Future Of Columbus Mask Mandate, When It Could Be Lifted - ABC 6

Skip to main contentCloseDownload the AppGet your news faster with our mobile experienceInstallNewsNewsColumbus Weather: Sunny, warm Monday ahead, several rain chances this weekMostly sunny and warm Monday for the pick day of the week. Warm and cloudy tomorrow with a slight chance for rain. Better chance for rain and storms Wednesday wFormer OSU football star Darron Lee due in court on murder, evidence tampering chargesFormer Ohio State football star and ex-NFL player Darron Lee is due back in court Monday for a hearing as he faces a murder charge in the death of his girlfrien1 dead, 1 hurt in motorcycle crash on I-270 near ObetzA person was killed in a motorcycle crash on Interstate 270 near Obetz late Sunday night.Just before 11 p.m., two people were riding motorcycles on the south ouMotorcyclist killed in crash along I-270 in ObetzThe Franklin County Sheriff's Office is investigating a fatal crash involving a motorcyclist happened late Sunday night in Obetz.LocalNation & WorldElectionCrisis in the ClassroomBuilding Ohio’s Future: Intel & BeyondEntertainmentOffbeatVideosAmazing AmericaConnect to CongressNews LinksTrafficGood NewsNews AppBack to SchoolPhoto GalleriesArmstrong Army StrongInside Your WorldSoarBeyond the PodiumQuestion of the Day`Spotlight on AmericaHighlighting the HelpersFull Measure with Sharyl AttkissonHealth MattersMissingDid You Know?Criminally ObsessedWeatherCurrent WeatherColumbusSunny41F71/58Today71/58Tuesday75/65Wednesday69/33Latest WeathercastLatest WeathercastRadarMapsWeather 101Weather AppClosingsSchool-Scout VisitsOn Your SideOn Your SideArnold Festival, Blue Jackets, Crew home opener may result in traffic delaysA busy lineup of events is expected to bring heavy traffic, especially in and around the Arena District and the Short North this weekend.Parents cite water, air quality concerns as fears mount over fuel cell server constructionFamilies are speaking out in Hilliard about Amazon's new data center near Scioto Darby Creek Road, which awaits construction of 228 fuel cell energy servers.Prosecutor: Muskingum County caseworker falsified reports at least 11 timesA Muskingum County Children Services caseworker is facing a series of felony charges after prosecutors said she falsified reports on the job.Clintonville neighbors closely watch Olentangy River as flood threat looms againPeople who live near the Olentangy River in Clintonville said they still remember floodwaters from a few years ago that overtook their neighborhood.6 On Your SideProblem SolversInvestigatorsResourcesSend Us Your TipPump PatrolScoring Our SchoolsSenior ExpoSportsSportsOhio State hosts Indiana after Mobley scores 28 in rout of Penn StateOhio State will look to build on a lopsided win when it hosts Indiana on Saturday night in Columbus.The Buckeyes (19-11, 11-8 Big Ten) face the Hoosiers (18-12,No. 11 Ohio State faces No. 2 UCLA in Big Ten Tournament semifinal SaturdayNo. 2 UCLA will face No. 11 Ohio State on Saturday in Indianapolis with a Big Ten Tournament matchup set for 2 p.m. EST, marking the second meeting between the History made: Miami caps perfect 31-0 regular season with 110-108 overtime win at OhioMiami became the first team to complete an unblemished regular season since Gonzaga in 2021.Ohio State women beat Minnesota at Big Ten TournamentNo. 11 Ohio State beat No. 19 Minnesota 60-55 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.The ScriptThe Football FeverThe Triple OptionColumbus CrewBengalsOhio State SportsBuckeye BasketballBlue JacketsClippersHigh School FootballExtrasBeyond the GameTICKETSCity GuideGame CenterGame CenterDaily CrosswordGuess WordJewel BlockMicro CrosswordClassic SudokuWord SearchWatchLive

Now

41°

Tue

75°

Wed

69°

SearchSearchUser IconWatchSearch

• NewsDown Arrow
  • Local
  • Nation & World
  • Election
  • Crisis in the Classroom
  • Building Ohio’s Future: Intel & Beyond
  • Entertainment
  • Offbeat
  • Videos
  • Amazing America
  • Connect to Congress
  • News Links
  • Traffic
  • Good News
  • News App
  • Back to School
  • Photo Galleries
  • Armstrong Army Strong
  • Inside Your World
  • Soar
  • Beyond the Podium
  • Question of the Day`
  • Spotlight on America
  • Highlighting the Helpers
  • Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson
  • Health Matters
  • Missing
  • Did You Know?
  • Criminally Obsessed
• WeatherDown Arrow
  • Weather Home
  • Radar
  • Maps
  • Weather 101
  • Weather App
  • Closings
  • School-Scout Visits
• On Your SideDown Arrow
  • On Your Side Home
  • 6 On Your Side
  • Problem Solvers
  • Investigators
  • Resources
  • Send Us Your Tip
  • Pump Patrol
  • Scoring Our Schools
  • Senior Expo
• SportsDown Arrow
  • Sports Home
  • The Script
  • The Football Fever
  • The Triple Option
  • Columbus Crew
  • Bengals
  • Ohio State Sports
  • Buckeye Basketball
  • Blue Jackets
  • Clippers
  • High School Football
  • Extras
  • Beyond the Game
  • TICKETS
  • City Guide
• Game CenterDown Arrow
  • Game Center Home
  • Daily Crossword
  • Guess Word
  • Jewel Block
  • Micro Crossword
  • Classic Sudoku
  • Word Search
• MoneyDown Arrow
  • Money Home
  • Deposits
  • Investing
  • Mortgages
  • Loans
  • Credit Cards
• Chime In
• Newsletter Sign Up
• AboutDown Arrow
  • About Home
  • Contact
  • People
  • Careers
  • Contests
  • Programming
  • Partner Spotlight
  • Sinclair Cares
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • NextGen TV
• Positively ColumbusDown Arrow
  • Positively Columbus Home
  • Career Connections
  • Arts/Entertainment
  • Sizzlin' Summer
  • Community Events
  • Toys for Tots
  • Columbus Region
  • Motivate Your Monday
  • Healthy Home
  • For Pet's Sake
  • Focusing on your Finances
  • Beat the Stigma
  • Souper Bowl of Caring
  • Buckeye Eclipse 2024
  • Home Pros
• Good Day ColumbusDown Arrow
  • Good Day Columbus Home
  • Around Town
  • Recipes
  • Good Day Gardening
  • Celebrating Our Teachers
  • Good Day Extra
• ABC 6 YouTube
• LegalDown Arrow
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Copyright Notices
  • WSYX EEO Public File Report
  • WSYX FCC Info
  • WSYX FCC Applications
  • WTTE EEO Public File Report
  • WTTE FCC Info
  • WTTE FCC Applications
  • Public File Assistance
  • Contact
  • News Team
  • Careers
  • Contests

• 
• 
• facebook icon
• 
• twitter icon

ACCESSIBILITYFuture of Columbus mask mandate, when it could be lifted

by Alexis Moberger

Thu, February 10, 2022 at 6:20 PMUpdated Thu, February 10, 2022 at 10:05 PM3VIEW ALL PHOTOSCoronavirus numbers in Ohio have been falling since reaching in peak in January. As other states repeal mask mandates, some are wondering when Columbus will do the same. (WSYX)Comment on this story0CommentShare storyShare

topics:

• COLUMBUS
• California,United States
• Connecticut,United States
• Delaware,United States
• Illinois,United States
• New Jersey,United States
• New York,United States
• Ohio,United States

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — COVID cases and hospitalizations are trending downward in the state of Ohio and across the country. Some states are now rescinding their mask mandate. According to city health experts, Columbus still needs to lower its numbers before a mask mandate may be lifted.

"We're very pleased with the downward trend. The cases went up really quick but they're going down even faster,” said Dr. Mysheika Roberts with Columbus Public Health.

States including New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and California are now ditching mask mandates.

RELATED |Ohio COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to decline since Jan. 10 peak

"Some are lifting with dates in the future, like we will lift it on March 15. So, they are not lifting it today. They're predicting when their numbers will get better and they're making a determination of when they will lift it,” said Dr. Roberts.

Ohio ended its mask mandate back in June of 2021. However, some cities including Columbus have had a mask mandate since September.

"That mask mandate would stay in place until Columbus and Franklin County became a level yellow or moderate disease transmission,” said Dr. Roberts.

Dr. Roberts said the city and Franklin County are still at a red level, meaning high transmission.

WSYX

"Our positivity rate is 14 percent, and we need it to be between 5% and 7.9%,” said Dr. Roberts. "Right now, what we've seen over the last two weeks is our case rate has gone down by 50 percent almost every week. So now we're at a case rate of 295 per 100,000. If we go down another 50 percent next week, we could be at a rate of 150."

As cases continue to fall, Dr. Roberts is hopeful the mask mandate could end soon.

"Whether it be spring and whether you define spring as March of April, I am optimistic that we're going to get there much sooner than many people anticipate,” said Dr. Roberts.

It’s up to City Council to rescind the mask mandate. Dr. Roberts said she just made her recommendation, not lift the mask mandate just yet, to the council a few days ago.

Trending

2 additional suspects indicted in 12-year-old Franklinton cold caseProsecutors have indicted two men on murder charges in connection to a deadly shooting cold case from twelve years ago.6-car crash on I-71 NB near Mt. Gilead sends one to hospitalA six-vehicle pileup on Interstate 71 northbound slowed the Sunday evening commute near Mt. Gilead, though officials report no fatalities resulted from the crasTwo late-night Columbus east side shootings involve teens, renewing calls to curb violenceTwo shootings on Columbus’ East Side late Saturday involved young people, underscoring what community advocates say is a continuing need to address gun violence1 dead in north Columbus shooting near WorthingtonOne person was shot dead in far north Columbus near Worthington early Saturday morning.1 dead, 1 hurt in motorcycle crash on I-270 near ObetzA person was killed in a motorcycle crash on Interstate 270 near Obetz late Sunday night.Just before 11 p.m., two people were riding motorcycles on the south ou

NEWS IN PHOTOS:

"Local"7Columbus Weather: Sunny, warm Monday ahead, several rain chances this week6Columbus Weather: Quiet for now, but more activity is on the way3Crews scramble to restore power in Fairfield and Pickaway counties after heavy winds4Dog rescued after house catches fire in Hilliard