Columbus to require masks for indoors
Masks will once again be required in all publicly accessible indoor spaces in Columbus, regardless of an individual’s vaccination status.
The mandate will include grocery stores, restaurants, barber shops, movie theaters and any other publicly accessible indoor area, with masks required for both employees and customers. State, federal and religious buildings are not included.
The mandate will be included in an executive order to be signed by Mayor Andrew Ginther and will take effect on Friday. Columbus City Council will consider codifying the mask requirement in the coming days, likely at its next regular meeting Monday.
The state legislature had passed a law prohibiting mask mandates or blanket health orders. But Melanie Crabill, director of media relations for the city, says the law as adopted by the state legislature only prohibits public health agencies from issuing such mandates, not city governments.
The announcement of a return to masks was made at a press conference Wednesday afternoon by Ginther, Columbus Public Health Commissioner Mysheika Roberts and representatives from area health systems. It comes as coronavirus infections surge in Ohio and elsewhere across the United States.
COVID-19 deaths nationwide are now at some 1,500 people daily, with the delta variant behind many of the deaths and a new Mu strain making an appearance in various places.
“This isn’t about shutting down and giving up,” Ginther said. “This is about keeping Columbus safe and open for business. This is about providing urgent relief to our healthcare professionals.”
The new mask order is comparable to one signed by Ginther in July 2020, covering any indoor building space accessible to the public.
“We once again find ourselves at a critical moment in this pandemic due to the delta variant,” Roberts said. “The situation is worsening.”
Roberts said she felt like she let her health department staff down, “and the frustrating part for me is I don’t know when I can tell them this will be over.”
In Columbus alone, there has been a 37% increase in COVID-19 cases in the last week compared to the previous week, Roberts said.
While 53% of the people in Franklin County are vaccinated, only 46% of Columbus
residents are vaccinated, she said.
“Masks are a great way to protect yourself and others and I’m so grateful for the mayor’s executive order,” Roberts said.
Dr. Andre Thomas of Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center warned that COVID-19 patients in our area are now crowding out other patients, forcing cancellations of some surgeries.
If something doesn’t change, he said, “we expect hospitalizations to continue to increase and these trends are not sustainable.”
When it instituted the first mask mandate in July 2020, City Council subsequently approved the order as an ordinance, along with potential fines for individuals and businesses refusing to comply with the masking requirement. However the city did not then, nor does it now, intend to use police to enforce the mandate.
City council did not repeal the last mandate until June of this year, and only after Ohio lifted its statewide coronavirus-related restrictions. City officials noted at the time that private businesses could still require masks on their premises.
Franklin County officials planned Thursday to adopt a resolution calling on other municipalities in the county to enact similar mask requirements, following Columbus’ lead. mkovac@dispatch.com @Ohiocapitalblog elagatta@dispatch.com @Ericlagatta