COLUMBUS – The news thousands of school officials, parents and children had been hoping to hear arrived Thursday: Franklin County was no longer considered a “red” county under Ohio’s color-coded Public Health Advisory System.
That was one of the criteria health officials said they were waiting for before giving schools the green light to reopen for in-person learning.
Despite 179 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, Franklin County was downgraded from Level 3 – the second-highest alert level, denoting “very high exposure and spread” – to Level 2 – meaning exposure and spread of the coronavirus was “increased” (see map).
“We’re moving forward in Franklin County and we should just continue to do what we’re doing,” Gov. Mike DeWine said during his video coronavirus briefing Thursday. “The battle is still going on here, we can’t say it’s over with but we’re very happy with what we saw.”
He credits a citywide and statewide order requiring the wearing of face coverings in public and some have suggested that a dropoff in cases also coincided with decisions to halt alcohol sales in bars and restaurants at 10:00 p.m.
There have been 21,133 cases of COVID-19 in Franklin County since the pandemic began, the highest number in the state, with 2,879 active cases.
There are six counties currently that are considered to have a “very high risk of exposure and spread,” the lowest number of Level 3 counties since the advisory system was developed, DeWine said.
After four consecutive weeks of a downward trend in cases, Columbus Public Health revised its recommendations to schools that want to allow children to return to classrooms.
“We are encouraged by the numbers, but we all must continue to wear masks, social distance and wash our hands to continue to move the numbers in the right direction,” Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts said.
The agency’s recommendations include:
Conducting school in a hybrid format, allowing for social distancing.
Making masks mandatory for all students over 6 and staff who do not have an exemption.
Maintaining social distancing of 6 feet at all times.
Developing seating charts for classrooms and buses.
Setting up a 24 hour staffed number for parents or staff to report a positive case
Franklin County Public Health echoed the city agency’s recommendation to adopt a hybrid learning approach.
Columbus City Schools announced that the district will allow in-person sports and other extracurricular activities to resume beginning Saturday.
Details about schedules and timelines will be discussed with school principals, athletic directors, and coaches and, if local health data regarding COVID-19 worsens, the district would consider suspending sports and extracurricular activities again.
Gov. DeWine Thursday announced a forthcoming health directive ordering schools to set up a way for parents and guardians to report confirmed cases of COVID-19 among their children and requiring schools to notify parents in writing about each case.
The Ohio Department of Health will be issuing an order that requires K-12 schools to establish a mechanism for parents and guardians to report confirmed cases and requiring schools to notify parents and guardians in writing about each case, including as much information as possible without disclosing protected health information, and make information about positive COVID-19 cases publicly available.
“Prompt reporting will help prevent potential further spread among students and staff. Knowing this information can help parents make informed decisions in regard to risks and exposure for their families,” DeWine said.
Schools will be directed to report confirmed cases to their local health department, which will then report new cases and cumulative case data for students and teachers to the Ohio Department of Health, which will in turn published the aggregate data every Wednesday.
The state reported 1,216 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 Saturday for a total of 121,340 with 4,126 deaths. There are currently 16,029 active cases in Ohio.