COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)– All students in Ohio’s classrooms are mandated to wear masks this fall, Governor Mike DeWine announced Tuesday.
DeWine said he will be signing the Ohio Department of Health the order mandating mask wearing for students in K-12 under the guidance of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association and Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Ohio’s mask mandate had previously only applied to children 10 years of age and older.
Exceptions to the mask mandate include:
- children under the age of 2
- children who cannot remove a face covering without assistance
- children with significant behavioral/psychological issue undergoing treatment that is exacerbated specifically by the use of a facial covering
- children living with severe autism or with extreme developmental delay who may become agitated or anxious wearing a mask
- children with facial deformity that causes airway obstruction
DeWine said Ohio is working with FEMA to distribute 2 million masks to schools for use by students and staff.