The University of Pittsburgh Friday re-instated indoor masking requirements for its main Oakland and some regional campuses, citing a federal Centers for Disease Control decision a day earlier to designate parts of Western Pennsylvania including Allegheny County as high COVID-19 risk levels.
In High level, the CDC recommends wearing a mask indoors in public,” said a statement from Pitt. “Consistent with this guidance, masks are required indoors in all Pittsburgh, Greensburg, and Titusville campus facilities until further notice. Masks remain optional on the Johnstown and Bradford campuses.”
On Thursday evening, Allegheny County’s community level of COVID-19 was elevated to “high” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was moved to “medium” risk two weeks ago on May 12 and before that was designated as “low” dating to late February.
In counties with a high community level of COVID-19, the CDC recommends masks indoors in public.
The designation levels are tied to new hospital admissions, inpatient beds being used by COVID-19 patients and new cases in the past seven days. The county’s rising infections and new hospitalizations are behind the change.
In its statement Friday, Pitt said the CDC ’continued to recommend staying up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines, getting testing if you have symptoms and additional precautions for people at high risk for severe illness.”
About 34,000 students attend Pitt, including 29,000 in Oakland, though most students have departed for the summer.
Bill Schackner: bschackner@post—azette.com, 412-263-1977 and on Twitter: @Bschackner
First Published: May 27, 2022, 8:31 p.m.
