Gov. DeWine Issues Mask Mandate For All Of Ohio

Wednesday, July 22, 2020 at 3:01 PM

The mandate goes into effect Thursday at 6:00 p.m.

(Columbus, Oh.) – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has issued a statewide mask mandate.

Beginning Thursday at 6:00 p.m., citizens in all Ohio counties will be under a mandatory mask order while out in public.

DeWine says masks must be worn at all times when at an indoor location that is not a residence, outdoors when unable to keep social distance from those not in your household, and when waiting for, riding, driving operating public transportation, car service or private rideshare.

Everyone 10 years of age and older are required to wear a mask.

“Wearing masks will make a difference,” said DeWine. “It will determine what our fall looks like. We want kids to go back to school, we want to see sports – to do that it’s very important that all Ohioans wear a mask.”

DeWine also announced a travel advisory on Wednesday. Any individuals that come into Ohio from states reporting positive testing rates of 15 percent or higher for COVID-19 will be recommended to self-quarantine for 14 days.

States that currently have positive testing rates of 15 percent or higher include Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and Idaho.

Locally, the Ohio Public Health Advisory System labels Hamilton County as a Level 3 Public Emergency, which includes very high exposure and spread of COVID-19.

To date, Hamilton County has reported 8,071 positive cases with 5,654 individuals being presumed recovered. There have been 220 COVID-19 related deaths in the county, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Daily cases starting to spike in Hamilton County in mid-to-late June. Over the past two weeks, daily cases have fluctuated. On July 8, the county reported 192 new cases. On Tuesday, that number dramatically improved to just seven new cases.

In total, Ohio has reported 78,742 positive cases and 3,235 deaths. More than 54,000 residents have been presumed recovered from the virus.

For more information, visit https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/dashboards.