Updated COVID Risk Levels In Ohio: See New CDC Map

OHIO — Most Ohioans should no longer be wearing masks indoors, according to updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC updated its mask guidance after revising its system for calculating COVID-19 spread in communities. Most of Ohio is now either in a "low spread" or "medium spread" community. The Ohioans who live in one of the state's 15 "high spread" counties should continue to wear masks indoors.

The Buckeye State saw a surge in COVID-19 cases at the end of 2021 and in early 2022, largely driven by the arrival of the omicron variant. For nearly two months, cases and hospitalizations related to the virus have plummeted around Ohio.

Last week, the CDC revised the system it uses to deem where certain mitigation factors are encouraged. The agency uses hospital bed capacity, hospital admissions, and new COVID-19 cases to determine how high virus levels are in a county.

The Ohio Hospital Association reports that COVID-19 patient levels have dropped 64 percent statewide in the past three weeks, and are down 84 percent in the past two months.

See the updated map for Ohio from the CDC here.

Low COVID-19 Level Counties:

• Carroll
• Columbiana
• Erie
• Fairfield
• Hancock
• Hocking
• Holmes
• Huron
• Lorain
• Medina
• Miami
• Portage
• Sandusky
• Seneca
• Shelby
• Stark
• Summit
• Tuscarawas
• Vinton
• Wayne

Medium COVID-19 Level Counties:

• Adams
• Allen
• Ashland
• Ashtabula
• Athens
• Auglaize
• Belmont
• Brown
• Butler
• Clermont
• Clinton
• Coshocton
• Crawford
• Cuyahoga
• Darke
• Defiance
• Delaware
• Fayette
• Franklin
• Fulton
• Geauga
• Greene
• Guernsey
• Hamilton
• Hardin
• Henry
• Highland
• Knox
• Lake
• Licking
• Lucas
• Madison
• Mahoning
• Marion
• Mercer
• Monroe
• Montgomery
• Morrow
• Muskingum
• Noble
• Ottawa
• Paulding
• Perry
• Pickaway
• Preble
• Putnam
• Richland
• Trumbull
• Union
• Warren
• Williams
• Wood
• Wyandot

High COVID-19 Level Counties:

• Champaign
• Clark
• Gallia
• Harrison
• Jackson
• Jefferson
• Lawrence
• Logan
• Meigs
• Morgan
• Pike
• Ross
• Scioto
• Van Wert
• Washington

Masks aren't recommended indoors for people in low counties, while they are only recommended in medium counties if you are at elevated risk for severe illness and speak to your doctor. Masks are recommended indoors for people in high spread communities.

Everyone is still being encouraged to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if experiencing symptoms.

Effective Feb. 25, the CDC announced it "does not require wearing of masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/childcare programs."