Columbus unlikely to lift its mask mandate any time soon

COLUMBUS — A citywide mask mandate remains in effect and may not be dropped anytime soon considering the way COVID-19 cases are headed.

City 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.

While Columbus’ mask mandate was put in place by city council and Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, the administration implemented it on the advice of Columbus Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Melanie Crabill, a spokeswoman for the mayor’s office said via email.

“Masks are another important layer of protection that helps prevent the spread of COVID-19 ... We have a long way to go,” Crabill said.

Under the mandate, after an initial warning the city health department can fine businesses $500 for a second offense and $1,000 for subsequent offenses. Individuals can be fined, after a warning, $100 — up from $25 originally. The fines for individuals increase to $250 for any subsequent offenses.

In the last few days, new cases of COVID-19 have increased across Ohio, making it less likely the city would do away with its mask mandate any time soon. On Tuesday, 5,639 new cases of the virus were reported in Ohio, marking the highest daily total in at least three weeks, according to the state health department.

There are two ways the current mandate could be relaxed, said Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts.

The first option is that city council could decide the mandate is no longer needed and removes it, Roberts said. The second way the mandate could be dropped is if cases declined significantly from where they’re at now, she said.

Franklin County, along with 86 other Ohio counties, is rated as a red high-transmission county for the virus by the CDC. Athens County is the only one not at the highest level for transmission and is at the next level down — orange — with substantial transmissions, CDC data shows.

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, said Columbus Public Health spokeswoman Kelli Newman.

As of Tuesday, the positive test rate was 7.75%, according to the CDC. But Franklin County was still reporting 176 cases per 100,000 residents Tuesday.

Vaccinations remain key to turning around rising cases, Roberts said.

Around 805,885 Franklin County residents, or 61%, have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. Statewide, more than 6.6 million Ohioans, or just over 56% of the population, have started the vaccination process, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

“There’s no doubt that if we get a higher vaccination rate, our transmission will go down,” Roberts said.

With people heading indoors to avoid colder weather, Roberts said she wouldn’t be surprised if cases continue to climb. The already elevated case count may also be partially the result of Halloween celebrations.

With Thanksgiving about a week away, Roberts said transmission rates will depend on how people celebrate. Around half of Americans plan to require their guests to mask up for holiday celebrations and ask them whether they’ve been vaccinated, according to a survey conducted by Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.

In 2020, before vaccines were approved and widely available, Ohio saw its largest spike to date in cases in late November.

On Nov. 30 last year, just four days after Thanksgiving, 13,374 new cases were reported across Ohio, state data shows. Cases reached their highest point of the pandemic in Franklin County on Nov. 23 with 1,228 new infections reported that day.

If the remainder of fall and the start of winter follow a similar trajectory this year, Roberts said it could be months before the mask requirement is dropped. “We’re trending in the wrong direction . ... I anticipate we’re going to remain probably at these elevated levels into the spring,” Roberts said.