CLEVELAND — People in Mississippi and Texas will be able to go mask-less in two weeks and the change is getting mixed reactions.
Dr. Amy Edwards, University Hospitals Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist still believes masks are crucial in the fight against COVID-19.
“Right now, everyone should wear a mask at all times until we get closer to heard immunity,” says Dr. Edwards.
Lisa Hirt, the owner of Nuevo Modern Mexican Restaurant in downtown Cleveland says even though they’ve had Covid-19 safety and cleaning precautions for a year, she’s seeing an uptick in business.
“As the vaccines are coming out, we’re seeing more and more people come out, which is great for all of us and for Cleveland,” says Hirt.
If Governor DeWine lifted Ohio’s facemask mandate like other states, Hirt says she’d follow state guidelines, but keep the safety precautions a little while longer.
“For me as a business owner, even though that would start, I’d say okay if the customers want to do that I would have my employees, keep them (safety precautions) going,” says Hirt.
Considering only 7% of Ohioans are fully vaccinated, Dr. Edwards says she’s glad Ohio still has a mask mandate.
“If we let our guard down right now when so few of us are vaccinated, it’s not a strong possibility, it’s a guarantee that we will have a fourth wave and it will be huge,” says Dr. Edwards.
Huge because of the number of unvaccinated people and the highly contagious variants in the US.
As of Wednesday morning, there are currently twelve states that don’t require people to wear masks while in public.
More headlines: