Ohio Orders Children To Wear Masks As Some Public Schools Plan To Reopen

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday announced a statewide mask mandate for all students in grades K-12, as some schools in the state plan to reopen. DeWine said the state government will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to allocate two million masks to schools in the state.

Previous Ohio guidelines only required teachers and staff at schools to wear masks. Children under the age of two and students who cannot wear masks due to medical reasons are exempted from the order.

"Schools and parents continue to work to make decisions on how to safely go back to school. I know there is frustration by the uncertainty," DeWine said. "This virus has a mind of its own so we have to be flexible."

Some Ohio teachers have grown concerned about schools reopening due to possible health risks. A group of teachers paraded their cars through the state capital of Columbus on Monday to urge Ohio school districts to reverse their reopening plans.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Ohio has 88,997 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with the state’s death toll at 3,271, as of Tuesday night.