Is Franklin County purple on Ohio COVID map? Not yet
More than four months after it became the first county in Ohio to reach the highest level on the state’s health advisory system for COVID-19 spread, Franklin County is again on the cusp of becoming a “purple” county once again.
When the new map is revealed Thursday during Gov. Mike DeWine’s regular coronavirus press briefing, Franklin County will turn purple if it meets the necessary indicators for the second week in a row.
Turning purple, or reaching Level 4, indicates “severe exposure and spread” on the state’s public advisory map.
While DeWine and his administration hasn’t tied any specific restrictions or mandatory closures to “purple” status, it comes with serious warnings: “Only leave home for supplies and services.”
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Here’s what the status change could mean for people living in purple counties:
Will any restrictions will start if the counties are purple?
The purple designation has not previously triggered new orders or restrictions on residents of the counties who reach that level.
The Ohio Department of Health’s guidance for those in purple counties is “stay at home/necessary travel only.”
The health department said that in purple counties there is severe exposure and spread, so residents should only leave home for supplies and services and follow guidelines for lower levels.
In red counties, residents are supposed to decrease in-person interactions with others, consider necessary travel only and limit attending gatherings.
The designation could inform changes at the local level. Some school districts tied in-person classes to certain color designations.
The restrictions and practices in place now are somewhat different than they were in November when Franklin County first became purple.
Though the state’s mask mandate is still in place, the local stay-at-home advisory has been lifted, as has the statewide curfew, since the county was last purple. And many more schools are open at least partially for in-person classes.
How does a county get upgraded to level 4?
The alert level is judged by factors like new cases per capita, a sustained increase in new cases and intensive care unit bed capacity.
A county must hit five or more or more indicators two weeks in a row to reach level 4, according to a state health department order.
The county ratings are based on seven indicators:
- New cases per capita
- Sustained increase in new cases
- Proportion of cases not in a congregate setting
- Sustained increase in emergency department visits for COVID-like illness
- Sustained increase in outpatient visits for COVID-like illness
- Sustained increase in new COVID hospital admissions
- Regional intensive care unit bed occupancy
Franklin County has 218.8 cases per capita, and has seen increases in most of the tracked measures. The only indicator the county hasn’t met is in ICU bed occupancy percentage.
What’s the latest on the advisory map?
Read More: Is Franklin County purple on Ohio COVID map? Not yet