Ohio’s statewide pandemic health orders, including the mask mandate, expired on Wednesday. However doctors said there are people who should still be wearing masks.
Dr. Patty Manning-Courtney with Cincinnati Children's Hospital said there are children there right now who are quite sick with COVID. Since kids 11-years-old and under cannot be vaccinated, she said they should still wear masks, just as before the mandate was lifted.
“When they are out in crowds, out in public, out in stores, out at events, they should be masked and we are of the belief that parents and family members should mask along with them. It’s just the only way to protect that population," Manning-Courtney said.
She and other doctors said kids, unvaccinated people, those who are older or have poor immune systems are still in danger of catching COVID and note there are new highly-contagious variants out there. More than 5.3 million Ohioans have received at least partial vaccines at this point but doctors say that rate needs to climb significantly before herd immunity could possibly be achieved.
Some Ohio politicians, including Republican Attorney General Dave Yost and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel, have posted videos of themselves burning masks on social media. Manning-Courtney regrets that type of message and said Ohioans should be encouraged to wear masks if they are at risk of contracting COVID.
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