For the first time in over a year, Ohioans will no longer be required by the state to sport their masks out in public or stay socially distant. People are expressing mixed feelings on the decision.
With Gov. Dewine lifting the mask mandate, on top of other COVID-19 related health orders, it will be up to each individual person and each business to decide if they will be ditching the masks or not.
Our news team went out to ask people in the community what they planned on doing after the mandates are officially lifted on June 2nd. Although most people were relieved to be able to shed their masks, some don’t trust that they’ll be safe from the virus.
Brenda Brown, a resident of Lima says, “I don’t believe that COVID-19 is going anywhere and I don't believe that the vaccine is protecting people, they’re still catching it so I have to protect myself.”
Brown works in a restaurant in downtown Lima and says they’re going to continue to require their employees to wear a mask, and keep the signage on the doors asking their customers to as well.
She says she thinks that all restaurants should at least make their employees that handle food continue wearing masks.
Some people say that businesses asking their customers to be masked up will deter them from going to those places.
Shannon Albee, a Fort Jennings resident says, “I should be able to make my own decision and if everybody else has the mask mandate lifted, what would their reasoning be? It would seem silly, so I probably wouldn’t want to do that.”
In the meantime, before the mandate is officially lifted, the state is urging people to get their vaccines and has now made a million dollar incentive to do so with the vaccine lottery.
