COLUMBUS – The mayor of Ohio’s largest city has signed an executive order requiring residents to wear masks indoors.
Democratic Mayor Andrew Ginther Friday signed the order declaring a state of emergency and requiring that face coverings be worn in indoor spaces, including office buildings, stores, bars and restaurants, and public transportation, his office announced.
“New cases are on the rise, hospitalizations are on the rise, and the strain on our medical and public health professionals has reached a critical point. It is vital that we act now to protect the health and well-being of our community while keeping our economy, our schools and our city open for business,” Ginther said.
Exceptions have been made for children under 6 years of age and people with medical or behavioral conditions that preclude them from wearing a face covering, and anyone actively eating and drinking, engaged in sports and recreational activities, and giving a speech or performance before a live audience.
The order takes effect immediately and remains in place until it is rescinded.
Columbus Public Health will issue citations to businesses and organizations that fail to comply or enforce the order among their patrons or employees.
Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts says a warning will be delivered for a first offense but fines of up to $1,000 will be handed out for subsequent violations.
The public may report violations to the city’s 311 Customer Service Center.
DeWine, Republicans criticize Biden’s vaccine mandates
Republicans are blasting President Joe Biden, threatening lawsuits and going as far as to call for civil disobedience to block his new vaccination mandates.
It’s all in response to his sweeping new federal vaccine requirements that would force as many as 100 million Americans to be vaccinated against COVID-19, or risk losing their jobs.
Gov. Mike DeWine says Biden made a mistake in ordering new federal vaccine requirements.
DeWine says the country should focus on the science of preventing the spread of the coronavirus, arguing the vaccine is the best tool to do that.
But he said Friday that people and business owners should make their own decisions about vaccination.
DeWine has shied away from mandates in recent months, though he opposes a House bill that would ban employers from issuing their own vaccine requirements.
Senate candidate J.D. Vance may have issued the strongest denunciation, calling for “civil disobedience.”
“Do not comply with the mandates. Do not pay the government fines. Don’t allow yourself to be bullied and controlled. Only mass civil disobedience will save us from Joe Biden’s naked authoritarianism,” he wrote in a statement.
“Employers are already hurting to find workers, and this excessive government overreach is not going to help our economy recover from the pandemic. With this order, we as a nation have gone from government for the people by the people, to a government over the people,” Mike Gibbons, one of Vance’s opponents in the 2022 GOP primary, said.
“President Biden just put his foot on the necks of small businesses that were beaten down by this pandemic and are still struggling to find employees. Forcing businesses to mandate vaccines and testing is a blatant government overreach that should be immediately struck down,” said Mike Carey, a candidate for central Ohio’s 15th U.S. House district.
Biden’s move marks a dramatic escalation in the federal government’s campaign against the virus as the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread.
It also sets the stage for a new, more caustic chapter in the COVID culture wars, which have thus far focused mainly on masking mandates.