The Holmes County General Health District is recommending people wear masks “indoors and in crowded spaces” as the county moves to the CDC’s substantial transmission category.
Local health officials announced Thursday in a news release that Holmes County moved up one designation from moderate spread of COVID-19 to substantial as case counts increase in Holmes and throughout the state.
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Ohio reported 3,272 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. More than 1.149 million people have been reported to have COVID-19 in the state. According to reports, 20,580 have died.
Locally, Holmes County has had 2,761 total confirmed cases and 102 deaths. Wayne County has reported 9,534 cases and 229 deaths. Ashland County has had 4,618 cases and 99 deaths.
“The Holmes County General Health District is strongly recommending that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask while indoors and in crowded spaces,” the release from the health department states. “This recommendation follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidance for an area with substantial community spread of COVID-19.”
The county’s positivity rate has increased from 5.98% to 8.62% over the last seven days, according to the release.
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As of Aug. 11, less than 18% of those 12 years of age and older in the county are fully vaccinated.
“The delta variant has a higher viral load than previous strains, making it more contagious and more dangerous,” the release states.
Health Commissioner Michael Derr said getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent severe illness or death, and masking is “another protective layer” for residents of a county that gets a lot of visitors from outside the area.
“It is important that we keep our county open and safe,” Derr said in the release.
“This recommendation isn’t political or controlling,” he continued, “it’s simply showing that we care for one another and our community.”
