Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially recommended that the general public wear masks or face coverings amid concerns regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19).
And given the successful impact they've had thus far, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton doesn't anticipate that recommendation changing anytime soon.
"These masks are actually now being viewed in the studies that are done as yet another weapon to get back to normalcy," Acton said. "This is a culture change for us to do this. But it's actually acting very much like the other social distancing actions we took. This is like another layer, for those of you who have been following along, of swiss cheese; not having mass gatherings so we don't spread the disease. Or the closing of schools, another very very hard policy decision."
In fact, the use of face coverings have been so effective, that Acton anticipates, "we are going to be looking at a year of using these in new ways. So keep making them."
Acton reminded viewers that the Ohio Department of Health's website has a checklist for those looking to make their own masks or masks for others. She also repeated one of her signature lines, "don the mask, don your cape" in regards to the heroic behavior of physical distancing.
As of Monday, Ohio has had 6,975 confirmed coronavirus cases, 2,033 of which have resulted in hospitalization, 613 ICU admissions and 274 deaths. Dating back to the discovery of the state's first positive coronavirus case on March 9, Ohio Governor DeWine has taken several measures to encourage physical distancing, including a stay-at-home order that is currently in place until at least May 1.