Columbus, Bexley, Whitehall and Worthington may lift indoor mask mandates soon

Monroe Trombly, The Columbus Dispatch
·4 min read

Several cities in Greater Columbus are expected to consider lifting their respective indoor mask mandates in the coming weeks if COVID-19 transmission rates and hospitalizations continue to decline.

That's according to a joint statement from the leaders of Columbus, Bexley, Whitehall and Worthington, who say they met Wednesday with Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts and Franklin County Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola to get the latest on the spread of the novel coronavirus within the community.

The lifting of local mask mandates comes as states across the country also consider pulling back their requirements, including both New York and New Jersey.

“Our collective efforts to control the spread of the virus have worked, and we look forward to lifting mask requirements in the very near future,” said Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther in the statement.

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“As we move from a pandemic to endemic, there may be times in the future when mask advisories or mandates could become necessary as new variants come to our community. We continue to emphasize that the vaccine and boosters are the best tool we have in the fight against COVID-19 and encourage all who are eligible to get vaccinated.”

Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, in a joint statement made with leaders of several other communities in central Ohio, said that mask requirements could be lifted in the "very near future."
Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, in a joint statement made with leaders of several other communities in central Ohio, said that mask requirements could be lifted in the "very near future."

Columbus officials re-implemented an indoor mask mandate in mid-September as cases of the delta variant began popping up. A previous mask mandate ended in early June, about a week after a statewide mask order expired.

Roberts told The Dispatch in November that there are two ways the current mandate could be relaxed in Columbus.

The first option is that city council could decide the mandate is no longer needed and remove it, she said. The second way the mandate could be dropped is if cases declined significantly.

Franklin County, along with 80 other Ohio counties, is still rated as a red high-transmission county for the virus by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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For the mask order to fall off, Franklin County would need to reach the CDC's yellow moderate transmissions category for four straight weeks. To do that, the positive COVID testing rate in Franklin County would need to fall between 5% and 7.99%, and there could only be 49 or fewer cases per 100,000 residents, according to Columbus Public Health spokeswoman Kelli Newman.

As of Wednesday, the positive test rate was 8.9% and Franklin County was reporting 163 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the CDC.

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There were 363 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the 15-county hospitalization region that includes Franklin County as of Wednesday, according to the Ohio Hospital Association. Ohio reported 2,121 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, a dramatic decline from one month ago.

Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler said in the release that he's eager to be in a position where conditions "warrant a relaxing of general public space requirements, and as we have in the past we will continue to turn to our public health departments for their recommendations, guidance and expertise.”

A customer removes his face mask while enjoying a beer on the patio in May at Pecan Penny's on East Main Street. Several cities in Greater Columbus are expected to consider lifting their respective indoor mask mandates in the coming weeks.
A customer removes his face mask while enjoying a beer on the patio in May at Pecan Penny's on East Main Street. Several cities in Greater Columbus are expected to consider lifting their respective indoor mask mandates in the coming weeks.

Kessler, Ginther and others included in the joint statement also reiterated the separation of cities and local school districts in their responses to the pandemic.

“As we prepare to adjust restrictions, we continue to support our educational leaders and recognize that classroom restrictions may vary from public space restrictions due to the unique challenges or maintaining a safe and inclusive learning and teaching environment," Whitehall Mayor Kim Maggard said.

“As face-covering requirements for public spaces are lifted by various local governments, businesses, organizations and venues will have the flexibility to determine the appropriate protocols for their facilities,” said Worthington City Manager Matt Greeson. “We appreciate the latest insights from health officials who have helped our communities navigate this challenging pandemic.”

Dispatch reporter Max Filby contributed to this report.

Monroe Trombly covers breaking and trending news.

mtrombly@dispatch.com

@monroetrombly

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus and other local cities may lift indoor mask mandates soon