Many Ohioans are celebrating the lifting of the majority of emergency health orders put into place to slow the spread of coronavirus. But the state's governor and health experts say that wearing facial masks continues to be important, especially for those who haven't received a COVID-19 vaccine.
At 12:01 a.m. June 2, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Stephanie McCloud rescinded most of the remaining COVID-related health orders for the state, in accordance with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) recent guidance that people who are vaccinated from COVID-19 have a lower risk of getting or transmitting the virus.
Since last summer, the state has had a mask mandate in place, requiring individuals to wear a facial covering when near others, as coronavirus is easily transmissible through respiratory droplets when someone talks, sneezes, coughs or exhales with force. Ohio has also employed quarantining, capacity limits, physical distancing, late-night curfews and temporary closures for certain types of businesses off and on since the coronavirus pandemic began in earnest last spring in the United States. The state already has lifted many of those restrictions in recent weeks.
As of Wednesday, Ohio largely is operating as it did before the pandemic.
The big takeaways?
- Vaccinated people must continue to wear masks on planes, trains, buses and other forms of public transportation.
- Unvaccinated people still need to wear masks in "any indoor location that is not a residence," when outdoors and not able to social distance and while riding or waiting for public transportation.
- Tables at bars and restaurants should still be placed six feet apart and seat no more than 10 people. Those who are not fully vaccinated should wear a mask when they aren't seated.
- There are also restrictions limiting the amount of unvaccinated people who can gather to 10 persons.
- Regulations ask venues with fixed seating to remain at 25% capacity.
- And outdoor venues, which no longer have any capacity limits, should to try to ensure those who are not fully vaccinated avoid gathering close together.
Individual businesses still may require masks and other health-related actions from patrons, and some restrictions for long-term care facilities and COVID-19 reporting processes still remain. Read McCloud's order rescinding most of Ohio's remaining COVID-19 restrictions.
Earlier this year, DeWine had said that Ohio would keep emergency health orders in place until the state reached 50 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. But in May, DeWine eschewed that benchmark, saying that an increase in the state's vaccination rate had rendered it immaterial.
Ohio currently sits at 82.3 cases per 100,000. 45.43% of Ohioans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; only 39.90% are fully vaccinated. According to the CDC, a “fully vaccinated” person is one who is two weeks past their second dose of a two-dose vaccine (Pfizer and Moderna) or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson).
In a June 1 emailed statement, DeWine reminded Ohioans that unvaccinated and semi-vaccinated residents should continue to wear masks when near others, as they are a risk to themselves and to those around them. The CDC also continues to recommend that those who have not been fully vaccinated from COVID-19 should continue to physically distance themselves from others and avoid large crowds so as not to spread the virus. The New York Times reports that unvaccinated individuals are at high risk.
"Ohioans have done a great job during the pandemic. And, with more than 5 million Ohioans who have received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, we are getting back to living the lives we want," DeWine said. "However, it is important that we all still remember that there are a significant number of Ohioans who remain unvaccinated and are at-risk, including everyone under the age of 12. It’s important that those not fully vaccinated continue to wear masks indoors and follow other preventative measures to keep themselves as healthy as possible."
The COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and J&J are available to all eligible Ohioans. Individuals must be at least 12 years old for the Pfizer vaccine and 18 years old for the Moderna and J&J vaccines. Parental consent is required for minors.
To encourage vaccinations and public health, Ohio is giving $1 million to five vaccinated adults and four-year, full-ride scholarships to five vaccinated minors in its Vax-a-Million drawings. This week, Kroger announced that it also would give $5 million and free groceries in a promotion among those who have received COVID-19 vaccines at Kroger pharmacies. Many other local businesses have offered incentives to those who are vaccinated.
Find information and vaccine locations on Ohio's coronavirus portal.
