WORTHINGTON, Ohio (WCMH) — The City of Worthington has joined Columbus, Bexley, and other central Ohio municipalities in mandating facemasks at indoor places to fight the surge in COVID-19 cases in Ohio and across the country.

The mandate starts Thursday, Sept. 16, and requires a face-covering to be worn at all “publicly accessible indoor locations,” according to the city’s announcement on Facebook.

The city stated the mandate is required for everyone regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status.

Worthington City Council passed the mask mandate ordinance Sept. 13 and it will be in effect for six months or until it is rescinded by the city.

Worthington uses Columbus Public Health as its health agency and will be advised by Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts on a monthly basis. Roberts told city council she would recommend lifting the mandate if Franklin County experienced four straight weeks of moderate transmission of the virus as defined by the Centers for Disease Control. According to the CDC definition, moderate transmission (yellow) means there are less than 50 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.

For more on the mandate, click here.