Franklin County residents worked hard to help us drop from red to orange in the Ohio Public Health Advisory Alert System last week. We remain in orange this week. It is clear that wearing a face mask, social distancing, and staying home when you are sick make a difference.
These actions made it possible for our K-12 schools to begin transitioning to hybrid/blended in-person learning this week. We want it to stay that way. Franklin County Public Health (FCPH) continues to receive phone calls and emails telling us to keep our schools open. In fact, it’s not up to FCPH, but rather all of us. We all need to take personal responsibility to continue to control the spread of the virus in the community. Moving forward, the state may determine Franklin County be designated red again based on the weekly data. FCPH will be closely monitoring local community conditions and will reevaluate future K-12 recommendations during the first week of October, which coincides with the beginning of our flu surveillance activities.
FCPH has seen an uptick in new cases since last week so as we head into the Labor Day weekend, it is essential that everyone remain vigilant to keep the number of COVID-19 cases down. You can still get out and enjoy what looks to be a beautiful weekend. What matters most is the actions you take when you are out. Remember to wear a face mask, keep 6 feet from others, avoid large gatherings, and stay home if you are sick.
Joe Mazzola, MPA
Franklin County Health Commissioner