WORTHINGTON, Ohio — Worthington City Council passed an emergency ordinance Monday night to rescind the city's mask mandate.
Starting March 10, residents will no longer be required to wear a face mask inside public buildings, regardless of vaccination status.
The ordinance was passed in September 2021 in light of the delta variant of COIVD-19 fueling a surge of case numbers in Franklin County and across Ohio.
On Monday, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther signed an ordinance to end the mask mandate for his city.
Masks are still required on public transportation due to a federal mandate which is scheduled to expire on March 18.
Last week, Columbus Public Health recommended city leaders wait until this week to end the mandate.
While the coronavirus pandemic is not over, Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts said it’s time to shift to a new phase of the pandemic.
That means focusing on minimizing the impact of COVID-19 on our healthcare systems and our community while focusing our efforts on protecting those who are most at risk of severe illness.
The move to rescinding the mask in the city aligns with updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which most healthy Americans no longer need to mask up.
Currently, Franklin County falls into the medium level of community transmission, according to calculations from the CDC, which states masks are not required for counties in that category.