COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday held his latest press briefing regarding the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the state of Ohio.
Cases in the state have been on the rise, with more than 58,000 residents contracting the disease. DeWine has announced several measures to help slow the spread (including a new county-based alert system), and has lauded local communities who have taken it upon themselves to mandate the use of face masks in public.
On this day, the governor took thinks a step further, ordering all residents of Ohio's seven "red" counties to wear the coverings. This applies to the counties currently under a "Level 3" advisory (red), including Cuyahoga, Huron and Trumbull.
There are certain exceptions in places, such as for those who are outside & able to maintain social distancing, those who are exempt from wearing a mask by order of a licensed medical doctor due to certain health conditions, and those working with the hearing impaired. The order will remain in effect as long as the counties stay at Level 3 or increase to Level 4 (the highest), but will expire if they fall back to Level 2.
DeWine was joined, as usual, by Lt. Gov. Jon Husted. You can re-watch 3News coverage of their remarks in the player below: