{"id":132859,"date":"2020-07-07T22:26:11","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T03:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=132859"},"modified":"2020-07-08T14:06:46","modified_gmt":"2020-07-08T19:06:46","slug":"masks-mandated-in-counties-with-large-covid-19-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2020\/07\/07\/masks-mandated-in-counties-with-large-covid-19-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Masks mandated in &#8216;high-risk&#8217; counties"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>VW<\/em>&nbsp;<em>independent\/submitted information<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/pop-up-testing-july7-july-12_crop.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-132860\" width=\"350\" height=\"197\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>COLUMBUS &#8212; Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Tuesday that,&nbsp;effective at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, a new Ohio Department of Health order will mandate face coverings in public in all counties that are designated as a Red Alert Level 3 Public Health Emergency or a Purple Alert Level 4 Public Health Emergency.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently, seven counties in Ohio are designated at Red Alert Level 3, which indicates that those in these counties have a very high risk of exposure and spread. Those counties are as follows:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Butler County<\/li><li>Cuyahoga County<\/li><li>Franklin County<\/li><li>Hamilton County<\/li><li>Huron County<\/li><li>Montgomery County<\/li><li>Trumbull County<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>As of Tuesday, no counties have reached Purple Alert Level 4; however, Franklin County is approaching this top tier.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In addition to social distancing and reducing unnecessary interactions with others, we know that wearing a mask helps protect others in the community. It has been, and remains, a very strong recommendation that I urge all Ohioans to continue doing even if you are not in a red-alert county,&#8221; said Governor DeWine. &#8220;In red-alert and purple-alert counties, however, we must do more to help protect citizens because the risk of spread is increasing even more.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last week, Governor DeWine announced the creation of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lnks.gd\/l\/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMDA3MDcuMjQwMzQ0NjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLm9oaW8uZ292L3dwcy9wb3J0YWwvZ292L2NvdmlkLTE5L3B1YmxpYy1oZWFsdGgtYWR2aXNvcnktc3lzdGVtLyJ9.IdB4FC22GvMnFutKQ02OVbplcaJ2-ckHTFGcSk5OLSk\/s\/953903915\/br\/80770261839-l\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ohio&#8217;s Public Health Advisory System<\/a>, which&nbsp;consists of four alert levels that provide Ohioans with guidance as to the severity of COVID-19 spread in the counties in which they live. Each level is calculated based on seven data-driven health indicators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those in counties designated as Red Alert Level 3 or Purple Alert Level 4 are required to wear a face covering:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>In any indoor location that is not a residence;<\/li><li>When outdoors and unable to consistently maintain a distance of six feet or more from individuals who are not members of their household; or<\/li><li>While waiting for, riding, driving, or operating public transportation, a taxi, a private car service, or a ride-sharing vehicle.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The order does not apply to children under the age of 10 or any other minor who cannot safely wear a face covering. The order also reflects the mask guidance in place for employees and businesses, which does not require a person to wear a mask if their physician advises against it, if wearing a mask is prohibited by federal regulation, if communicating with the hearing impaired, when alone in an office or personal workspace, and other similar measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Schools that offer K-12 instruction should follow the guidelines set forth last week by the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Health.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ohio Department of Health will update county rankings every Thursday. Any county that increases to Red Alert Level 3 will automatically be included in the face-covering mandate. Any county that decreases from Red Alert Level 3 to Orange Alert Level 2 will automatically be released from the face-covering requirement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Current Ohio data<\/strong><br>There are 58,904 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 2,970 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 8,383 people have been hospitalized, including 2,101 admissions to intensive care units.&nbsp;In-depth data can be accessed by visiting&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flnks.gd%2Fl%2FeyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.Vx1mVeUFCuWGuT0HOxrpPpZfsltKyA5Sep0tE09dUvY%2Fbr%2F76746661264-l&amp;data=02%7C01%7Cjill.delgreco%40governor.ohio.gov%7C6c74160b92dd4f4047b908d81c730c23%7C50f8fcc494d84f0784eb36ed57c7c8a2%7C0%7C0%7C637290627734410915&amp;sdata=BdU1TkMGHiq60sq2Zu6SGbSpXl1NRv77Hs65slmw6iA%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\">coronavirus.ohio.gov<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ohio is offering free COVID-19 testing for all residents at pop-up testing sites across Ohio. Pop-up testing locations for July 7-12 are listed below.&nbsp;For more information on Ohio&#8217;s response to COVID-19, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flnks.gd%2Fl%2FeyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMDAzMjAuMTkwODQ2NDEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2djYzAxLnNhZmVsaW5rcy5wcm90ZWN0aW9uLm91dGxvb2suY29tLz91cmw9aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsbmtzLmdkJTJGbCUyRmV5SmhiR2NpT2lKSVV6STFOaUo5LmV5SmlkV3hzWlhScGJsOXNhVzVyWDJsa0lqb3hNRFFzSW5WeWFTSTZJbUp3TWpwamJHbGpheUlzSW1KMWJHeGxkR2x1WDJsa0lqb2lNakF5TURBek1UUXVNVGczTkRnMU9ERWlMQ0oxY213aU9pSm9kSFJ3T2k4dlkyOXliMjVoZG1seWRYTXViMmhwYnk1bmIzWWlmUS5sbDNOcUdidlhUa1lJeFZRcnRjUGJWWkY2SllPZmw4NVIzM3EzSEQwdWxRJTJGYnIlMkY3NjEzNzcwMDI5Mi1sJmRhdGE9MDIlN0MwMSU3Q0ppbGwuRGVsR3JlY28lNDBnb3Zlcm5vci5vaGlvLmdvdiU3Qzg1NTI1MDE1MWNkNDQyMWJiNmJjMDhkN2M5ZTRhYzliJTdDNTBmOGZjYzQ5NGQ4NGYwNzg0ZWIzNmVkNTdjN2M4YTIlN0MwJTdDMCU3QzYzNzE5OTg1NjI5NjAzMDI0NSZzZGF0YT02aUhqSVo0JTJGTzl6T1NvJTJGaFozM2h0Um1PdmhZb0dNd3NEaVYzRHdacXFTOCUzRCZyZXNlcnZlZD0wIn0.R_ynRHXbSrOH37zaqM5Mauq6VvIT_rMyqLaEQgq9LsA%2Fbr%2F76436228066-l&amp;data=02%7C01%7Cjill.delgreco%40governor.ohio.gov%7C6c74160b92dd4f4047b908d81c730c23%7C50f8fcc494d84f0784eb36ed57c7c8a2%7C0%7C0%7C637290627734420879&amp;sdata=R6t6eVcvl4kO99cCQ1Vj5rUDVgbgViMNbTYLc%2FaZZys%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">coronavirus.ohio.gov<\/a>&nbsp;or call 833.4.ASK.ODH.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VW&nbsp;independent\/submitted information COLUMBUS &#8212; Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Tuesday that,&nbsp;effective at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, a new Ohio Department of Health order will mandate face coverings in public in all counties that are designated as a Red Alert Level 3 Public Health Emergency or a Purple Alert Level 4 Public Health Emergency.&nbsp; Currently, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-03 10:28:27","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132859\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}