COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has marked Franklin County as a high level for COVID-19 on its community level map.
The CDC’s COVID-19 Community Level is a tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on recent data. Communities are marked with a low, medium or high level and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and the total number of cases in the area.
Counties in green are low, yellow are medium and orange are high.
The CDC also says Franklin County’s case rate per 100,000 people is 214.01.
In high level areas, the CDC recommends these prevention steps:
- Wearing a mask indoors in public
- Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
- Getting tested if you have symptoms
- Taking additional precautions for individuals at high risk for severe illness
Prior to Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther’s decision to drop the city’s indoor mask mandate in March, Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts said if the city were to return to high levels of community spread, she would, like the CDC, recommend that the city considers a mask advisory “at minimum.”
A spokesperson for Columbus Public Health said its staff is looking at COVID-19 case data and consulting with hospital partners to get a “complete picture of transmission in our community.”
NBC4 has reached out to Columbus City Councilmembers for a comment about whether they will change the city’s mask mandate given the CDC’s new guidance.
View more details from the CDC here.
