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Many Ohio Businesses Won’t Likely Require Masks To Deal With Delta Strain Of COVID

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Now that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has advised all Americans, vaccinated or not, to wear masks indoors to prevent spread of the highly-contagious Delta variant, what will Ohio businesses and government do?

A mask up sign on a trash can on Court Street in Athens
[Joseph Scheller | WOUB]
In a written statement, the Ohio Department of Health reiterated Gov. Mike DeWine’s earlier comment that there isn’t an appetite for another mask mandate right now, regardless of the new CDC guidance.

The Ohio Statehouse said it won’t order masks unless the governor or health department mandates it.

Ohio businesses could put a mask requirement in place but John Barker with the Ohio Restaurant Association said many won’t, minus a government order.

“It’s very difficult to police this, Jo. In restaurants, you have people who are trying to serve food, seat tables, clean plates and things like that. It’s very hard to also be the police on these kinds of things,” Barker said.

But some public school districts are telling teachers and students they must wear masks during this upcoming school year.

And some local health officials are urging more to do it.