and in vehicles. Some health settings will still require masks.

Masks in schools are up to individual school districts, with many lifting them as COVID-19 rates decline.

Jefferson County Public Schools should consider lifting its mask requirement as soon as Tuesday at its next school board meeting, board member James Craig said in a tweet.

Beshear said Monday that people should use their best judgment when it comes to wearing a mask in public and consider levels of infection in their communities as well as whether they are at risk for COVID-19.

"Think about your own health," he said. "Don't feel pressured. If you feel like you need to continue to wear a mask, continue to wear a mask."

Here are answers about masks in Kentucky:

Are masks required in public?

No, for the most part.

Kentucky hasn't had a statewide order for masks in public since last year, when the General Assembly ended the governor's authority to require them during a public health emergency.

But some private venues such as health facilities and theaters can set their own rules for masks. For instance, the Kentucky Center in Louisville requires them.

And for now, under a federal rule, masks are still required for public transportation including buses and planes.

What determines the need for a mask?

Kentucky is now using U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that rate communities on a map in stoplight colors with red as high, yellow as medium and green for low. The colors are based on rates of infection and the capacity of local health systems.

For counties in the red, masks are recommended for all indoor public settings including K-12 schools.

Counties in yellow should consider masks indoors. And for counties in green, masks should be left to individual discretion.

As of Monday, Jefferson County was yellow. Much of eastern and southern Kentucky was red. Only eight counties — Bracken, Calloway, Carroll, Fulton, Gallatin, Muhlenberg, Pendleton and Trimble — were in green.

Who should wear a mask?

Dr. SarahBeth Hartlage, associate medical director of the Louisville health department, said some people may want to continue to wear masks in public, especially as the community remains in the "yellow" category of medium risk.

"Anyone, regardless of risk factors, can still choose to wear a mask," she said at a news briefing Tuesday. "Folks who are at high risk are still urged to mask regardless of their vaccination status."

And "there are many people at higher risk than they realize," she said.

Asthma, high blood pressure, people who are current or former smokers and being overweight or obese all put people at increased risk if they contract COVID-19, Hartlage said.

What kind of mask is best?

The CDC says  say a well-fitting N-95 or KN-95 mask is best, followed by a surgical mask. Cloth masks provide some protection but are not as effective.

People who are more susceptible to infection or at risk of contracting COVID-19 should consider their level of risk in deciding whether to wear a mask, it said.

Reach Deborah Yetter at dyetter@courier-journal.com. Find her on Twitter at @d_yetter. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/subscribe.