Columbus, Central Ohio Municipalities Discuss Lifting Local Face Covering Requirements
Today, city leaders from Bexley, Whitehall, Worthington and
Columbus met with Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts and
Franklin County Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola to receive an update on the
status of the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Each city currently has
local orders in place requiring the wearing of face coverings indoors.
Dr. Roberts reported that both COVID-19 transmission rates
and hospitalizations have continued to decline dramatically. If current trends
continue, each city expects to consider lifting local face covering
requirements in the coming weeks.
“Our collective efforts to control the spread of the virus
have worked, and we look forward to lifting mask requirements in the very near
future,” said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. “As we move from a pandemic to endemic,
there may be times in the future when mask advisories or mandates could become
necessary as new variants come to our community. We continue to emphasize that
the vaccine and boosters are the best tool we have in the fight against
COVID-19 and encourage all who are eligible to get vaccinated.”
“We know that the guidelines and policies that we’ve created
during the pandemic have only been as good as the willingness of the community to
follow them, and your actions have resulted in lowered rates of infection throughout the pandemic,
and have undoubtedly saved lives and enabled programs and services to continue
that would have otherwise been disrupted,” said Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler. “We are eager to be in a position where
conditions warrant a relaxing of general public space requirements, and as we
have in the past we will continue to turn to our public health departments for
their recommendations, guidance, and expertise.”
The participating communities also reiterated the separation
of roles between cities and school administrators, and expressed support for
the critical role played by school districts in maintaining a safe and healthy
learning environment.
“We want to thank our superintendents and school leadership,
whose carefully considered actions have protected our children throughout the
pandemic and enabled in-person classroom learning despite challenging public
health conditions,” said Whitehall Mayor Kim Maggard. “As we prepare to adjust restrictions, we
continue to support our educational leaders and recognize that classroom
restrictions may vary from public space restrictions due to the unique
challenges or maintaining a safe and inclusive learning and teaching environment.”
“As face covering requirements for public spaces are lifted
by various local governments, businesses, organizations and venues will have
the flexibility to determine the appropriate protocols for their facilities,”
said Worthington City Manager Matt Greeson.
“We appreciate the latest insights from health officials who have helped
our communities navigate this challenging pandemic.”