While numbers are moving in the right direction, Columbus Public Health said it would like to reach a positivity rate of between 5 and 7 percent before lifting the mask mandate. During a press conference Thursday, Ohio Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff addressed Columbuss move toward possibly ending its mask mandate. Do Columbus-area schools still require masks? Yes. The mask mandate is required for both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents. "What we have gone through collectively over the last two years has been difficult," Council President Shannon Hardin said. @ColumbusCouncil voted to lift this requirement based on new CDC mask guidelines & public health recommendations. Mysheika Roberts. More than 60% of U.S. counties are at at low or medium transmission. We are naive to think we are not going to have flu this year, Gastaldo said. The CDC said Friday that it now only recommends universal school masking in communities at the high level. According to WBNS-10TV, Worthington's mask requirement will lift Thursday. Red Herring Theater Company: Masks will become optional March 24 with the opening of the play Dancing Lessons, the companys next production. "Council is taking action to respond responsibly, but we only win against document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. > Parks> Golf> Hiking and Biking Trails> Events> Summer Fun Guide, > Events> Things To Do> Neighborhoods> Hotels> Restaurants> Visitor Maps, > Nicholas J. Bankston> Lourdes Barroso de Padilla > Mitchell J. Abbey Theatre of Dublin: Masks are now optional. It is time to turn our efforts to minimizing the impact COVID-19 has on our health, our health care systems and our community.. We continue to emphasize that the vaccine and boosters are the best tool we have in the fight against COVID-19 and encourage all who are eligible to get vaccinated.. complications. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Columbus Public Health recommended that the mask mandate end Monday. Recently, the CDC did change their public masking recommendations for the public, and they basically come out with a color code system. Due to guidance from Franklin County Public Health, the cities of Columbus, Whitehall, and Bexley all reinstated mask mandates back in September. Vanderhoff said case rates vary substantially from county to county, and he also stressed that high-risk individuals are encouraged to continue wearing masks, even as communities in Ohio ease their guidance. Penalties for mask mandate: Most Columbus businesses complied with mask mandate, inspection reports show. Just with Columbus alone and a few other suburbs having a mask order, I dont know if thats really going to be enough to reduce the number of flu cases in our community, Roberts said. Columbus officials re-implemented an indoor mask mandate in mid-September as cases of the delta variant began popping up. Megan Henry is the Columbus Dispatch's K-12 education reporter. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginthers office said Friday it is evaluating the federal guidance as city officialsconsider liftingthe indoor mask requirement that has been in place since September. Most Greater Columbus residents dont just solely stay in the city. But that doesn't mean you should throw your mask away completely. By, Classical 101 Playlist & Program Schedule, Omicron BA.5 variant driving up summer increase in new Ohio cases, A new patch fixes contact tracing vulnerability on smartphones. The requirement had also applied to Worthington, which is covered by Columbus Public Health. In short, while numbers are trending in the right direction, officials say we aren't there yet. Masks are no longer required in indoor public places in Columbus. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther announced in September that face masks must be worn again indoors, three months after the city's previous mandate was lifted. A few jurisdictions across Ohio have mask mandates in place including Columbus but the vast . Columbus' mask mandate had covered all indoor public spaces in city limits and applied to everyone, regardless of vaccination status. Yes. Last week, the county health agency rescinded its universal guidance to schools and municipalities to require masks. September 10, 2021, emergency proclamation or until further act of COVID and flu: Possibility of a COVID and flu 'twindemic' depends on the actions of Ohioans. Other cities like Bexley and Whitehall enacted similar mandates to help slow the spread. They Refused to Fight for Russia.