COLUMBUS – Governor Mike DeWine promised that all pandemic-related health orderd in Ohio would be lifted when the number of cases of COVID-19 fell below 50 per 100,000 residents for two weeks.
He moved up his own target date and rescinded those orders on June 2, though the state may have hit the mark at about the same time.
The Ohio Department of Health reported the two-week statewide average of cases per 100,000 residents reached 49.5 between May 22 and June 4, DeWine announced Saturday.
“When I announced this goal on March 4th, I said that reaching 50 cases per 100,000 would mean we were entering a new phase of this pandemic” he said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
The last time Ohio fell below 50 cases per 100,000 residents was on June 25, 2020, DeWine said.
“Ohioans have shown our resilience and grit, and by continuing to get vaccinated we are coming through this pandemic stronger than ever,” DeWine said.
Ohioans should continue taking proper preventative measures including washing, and sanitizing hands and surfaces frequently and, while masking is no longer mandated, unvaccinated residents should continue wearing masks indoors or in crowded settings where social distancing is not possible and businesses and organizations can continue to require masking, DeWine said.
“Vaccinations are working. That’s why cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are down. But that doesn’t mean we can let our foot off the gas. If you’re not vaccinated against COVID-19, continue to wear a mask in public and Ohioans that are able to get vaccinated should,” DeWine said.
More than 5.3 million Ohioans, 45.9% of the state’s population, have started the vaccination process and more than 4.7 million people — 40.5% of Ohioans — are fully vaccinated, the state reported.
At the height of the pandemic, cases were as high as more than 900 cases per 100,000 residents.
From Nov. 30 through Dec. 13, 939.1 cases per 100,000 were reported.
The state Saturday reported 379 new cases of COVID-19 and fewer than 15,000 active cases with 572 Ohioans being treated in hospitals for the disease. The seven-day positivity rate has dropped to 2.3%.