COLUMBUS – As cases of COVID-19 continued to decline, Mayor Andrew Ginther signed legislation approved by Columbus city council Monday lifting the city’s six-month-old mask requirement.
The action came following recommendation of Columbus Public Health and new guidance issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
Masks are no longer required in indoor public places in Columbus. @ColumbusCouncil voted to lift this requirement based on new CDC mask guidelines & public health recommendations. Worthington City Council is expected to vote to lift their mask mandate later this evening. pic.twitter.com/JesywxLZMC
— Columbus Health (@ColumbusHealth) March 7, 2022
The mask mandate was reinstated on Sept. 13 amid a rise in COVID-19 cases due to the delta variant of the coronavirus.
“Some in our community – including those who are not vaccinated or are immunocompromised – may still want to wear a mask in public, but as of today, that is their personal choice. I implore residents to, above all else, be kind to each other as we navigate the next phase of the pandemic, and to utilize common sense to keep each other healthy – wash your hands, stay home if you’re sick and get vaccinated and boosted. Together, we can put COVID-19 behind us. Our best days are still ahead.” -Mayor Andrew Ginther
While masks are optional indoors, riders using public transportation, including COTA buses, are required to follow federal mask requirements which will not expire until March 18, transit authority public and media relations manager Jeff Pullin said.
Worthington City Council also vote to rescind its mask mandate.
Masks optional in Columbus schools
As of Tuesday, masks are optional in buildings and buses in the Columbus City Schools, leaving parents, teachers and principals facing a complicated balancing act, along with their counterparts across the country.
Major school districts around the country are allowing students into classrooms without masks for the first time in nearly two years, eliminating rules that stirred up intense fights among educators, school boards and parents throughout the pandemic.
Some families are thrilled that their children no longer have to wear masks, while others are stressed out over the change and urging their kids to keep wearing face coverings.
“We do have some kids with special health care needs or students that may have a loved one at home that is high-risk, that may be choosing to wear that mask every day,” said Dr. Sara Bode, primary care pediatrician and medical director of Care Connection School-Based Health and Mobile Clinics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Mandates lifted at OSU, in county offices, performing arts facilities
Once Columbus lifted its requirements, mask mandates around the city fell like dominoes.
Beginning at 6:00 p.m. Friday, masks will be optional in most indoor spaces on The Ohio State University’s campuses, including classrooms, dorms, dining halls, offices and the Ohio Union, university officials announced Tuesday.
Employees and visitors will no longer be required to wear masks when entering Franklin County facilities, such as the Board of Commissioners’ offices and common areas of county buildings. Though courts and elected officials may enact their own policies, county administrator Kenneth Wilson said.
Visitors should continue to wash their hands frequently and maintain social distance and Wilson says the county will aim to be “mask friendly.”
Beginning April 4, masks will become optional at CAPA performing arts venues, including the Ohio Theatre, Palace Theatre, Southern Theatre, Lincoln Theatre, and the Riffe Center’s Davidson Theatre and three studio theatres.
CAPA will also no longer require proof of vaccination or negative COVID test for admission though individual artists and organizations may opt to still require masks and proof of vaccination for their events, CAPA president and CEO Chad Whittington said.