Recommendation is based on New CDC Guidance
Columbus Public Health is recommending that the mask requirement in Columbus and Worthington end on March 7. The recommendation is based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) new guidance. The requirement – which must be removed by Worthington City Council and Columbus City Council through legislative action and by Columbus Mayor’s executive order – will be lifted in seven days to ensure the community maintains the new current level of disease burden and to give public and private entities time to adjust their policies and prepare for the shift.
As we move into a new phase of the pandemic, CDC’s new guidance looks at severe cases that require hospital care and use healthcare resources and the overall number of new cases to provide a better picture of COVID-19’s impact on the community. CDC’s new COVID-19 Community Levels assess data related to the proportion of hospital capacity devoted to caring for COVID-19 patients, the number of new patients with COVID-19 admitted to the hospital, and the number of new COVID-19 cases in the county in the past week. The combination of these numbers determines the COVID-19 community Level in a county—low, medium or high. Franklin County is currently in the medium level which says that masks are not required.
“The pandemic is not over, but the situation has changed, and we are in a new phase,” says Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts. “It is time to turn our efforts to minimizing the impact COVID-19 has on our health, our healthcare systems and our community, while focusing our efforts on protecting those who are most at risk of severe illness.”
Dr. Roberts cautioned that there will still be times that we need to take extra precautions with masks, even if the COVID-19 Community Level in our county is low or medium, such as if you have tested positive, have a loved one with a compromised immune system, or have an infant or child too young for vaccination.
Residents are encouraged to continue to use all available tools to protect themselves from COVID-19. Vaccines, boosters and tests are widely available. Vaccines and boosters are the best way to protect yourself from serious illness from COVID-19. Columbus Public Health offers free walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Find a vaccine clinic near you at www.columbus.gov/c19vax.
