COLUMBUS – Although the statewide requirement for Ohioans to wear facial coverings in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus was rescinded last Wednesday, a mask mandate was still in effect in the City of Columbus until Monday night when the City Council voted to remove it.
The order from the Ohio Department of Health did not extend to municipalities, businesses or health facilities, which were allowed to keep their own mandates.
The city’s updated regulation brings Columbus into alignment with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local health authorities.
Residents who have not received the shot are urged to wear masks in public settings and social distancing rules still apply in the city.
“Although, we are lifting the face covering mandate it is vital that people continue to take precautions to remain safe and healthy. The repeal is not a declaration of victory over COVID-19. There is still much work to be done,” council member Priscilla Tyson said.
Local health officials recommend residents who are not vaccinated get the vaccine as soon as possible and continue to wear a mask
“The pandemic is not over. If you are not vaccinated, please do so as soon as possible – and continue to wear a facial covering until you are fully vaccinated to protect yourself and others,” Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts said.
“Roughly, 43% of Columbus is vaccinated. We are still encouraging unvaccinated residents to wear masks and maintain social distancing until COVID-19 is eradicated,” council president Shannon Hardin said.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday that 200,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in Ohio are set to expire on June 23, so he issued an urgent appeal to vaccine providers to distribute “as many doses as possible as quickly as possible.”
Ohio does not have legal options for sending the vaccine to other states or other countries, he said.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single-dose vaccine for individuals ages 18 and older, which means an individual will be fully immunized two weeks after receiving the vaccine.
More than 5.3 million Ohioans have started the COVID-19 vaccination process, and more than 4.7 million are fully vaccinated.
On Saturday, the state announced that there were fewer than 50 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents, the lowest incidence rate in nearly a year.
There were 13,914 active cases Monday and 516 of those patients were being treated in hospitals.