COLUMBUS, Ohio — The mask mandate in Columbus could be lifted soon due to signficant declines in case numbers, officials said Wednesday. 

What You Need To Know

  • Recent virus trends prompted officials to discuss easing restrictions

  • Masks have been required indoors in Columbus since September

  • The change could be announced in the "coming weeks," officials said

Officials who represent Columbus, Bexley, Whitehall and Worthington met and discussed possibly their ending indoor mask requirements, the City of Columbus said in a statement.

"If current trends continue, each city expects to consider lifting local face covering requirements in the coming weeks," the statement said. 

The city instituted a mask mandate in September in response to the emergence of the delta variant. Prior to Wednesday's announcement, health officials said the county needed to move down to the “yellow” moderate transmission category on the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention’s color map for it to be lifted.

Federal health officials hinted Wednesday that they are considering new new masking guidance that would be tied to COVID-19 hospitalization rates in a given community.

Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts and Franklin County Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola gave updates on the status of the spread of COVID-19 at the meeting with local officials, the city's statement said.

"Dr. Roberts reported that both COVID-19 transmission rates and hospitalizations have continued to decline dramatically," the statement said.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said he is encouraged that the city is moving in the right direction with COVID-19 numbers. 

“Our collective efforts to control the spread of the virus have worked, and we look forward to lifting mask requirements in the very near future,” he said. “As we move from a pandemic to endemic, there may be times in the future when mask advisories or mandates could become necessary as new variants come to our community. We continue to emphasize that the vaccine and boosters are the best tool we have in the fight against COVID-19 and encourage all who are eligible to get vaccinated.” 

Related Stories