AKRON, Ohio — Editor's Note: The above video is from Gov. Mike DeWine's COVID-19 briefing from Friday, August 6.
With the rise in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant, Mayor Dan Horrigan has announced that Akron will be reinstating its mask policy in all city buildings effective on Monday, August 9.
All Akron city employees and others entering city buildings will be required to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The city notes that Summit County’s rate of COVID-19 infection has nearly doubled in less than a week and moved the county to the “substantial” level of spread, according to the latest data from the CDC.
"Our public health officials and health systems have made it clear: the best way to combat COVID-19 and its variants is by getting vaccinated, masking, and social distancing," said Horrigan in a statement. “We will continue to heed the advice of those experts when it comes to keeping our City employees and residents safe, just as we’ve been doing throughout our entire response to this pandemic. I strongly encourage anyone who has not received their vaccination yet to do so soon and help halt the spread of the Delta variant.”
This mask mandate is for city buildings only, but residents in Akron are strongly encouraged to follow CDC guidance and wear a facial covering in all public indoor settings to help prevent further spread of COVID-19.
Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish recently signed an executive order stating that employees and the public, regardless of their vaccination status, must wear masks in all county buildings.
The most recent and updated guidance from the CDC is that everyone, including fully vaccinated individuals, should wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas with high COVID transmission.
More Coverage:
- Return of the mask: List of stores and institutions in Northeast Ohio that are going back to mask mandates
- University of Akron to require masks be worn in indoor public areas
- Akron Public Schools to require masks for all staff and students
- 'Delta variant is everywhere in Ohio': Gov. Mike DeWine urges more vaccinations as COVID cases rise