COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio reached another alarming milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, the Ohio Department of Health reported the highest number of cases in a 24-hour period at 12,502 cases.
With Christmas just days away and many gatherings taking place, it’s causing concern for some.
10TV spoke with Reverend Tim Ahrens, Senior Minister of First Congregational Church in Columbus about the high numbers.
“You know, we're all trying to sort this out once again,” Rev. Ahrens said.
He’s kept a close eye on the numbers lately, and the church has a plan in place during the pandemic.
"In 2019, the room was packed standing room only. In 2020, a recorded version of the service was presented through Livestream. Now, we have a hybrid,” Rev. Ahrens said.
That hybrid consists of in-person and streaming the service on Christmas. The church is offering a free first-come, first-served ticket service. Rev. Ahrens said the sanctuary can normally hold a little more than 600 people, but to be safe, they’re limiting it to under 300. Masking is also required and there will be social distancing.
"We've all learned that we need to be flexible in the midst of this,” he said.
As far as large venues go, we checked websites for several places like CAPA and PromoWest that operate larger crowd venues.
These places have required proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours for several months now. According to its website, Nationwide Arena doesn't require vaccination status, but it will modify guidelines if need be.
The Christmas spirit is in the air and Rev. Ahrens won’t let the joy be taken away.
"We're trying to be thoughtful and protective of the health and safety of everyone, but also joyful, absolutely joyful,” he said.