More Ohio Cities Mandate Masks

The Scioto County and Portsmouth City Health Departments reported three new positive COVID-19 cases on Sunday. Cases in the county have doubled over the past two weeks. So far, 23 women and 18 men tested positive for the virus. They range in age from 15 to 81.

In response to the growing number of cases, many Ohio cities approved mandatory masks.

COVID CASES RISE

Ohio’s COVID-19 are steadily rising. The Ohio Department of Health reports the following numbers

• 57,151 – Cases
• 8,172 – Hospitalizations
• 2,058 – ICU Admissions
• 2,911 – deaths

The median age of those with the illness has steadily dropped and now stands at 45. Both men and women are equally affected.

Mandatory Masks

Many cities across the state have considered mandatory masks in public. Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson signed an executive order mandating masks in public spaces on Friday.

“The spike in Coronavirus cases across the City of Cleveland warrants the mandated use of masks,” said Mayor Jackson. “If Clevelanders do not heed these critical warnings and prevention efforts, the effects will be disastrous to the economy and, most importantly, to individuals and families. No one is immune to this virus.”

Governor Mike DeWine applauded the decision. “This is the right move. With Cuyahoga County currently at Alert Level 3, Mayor Frank Jackson’s decision to mandate masks in public will make a real difference.”

Cincinnati and Columbus approved similar ordinances last week as well. Toledo City Council will take up the issue later this week.

Governor DeWine has said he is reluctant to make masks mandatory across the state and that Ohioans should “use their good judgment.”

Threat Level Orange

According to Ohio’s new color-coded health alert system to rank the severity of COVID-19 cases in each county, Scioto County is ranked at Threat Level 2. In the past two weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases has nearly doubled.

The Levels are:

•  1 Yellow – Active Exposure and Spread
•  2 Orange – Increased exposure and spread
•  3 Red – Very high exposure and spread
•  4 Purple – Severe exposure and spread

The indicators used to determine the ranking are:

• Number of new cases based on the population of the county
• A sustained increase in cases
• Cases not coming from high-risk settings like nursing homes or jails
• Increase in ER visits for COVID symptoms
• Sustained Increase in Outpatient visits for COVID symptoms
• Increase in new COVID hospital admissions
• ICU occupancy rate goes above 80% for three days