Governor DeWine encourages masks, vaccines for students

COLUMBUS – “Today in Ohio, we are facing a perfect storm,” said Governor Mike DeWine, at a press conference on Tuesday, when talking about kids are back to school while the COVID-19 delta variant is sweeping across Ohio.

Governor DeWine said that the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools is to have students get vaccinated. He said that if the students can’t get vaccinated then the next best option is to wear a face mask.

Governor DeWine asked school districts to follow the Ohio Department of Health’s recommendation to require face masks.

“To all those who are making decisions right now about our schools, if you are not requiring masks, please think about this again. At the very least, consider requiring masks for the next few weeks when we know the spread level will be very high,” Governor DeWine said. “You can always go back to not wearing masks when the spread has reduced. With increasing numbers of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, this is the time to take precautions, not the time to take them away.”

Governor DeWine told parents that, if their child’s school doesn’t require masks, they can still have their kids voluntarily wear a mask to school.

“Our children simply cannot afford another disruptive school year. We need them in the classroom. And the real tragedy of all of this, it’s the children who will suffer when schools shut down. They’re the ones who will get further and further behind,” said Governor DeWine.

On Tuesday, there were 3,235 new cases of COVID-19 in Ohio.

To register to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Ohio, go to gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov.