COVID-19 Health Orders Lifted In Ohio

OHIO — Ohio's COVID-19 mask mandate and social distancing guidelines are no more.

Restrictions will remain in place at Ohio nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Individual businesses and school systems can still implement their own COVID-19 health mandates. However, no statewide rules will remain.

Gov. Mike DeWine made the decision to remove all remaining health mandates in mid-May. He wanted to give Ohioans several weeks to get vaccinated before the mandates were lifted. Individual responsibility, he said at the time, would be paramount moving forward.

"It's important that those not fully vaccinated continue to wear masks indoors and follow other preventative measures to keep themselves as healthy as possible," DeWine said. Online response to his message was predictably vitriolic, with many saying they would never wear a mask or get a vaccine.

No vaccines have been approved for use in children younger than 12, DeWine noted. And only 5.3 million of Ohio's 11.7 million residents have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Only 4.6 million Ohioans have completed the vaccination process.

A Brief History of the Pandemic

March 9, 2020 was when the first confirmed COVID-19 case was discovered in Ohio. Since then, 979,000 Ohioans have tested positive for the virus. The U.K. and Brazilian variants of COVID-19 are now spreading in the Buckeye State.

The first COVID-19 death in Ohio was confirmed on March 20, 2020. Mark Wagoner, an attorney from Lucas County, was killed by the virus. His family immediately identified him in an effort to warn Ohioans of the seriousness of COVID-19.

A year-long struggle ensued. Lockdowns, curfews, stay-at-home orders, threats, protests and masks, masks, and more masks followed. The first glimmer of hope came on Dec. 14, 2020, when the first COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Ohio.

After an initial surge of demand, vaccination rates began to slow in late April and early May in Ohio, prompting DeWine and other state officials to unveil the Vax-a-Million lottery program.

Five Ohioans, who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, will be randomly selected to win $1 million through the Vax-a-Million program. Ohioans younger than 18 can win a college scholarship through the lottery.

The first Vax-a-Million winner was announced last week and the second winner will be announced Wednesday. Three additional winners will be announced in coming weeks, and Ohioans still have time to get vaccinated and register for the lottery.