K-12 students to wear masks; sports in limbo

All students from kindergarten through 12th grade will be required to wear face masks this academic year and fall school sports still remain up in the air.

Gov. Mike Dewine on Tuesday said he and the Ohio Department of Health will issue a new student mask order that will provide exemptions for some students including those with disabilities. Last month Dewine announced that teachers and other school employees would be required to wear face coverings.

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Without masks and other COVID-19 safety requirements, schools may face trouble reopening and students would not get the chance to pursue their aspirations, the governor said.

“We are doing this so that each child has the best possibility of achieving those goals,” Dewine said.

The governor also announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will distribute 2 million masks to be used in schools in Ohio for this coming academic year.

When it comes to school sports and other extracurricular activities, Dewine said he simply doesn’t know what the fall will hold. Their status, the governor said, will depend on the level of community spread of COVID-19 in each reach of the state.

Officials are working to finalize return-to-play plans because sports and other extracurricular activities are important to “the lives and development of our young people,” said Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.

“We want student athletes to return to play, but we’re trying to accommodate the health and the practical decisions ... We are working thoughtfully, though, to make sure we get these plans finalized in the right way” Husted said.

Non-contact sports, such as cross country and tennis, have been permitted to return to competition already. Contact sports like football and soccer were allowed to begin workouts and practices again.

Separately, Dewine said he would send a letter to houses of worship in the state in the coming days with recommendations for how they can still hold services safely. Religious gatherings have been exempt from Ohio’s COVID-19 restrictions.

But, on Tuesday, the governor said that COVID-19 can “spread like wildfire” in churches, mosques and synagogues. He called the evidence that it can spread in indoor places of worship “very, very scary.”

“We know our faithbased leaders want nothing more than to protect the people who come to worship,” Dewine said.

Another 1,143 Ohioans tested positive for the virus as of Tuesday. That’s below the most recent three-week average of 1,291 new cases per day, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

The total number of people who have tested positive for the virus in Ohio now stands at 95,106.

The rate at which Ohioans are testing positive for the disease rose slightly Sunday to 5.7%. The previous day it was 5.6%, which was down from 6.4% on July 20, according to the state.

More than 1.55 million COVID-19 tests have been administered since the virus was first discovered in Ohio in March.

Yet testing has continued to be an issue in Ohio and, on Tuesday, the governor said the state will join a multi-state purchasing agreement to acquire rapid tests.

The testing agreement will allow the state to more quickly detect outbreaks and expand testing in congregate living facilities like nursing homes, Dewine said. Maryland, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Virginia are all part of the compact.

An additional 31 deaths were reported Tuesday, which is above a threeweek average of 24 new deaths reported a day, according to the state. Some 3,570 Ohioans have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March.

Hospitalizations on Tuesday also climbed above a three-week average of 99 to 127. Another 23 people were admitted to intensive care units in Ohio as of Tuesday, which was above the three-week average of 18, state data shows.

Franklin County remains the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Ohio. As of Tuesday, 17,404 cases and 515 deaths had been reported in Franklin County.

Dewine also announced Tuesday that Dr. Amy Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health, will be leaving her role as an adviser to the governor on health issues. Acton resigned from the state health department in June after 16 months in the health department’s top spot.

As director, she received high praise for her response to the COVID-19 crisis. She also received intense criticism and protest and was the target of some anti-semitic attacks.

Tuesday also marked the anniversary of a mass shooting in Dayton’s Oregon District. A gunman killed nine people before being shot and killed by police Aug. 4, 2019.

Dewine talked about the shooting at length at the start of his news briefing. After a moment of silence, the governor called on the legislature to pass bills he proposed to combat gun violence in the wake of the Dayton shooting. mfilby@dispatch.com @Maxfilby