Ohio isn’t ditching its mask mandate yet, like some other states.
But state officials have a new benchmark that’ll determine when they can lift the mandate.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced the update on Thursday (March 4).
“When Ohio gets down to 50 cases per 100,000 people for two weeks, all health orders will come off,” the governor said. “Cases per 100,000 people for a two-week period is a standard measure we have used since early in the pandemic.”
“The end of our fight is now in view, but we must continue pressing forward in these final days,” he added. “We must not relent.”
DeWine noted that because of the things Ohioans have done right, “significant strides” over the course of the pandemic include lifting the curfew, lifting stay-at-home orders and reopening businesses (including restaurants, bars and gyms).
So, how close is Ohio to reaching the goal of 50 cases per 100,000 people?
WKYC broke down the data over three recent months:
- December 3, 2020: 731 cases per 100,000 people
- February 3, 2021: 445 cases per 100,000 people
- March 3, 2021: 179 cases per 100,000 people
That means that Ohio would have to reach a max of 5,844 new cases — about 417 each day — for two weeks straight, WKYC explained.
The Ohio Department of Health has reported more than 974,000 total cases as of Thursday, the latest data available as of Friday morning (March 5).
DeWine said during a state address Thursday that “we can do this, and we will.”
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