Ohio Sees Another Large Daily Case Total, Mask Order for Red Counties Starts This Evening

CANTON (News Talk 1480 WHBC) – The Ohio Department of Health’s latest report on COVID-19 shows another massive day in daily cases.

After having back to back days under the 1,000 mark, Wednesday’s report shows 1,227 new coronavirus cases. Ohio has a total of 60,181 cases and 2,991 fatalities.

890 Ohioans are currently hospitalized due to the virus, which is another figure on the rise. The state’s positive test rate is at 5%. More than 42,000 people have recovered from COVID-19 state wide.

Locally, the state’s latest report shows a notable jump in cases in Stark County. The 23 new cases in Stark bring the county’s overall total to 1,156. There were no new hospitalizations or fatalities in the county. 15 more people in Stark have recovered, lifting the overall total to 841.

Starting tonight at 6 p.m. all counties in the red level three of the state’s new Public Health Advisory System will fall under the Ohio Department of Health’s mandatory mask order. All citizens in the counties that are at levels three in four must wear masks when out in public.

“We certainly hope that these counties will drop out of that level,” Governor Mike DeWine said yesterday after announcing the order. “If they do, our current order says that the mandate of the mask in public will go away.”

The state’s latest report shows seven counties in the red. They include Butler, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Huron, Montgomery and Trumbull. Stark County remains at Orange, level two.