February 16, 2022
Franklin County Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola was pleased to be part of a conversation this week with Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts and city leaders from Columbus, Bexley, Whitehall, and Worthington to discuss the status of COVID-19, the Franklin County Public Health mask advisory, and the current city orders requiring the wearing of face coverings indoors. While the number of cases, positivity rate, and hospitalizations have continued to decline dramatically, Franklin County is still in CDC’s “red category” for high community transmission.
At this time, for the safety of our residents, employees and visitors, Franklin County Public Health continues to advise and recommend universal masking in schools, businesses, and other indoor settings. By working together, our community can reach moderate transmission levels which will create the conditions to rescind our current mask advisory- including case rates, positivity rates, vaccination rates and hospitalizations. In addition to masking, vaccination is our most effective tool to fight this pandemic. All residents 5 and older should get vaccinated with those 12 and older now eligible for booster doses.
Moving forward, our goal remains to provide the most timely and data-driven guidance as possible. Franklin County Public Health will continue to collaborate with our cities, Columbus Public Health, Franklin County, the Ohio Department of Health and other partners to inform and align with future guidance. We thank our residents and the communities we serve for their continued support.