A total of 12 Ohio counties are now at a level three public health advisory, triggering the state's public health order mandating masks.
While Franklin County, which leads the state in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths is no longer on the watch list for level four, Pickaway and Fairfield counties have been added to level three on the state map introduced last week. Butler, Clermont, Wood, Lorain and Summit Counties have also been placed in the higher category because of trending case numbers. Huron County has been downgraded to level two health advisory.
Ohio Governor DeWine says the designation is based on seven different measurments of the scope of coronavirus.
"Four of the seven are directional, that is; which direction are we heading. And so this gives us all an opportunity to change the future."
In some counties, the number of cases or percentage of hospital occupancy is still relatively low. But DeWine says the categories can push people to keep the numbers low.
"The whole idea behind them is to give people information so they can say: 'I might not have been considered when we were at orange, but this is a new level, the infdicators are going the wrong way.' So, I think you're going to see more and more people, particularly in those counties where they are red, think more people are going to start wearing the mask. You know, the law is a teacher."
Mask mandates for the newly listed counties go into effect tomorrow at 6pm. Statewide there have been an additional 1,150 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in the past 24-hours, for a total of 61,331 confirmed and probable cases, with over 900 currently hospitalized. There have been 3,006 deaths.
More information on Ohio's Public Health Advisory System is available at http://coronavirus.ohio.gov
