COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Columbus can now go maskless.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther signed the repeal of the city’s mask mandate Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the Columbus City Council approved the repeal.
Both Ginther and city councilmembers have called on Columbus residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine if they haven’t already, saying it is the best way to fight the coronavirus.
Now that it is signed by the mayor, the new ordinance goes into effect immediately.
Repealing the ordinances allows Columbus to fall in line with U.S. Centers for Disease Control guidance, meaning fully vaccinated people will have a choice on masking whether they are inside or outside.
Richard Coglianese, with Columbus City Attorney’s Office, said during Monday’s City Council meeting that once the mandate goes away, businesses can still implement their own rules on masking.
“A business can mandate that individuals that wish to enter the premise wear a face mask and they can even require fully vaccinated individuals to wear a face mask,” he said. “That would simply be up to the business to choose the rules it wants to apply.”
The ordinance repeals two previous ordinances, 1643-2020 and 1807-2020, which both addressed the local mandate last year. However, residents who have not received the shot are urged to wear masks in public settings. In all cases, the rules of social distancing still apply.
