CDC mask guidelines ease for more central Ohio counties; Franklin stays same
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Franklin County stayed put but other central Ohio counties improved this week on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's map of COVID-19 mask recommendations.
The federal health agency late Thursday published its second weekly edition of the map mostly based on local hospitalization data, which replaced the long-used, harsher-colored county map based on case data.
Only in counties at a high community level (orange) are people urged to wear masks indoors. At medium (yellow), masks are possible for high-risk people if their doctor recommends it. And at the lowest level (green), the CDC leaves masks optional for everyone.
The agency notes, however, that anyone with symptoms, a positive test or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.
Franklin County stayed yellow this week, but multiple rural counties in central Ohio — like Union, Marion and Morrow — dropped to green. Also dropping to green was a large swath of Appalachian Ohio, including Athens, Guernsey and Noble counties.
Morgan County had the biggest drop, from high to low.
| Central Ohio county | CDC level this week | CDC level last week |
|---|---|---|
| Coshocton | Low | Medium |
| Crawford | Low | Medium |
| Delaware | Medium | Medium |
| Fairfield | Low | Low |
| Fayette | Medium | Medium |
| Franklin | Medium | Medium |
| Hardin | Low | Medium |
| Hocking | Low | Low |
| Knox | Medium | Medium |
| Licking | Medium | Medium |
| Madison | Medium | Medium |
| Marion | Low | Medium |
| Morgan | Low | High |
| Morrow | Low | Medium |
| Muskingum | Low | Medium |
| Perry | Medium | Medium |
| Pickaway | Medium | Medium |
| Pike | High | High |
| Ross | High | High |
| Union | Low | Medium |
A majority 61 of 88 Ohio counties are now green on the CDC's map, while 17 mostly in central Ohio are yellow. Ten counties mostly on the Ohio River are orange.
With the clearing of mask recommendations from the CDC in Franklin County, Columbus is set to remove the city's mask mandate on Monday. It had been in place since September. Columbus City Schools drops its mandate for buildings and buses on Tuesday.