(Cleveland, OH) - Starting Thursday at 6 p.m. Governor Mike DeWine's statewide mask order for Ohio residents while out in public will take effect.
The order was issued by Gov. DeWine to help slow the spread of Covid-19 during Wednesday’s briefingin Columbus.
The mask mandate applies to all individuals who are 10 years old or older, takes effect across all of Ohio’s 88 counties on Thursday at 6 p.m.
There are several exclusions for Gov. DeWine's the statewide mask order:
- Those with a medical condition or disability or those community with someone with a disability
- Those who are actively exercising or playing sports
- Those who are officiants at religious services
- Those who are actively involved in public safety
- Those who are actively eating or drinking
Gov. DeWine shared on Twitter: "We know that masks work, and if the vast majority of us would wear them, it will matter a lot."
He went on to reiterate what Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared a week ago, "If all of us would put on a face covering now for the next four weeks, six weeks, we could drive this epidemic to the ground."
According to Gov. DeWine, the rate of increase of COVID-19 infections in the counties classified under “Red Alert Level 3″ has slowed, but not yet plateaued.
The governor stated it is believed that masks have contributed to slowing the spread and that "it looks like wearing a mask is starting to have some effect."
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