This marks one of the first tangible effects of Senate Bill 22, which critics called a naked attack on public health, to play out during an ongoing and now again worsening pandemic. Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts, flanked by physicians and health officials, speaks in front of the Franklin County Public Health building on Aug. 5, 2021.Photo: Jake ZuckermanAmid a COVID-19 surge in Ohio’s most populous county, health officials wanted to once again require the use of face masks indoors to slow the spread of COVID-19. Unlike July 2020, however, this time they hit a wall. State legislation that took effect earlier this summer forbids health departments from issuing blanket health mandates among people not diagnosed with any disease. So despite a 56% increase in the average daily case rate in the county, which officials attribute to the hyper-transmissible delta variant flooding the state with new cases, the…
Continue Reading: New Ohio Law Blocks State's Largest City From COVID-19 Mask Mandate, Official Says
