Ohio’s governor has no immediate plans to lift the state’s mask mandate
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH/AP) — A spokesman said Wednesday that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has no immediate plans to lift Ohio’s statewide mask mandate despite recent decisions by other Republican governors to do so in Texas and Mississippi.
Dan Tierney, the governor’s press secretary, said that even people who have been vaccinated could still transmit a weakened form of the coronavirus to someone at risk of a serious case of COVID-19.
Tierney said Ohioans still need to wear masks and socially distance until the state reaches a critical mass of people who have received the vaccine.
Texas and Mississippi have relaxed restrictions put in place because of the pandemic. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio’s Fourth District, in addition to former state treasurer Josh Mandel, who is running for the U.S. Senate in 2022, have questioned why Ohio’s orders remain in place.
The governor — a Republican, like Jordan and Mandel — put the current mask order in place in July.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.