Lucas County Board of Health votes to close schools due to rising COVID-19 cases
This decision comes after the county’s COVID-19 positivity rate went up, as well as the state’s, due to rising cases.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Lucas County Board of Health voted to shut down schools (including private) for grades 7 through 12, from December 4th to January 11th. Sports will also be shut down during this time period. Lucas County’s COVID-19 positivity rate stands at about 20%.
“The current condition we’re in is not because of the schools,” Toledo-Lucas County Health Commissioner Eric Zgodzinski said Wednesday. “It really truly is the nature of the disease and the things we may not have done as a community, as a state, and as a nation prior to today.”
The Ohio Department of Health reported 10,835 new COVID-19 cases, 417 hospitalizations and an additional 156 deaths on Wednesday. There is still a backlog of tests due to a high number of people getting tested for COVID-19 ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
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The latest Ohio Public Health Advisory System map shows Wood County could potentially go “purple” as early as next week.
Almost every county in the state is in the “red”, with few remaining in the “orange” and none in the “yellow”.
Gov. DeWine will hold a briefing Tuesday.
