COLUMBUS – Gov. Mike DeWine says he is not contemplating closing Ohio’s schools but kids in kindergarten through high school will be required to wear masks if they return to classrooms to give schools a “fighting chance” at staving off the coronavirus.
“This is the norm. This is a goal, this is what we would like [schools] to achieve because this is the best science that is available,” DeWine said at his regular televised COVID-19 briefing at the Statehouse Tuesday.
The order came as districts with in-person plans are already scrambling with weeks and sometimes just days left to adjust to an unprecedented learning environment.
Although he is calling the directive an “order,” he says he doesn’t expect teachers or principals to act as the “mask police.”
“Teachers and kids will get this worked out. There’s no police that’s going to come around. No one’s going to look over the teacher’s shoulder, no one’s going to look over an administrator’s shoulder,” he said.
He says the order reflects the most recent guidance from the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and includes several exceptions, including those for children under 2, any child unable to remove the face covering, children with behavioral or psychological issues and those who are on the autism spectrum.
The Ohio Emergency Management Agency has received two million face masks this week to distribute to students, teachers, and administrators in Ohio schools. The KN-95 or KN-90 masks are not medical grade, according to the agency.
The state Wednesday reported 96,305 total confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, an increase of 1,199 since Tuesday, with 3,596 deaths.
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There are two central Ohio counties among the top 10 on a list that ranks Ohio’s 88 counties based on community spread of COVID-19 over the past two weeks.
Franklin County is ranked No. 4 in the state with 145.7 cases per 100,000 residents and Fairfield County is seventh with 125.6 cases.
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DeWine announced that he will send a letter to Ohio churches, mosques and synagogues “to share important health information” and ways to better protect their worshipers after a case study that showed how one man with COVID-19 attended a church service and, following that service, 91 additional people from five counties developed symptoms.
DeWine said, while the state had no intention of closing places of worship, he asked faith leaders to remember the dangers of large gatherings in enclosed spaces where attendees do not wear masks or maintain social distancing.
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DeWine also announced Ohio will be joining five other states “to work together” in a bipartisan, interstate compact to expand rapid detection testing as nationwide testing shortages and delays continue.
The agreement with Maryland, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Virginia to expand the use of rapid point-of-care tests will help Ohio detect outbreaks sooner with faster turnaround time, expand testing in congregate settings, and make testing more accessible for the most high-risk and hard-hit communities, he said.