Health orders consolidated; common sense should prevail

Ohio's governor on Monday announced a consolidation of existing state health orders in an effort to provide consolidation and coordination of what is allowable as more and more Ohioans receive the COVID-19 vaccination.

Gov. Mike Dewine said the consolidation of orders will make it simpler for organizers of proms, festivals and similar gatherings to make plans going into the summer months. He made the announcement Monday during a press conference with Ohio reporters.

Dewine said the emphasis remains on the common sense tenets that have guided the state through the worst of the pandemic: mask wearing, social distancing, hand washing and making use of the outdoors whenever possible.

Stephanie Mccloud, director of the

Ohio Department of Health, echoed the governor’s comments.

“We really can do what we want to do, it’s how we do it, and how we do it safely,” Mccloud said. “We need to get back to basics.”

The new orders, which should be available total today, consolidates all preceding orders into one in order to give guidance “to protect our citizens,” Mccloud said, adding “We followed the science” when determining the original orders, which have evolved as additional knowledge became available.

The orders rescind the limit on gatherings of more than 10 people, which means proms, festivals, graduations and the like are possible; however, both Mccloud and Dewine encouraged residents to keep their own groups to 10 people or less.

Mccloud used a halo analogy, asking those in that 10-person group to imagine themselves contained in a halo, and to keep six feet from the next group under its own halo.

That means while attending a festival, a parade, or a sporting event, for example, to distance your group at least six feet from the next one, she said, and to simply take caution.

Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer with the Ohio Department of Health, also spoke Monday, saying the consolidation “simplifies and underlines what Ohioans should do to stay safe in

the final stretch of the pandemic.” But, he emphasized the state has some way to go before anyone can say the pandemic is over.

Simple steps to take to save lives include getting vaccinate, and following the “common sense steps” that have guided people throughout the pandemic, Vancerhoff said, including hand washing, social distancing and mask wearing.

“These are practical and responsible steps we can take to live and act safely,” he said, “to put COVID in the review mirror.”

To read the latest orders from the Ohio Department of Health, visit: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/ home and click on the health orders link near the bottom of the page.