19 Ohio counties under state masking mandate

There are now 19 counties under a Level 3 advisory for the spread of COVID-19 in Ohio, according to the latest data released by the Ohio Department of Health (Source: “Mask Mandate Coming For More than Half Of Ohio Population,” Statehouse News Bureau, July 16).

The "red" counties in Ohio hit enough indicators for the spread of coronavirus to trigger a mandatory mask order in public. This means more than 60% of the state's population will be under a mask mandate going into the weekend.

The new advisory came a day after Gov. Mike DeWine made a statewide plea to the people of Ohio to wear masks and to stop gathering in large groups. But he stopped short of issuing stronger health orders, such as a statewide mask mandate.

According to the latest ODH data released on Friday afternoon, 72,280 Ohioans have tested positive for COVID-19, an increase of 1,679 from the day before. That is the largest one-day increase since the pandemic began in March. ODH also reported a total of 9,445 hospitalizations, a 24-hour increase of 121 and nine additional deaths reported in the last day, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths to 3,112.