COLUMBUS, Ohio — There are now 19 states, including Ohio, where the Ohio Department of Health advises Ohioans against traveling to due to high positivity testing rates of COVID-19, according to an updated COVID-19 travel advisory map released Wednesday.
For weeks now, Ohio has been on its own travel advisory map as positive testing rates reach above 15% in the state. The positivity rate is an indicator of how much COVID-19 there is in a community.
The advisory is intended for both leisure and business travel, one that the department of health wants Ohioans and out-of-state travelers to follow.
The states new to the map this week map are Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Arizona and Nevada.
Based on a rolling 7-day average of positivity rates of Jan.6, the affected states are:
- Idaho: 55%
- Alabama: 50%
- Iowa: 46.3%
- Pennsylvania:42%
- South Dakota: 41%
- Kansas: 40%
- Tennessee: 25.3%
- Arkansas: 25%
- Utah: 24.1%
- Mississippi:22%
- Oklahoma:21%
- Georgia: 19%
- Texas: 18.2%
- Kentucky: 18.2%
- Ohio:18%
- Missouri:17%
- South Carolina: 17%
- Arizona: 17%
- Nevada: 16.4%
New Jersey and Wyoming are shaded gray because they are reporting irregularities with the total number of tests performed this past week.
If you have to self-quarantine, these are the following precautions you should take according to the ODH:
- If you live in a home with other people who did not travel with you, stay in a separate room. If this is not possible, wear a face mask when you are in the same room and stay at least six feet away from others.
- Remain at home and avoid all in-person activities. This includes work, grocery stores and pharmacies, public events, and public places.
- Do not leave home except to seek medical care. If you need to see a provider for reasons other than a medical emergency, please call in advance and discuss the care you need.
- In the event of a medical emergency, call 9-1-1. Indicate that you are in home quarantine for novel coronavirus exposure. Keep a face mask on until you are asked by a health care provider to remove it
- Do not have visitors in your home.
- Do not use public transportation, taxis, or ride-shares.
