(Polk County, IA) -- Polk County is reinstating its mask policy for employees and visitors to county buildings starting Monday, Aug. 9. The policy's going in effect in light of a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation that all people, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in areas of the United States with high and substantial transmission of the coronavirus.
The CDC's expressing concern that even those who are vaccinated can still spread the virus to others and put unvaccinated people at risk.
In recent weeks the delta variant of coronavirus has proven to be fast-spreading, resulting in an increase in positivity across the country and in Iowa.
The CDC considers Polk County to be a high-risk area for coronavirus transmission.
Polk County officials are reporting a 65% increase in daily coronavirus cases over the last seven days.