With Spring Break right around the corner, the Knox County Health Department (KCHD) is reminding everyone to continue practicing the Five Core Actions to keep yourselves and those around you safe and healthy.  

“Strong vaccination efforts coupled with a lower volume of COVID-19 cases in our community are certainly things to be optimistic about, but we can’t let our guard down and erase the progress we’ve made,” said Senior Director and Public Health Officer Dr. Martha Buchanan. “In the same way a marathon runner doesn’t quit before reaching the finish line, we shouldn’t stop practicing the tried and true measures that help keep our community healthy.” 

Whether or not you are planning to travel, wearing a mask and physical distancing at least six feet from those not in your household will help reduce the opportunity for COVID-19 to spread. In the past, after holidays that are commonly filled with travel, cases have increased across the community in the weeks that followed. By practicing the Five Core Actions, that increase is more likely to be avoided.  

According to new guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fully vaccinated people may gather indoors with each other without wearing a mask. However, it is still strongly recommended that masks should be worn in public, regardless of vaccination status.  

To review all of the CDC’s latest recommendations for fully vaccinated individuals, click here.  

More than 116,000 vaccinations have been reported across the County. As it stands, Knox County also leads the big four metro counties in percent of population fully vaccinated.